"Ladies and gentlemen, we have started our descent towards Toronto..."
The PA announcement came through, above the monotone buzz of the jet engines as people around the cabin started to move about in their seats. John yawned as he pushed himself up in the seat, stealing a look through the window. The only thing that greeted him back was complete darkness, although he was still able to make out singular points of light on the ground. The flight so far had been smooth and uneventful - with barely any turbulence and good food, even for Economy-class standards. He stretched his hands out, still feeling tired even after managing to somehow get some sleep -- something which wasn't very common for him when flying. There was a silver lining in this, however -- a hotel room for his 24-hour layover waiting for him at the airport hotel. Usually, his line of work didn't necessitate long trips -- he could easily ghostwrite a full novel from home without even leaving his bedroom, but this time it was all pleasure. A full two weeks of vacation in sunny Cancún in a 5-star hotel right at the beach. However, getting there was another thing entirely -- and a flight to Toronto with a long layover turned out to be the cheapest option of all. He swallowed as he felt his ears fill up, a clear sign they were getting closer to Earth. He switched on the interactive map on the entertainment system as he then relaxed back into the seat as much as he could.
The thud of the landing gear touching down on the runway woke him back up from the little nap. He could feel the plane brake hard, the force pushing him forwards in the seat as they rolled out onto the taxiway. Another announcement came on, confirming they landed in Toronto and the time was just past 10 PM -- right on time. John smiled as he then unlocked his phone and switched airplane mode off before tucking it back into his pocket. He knew he didn't have to rush anywhere, so he simply relaxed as the plane kept slowly rolling towards the terminal. He waited in his seat as everyone scrambled to stand up and grab their bags, some people even shoving others out of the way. John sighed, waiting patiently until the line started to thin out. He moved swiftly, grabbing his carry on and tying his hoodie around his waist as he moved, nodding back as the flight attendant wished him a nice evening as he stepped onto the jetway. After that, everything went surprisingly smoothly -- the border control was rapid, his checked bag was one of the first ones to roll off onto the belt, and so, in around 20 minutes he was standing in the terminal, trying to make heads and tails of his position. A few words with a helpful desk agent and he found his way, yawning as he moved towards the hotel entrance. There, everything followed the same, old routine -- filling out forms, getting the room key card, and having almost every nook and cranny explained by the friendly receptionist. Out of all that onslaught of information, he only remembered one thing -- the bar was still open and would be open for another few hours.
Perfect. He thought as he moved towards the elevator. While undoubtedly tired, he still felt he could go on for an hour or two without falling asleep. As he moved towards the room and opened the door he already knew what to do. He put the big suitcase inside the cupboard as he then threw the carry-on onto the bed. There, he quickly packed out the fresh change of clothes and the bag with shower amenities, before producing an empty plastic bag. He undressed quickly, tossing the dirty clothes into the bag. He then moved to the bathroom and into the spacious shower, leaving the clean clothes on the sink and taking the shower gel and shampoo out of the bag. He moaned as the warm spray hit him, washing thoroughly and letting all the sweat and some of the tiredness wash away. He was done in no time as he stepped out and dried himself with a towel. He dressed himself up, a simple green polo shirt and comfortable jeans. He looked at himself in the mirror, giving his short, brown hair a quick comb before dabbing a few drops of cologne onto his hand and rubbing it into his skin. Satisfied, he put on the shoes and left the room, key card and wallet in his pockets as he moved back to the elevator. The way to the bar was quick and he soon found himself sitting on a stool against a solid, mahogany table, soft jazz music flowing out of invisible speakers as he sipped on a glass of neat Canadian whisky. The bar was practically empty -- with the bartender busy polishing glasses and John being his only customer, keeping to himself as he scrolled absentmindedly through his phone. After a short moment, he heard a clack of heels against the hardwood floor, causing him to look up from his phone. He watched as a woman moved over to the counter, picking a spot at the edge. At first, he couldn't see her face due to the dim light and a large, black hat she was wearing, but as she took it off, it suddenly clicked.
Cobie fucking Smulders.
The sight sure surprised him. Even though he wasn't a fan of "How I Met Your Mother" (mostly by the virtue of not having seen a single episode -- however blasphemous that sounded), he was very familiar with her work as Agent Hill in the MCU. And now she was sitting just across him, even though the chances of them being even in the same town at the same time were slim to none -- let alone in the same hotel, same bar...
"Excuse me, sir?"
The smooth, deep voice of the bartender broke him out of his trance. As he looked down he saw another glass of whisky right in front of him.
"Oh, I didn't..."
"The lady will take this on her tab. Don't worry, sir." The bartender spoke, smiling. John nodded back, smiling himself as he slid the glass towards himself. He turned his head to face the actress, noticing her smirking at him while sipping on a Martini. For a moment he swore she winked at him before he raised his glass. She did the same nodding before they both took swigs of their own. As he set the glass down, John then noticed the napkin he got with the glass got something written on it. He took the piece of paper into his hand.
"If you want to talk, don't be shy ;)"
Well, if the lady insists... He thought as he poured the rest of his first whisky into the new glass and stood up, moving to sit right next to her. As he got closer he could already feel his cheeks heating up.
"Oh, so you did get my message after all." She said, her previous smirk turning into a smile as he sat down.
"What else can I say to an offer like that, Ms. Smulders." He replied, biting the inside of his cheek as she let out a laugh.
"Oh, busted." She added, smiling as she took a sip of her drink. "Just call me Cobie. And you are..."
"John. Nice to meet you. Big fan." He spoke, extending his hand, which she then shook, her blue eyes seeming to sparkle in the dim light.
"So... John..." She then spoke, turning to face him fully. "What brings you here?"
"Well... I've just flown in from Frankfurt and have a full day-layover ahead of me...decided to get something to drink before I go to sleep... you know the rest." He spoke, noticing how she listened to him intently. "And you?"
"Pretty similar. Substitute Frankfurt for L.A. and the full day to one night and it's practically the same." She replied. "You don't sound German though..."
"Expat, originally from Kansas. Long story." He said, taking a sip of whisky. "I mean, we are in an airport hotel, after all. I'd say most people here would have a similar story."
