Okay.
I could do this.
I nervously adjusted my blazer and walked through a set of sliding doors into Chicago's Midway Airport. I had no idea why I was so anxious; after all, this was a position I'd been coveting for most of my life. One of the largest domestic carriers in the country, Skyway, had just recently started operations at a regional airport close to my home in Los Angeles. However, the airline was based out of Chicago, and due to staffing issues my initial training and probationary period were to be held here. It didn't make sense that I was the only one sent out here, but I wasn't complaining. Here I finally was.
I somewhat hesitantly approached the ticket counter, where I found an open station.
"Hi," I told the employee, whose name was Natalie. "My name's Rachel; I'm supposed to be here for training this morning."
"Oh, yeah, we've been expecting you." The blonde smiled warmly at me, then looked around. "Um, I'm not sure where Sheila went... she's the station manager... oh, there she is," she finished, nodding a few feet away.
I glanced over and tried to not let my jaw hit the floor. "Holy fuck," I thought as I watched the older woman hop over the scale that was built into the ticket counter and approach me.
Smiling, she held out a hand. "You must be Rachel. Hi, I'm Sheila. Welcome to Midway."
"Thanks," I replied shyly, forcing myself to meet her gaze. She was about ten years older than me, with piercing grey eyes and expertly permed red hair that fell to her shoulders. I tried not to think about the fact that she also looked really fucking good in the standard airline uniform (which happened to match mine this morning): her slightly heavyset frame fit perfectly in navy slacks, a matching blazer, and I tried to divert my gaze from her chest, which filled out, not quite straining, the standard issue white dress shirt. Oh, if I didn't stop now, this was going to be a problem.
"So. Let me show you around." Sheila gestured back over the counter and I followed. "This is the entrance you'll usually come in at." We walked through a doorway into a small break area, where a few rows of lockers and some tables were.
"You can put your stuff in here... you brought a lock, right?"
I nodded and stuffed my backpack in one of the larger lockers, removing the lanyard with my ID and SIDA badges from the bag before securing the locker.
"And," she gestured to a machine on the wall, "here is one of the time clocks. Like I said before, you'll be going back and forth between the ticket counter and the gates, but this one is the closest to access."
"You mean I can actually punch in?" I joked, holding the ID badge in the air.
She laughed. "Yep. Go for it."
I slid my badge through the machine and it beeped; I couldn't help but smile at the action. "Sorry," I apologized. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."
"No problem; it happens." She gestured back towards the door. "I figured we'd start out by going over to C5 and helping board. Sound good?"
"Awesome," I replied, and with that, we left.
It just started out like that. I loved my job and the people I worked with. And as time passed, the more I enjoyed it. Sheila was smart, funny, and enjoyed working for the airline just about as much as I did. However, there was also the issue of how I was beginning to feel about the whole thing. It wasn't long before I really started to find her attractive. I'd always felt that way about certain people; I think it was just a combination of nerves and circumstance that kept me from taking that final step over the line between fantasy and reality. It seemed like every time in the past that I'd tried to be honest and make my intentions clear, I'd just ended up being shut down and /or hurt emotionally in the end. I also really didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize this job I'd wanted forever, so I tried to keep everything hidden and leave the situation at a pointless crush and nothing more. Besides, based on experience and my rotten luck, she was probably straight.
But I couldn't help it. Many times, I'd be waiting at a gate and find myself just watching her walk down the concourse. I'd get that familiar butterfly feeling when she simply smiled at me, or when we were forced to work close together. Then there was the time I was working the ticket counter and found my foot having a meeting with a piece of baggage that had been left sitting on the floor. Klutz that I was, I stumbled forward; Sheila had been standing behind me and instinctively threw an arm out to steady me.
My face instantly turned red. "Thanks," I muttered; I picked up the offending piece of luggage, and ensuring it had a destination tag, put it up on the conveyor belt where it belonged.
"No problem." Slowly, she removed her arm from where it had been encircling me; I felt a thrill run down my spine as her fingertips just barely brushed the top of my right breast. I stiffened, then turned around, but she had already begun a conversation with a customer.
I gradually made friends with the rest of the crew and became part of the family, so to speak. Over time we started hanging out after work, attending airline-sponsored group events and the like. I continued my pointless crush from afar, making sure to never be seen doing anything off-the-wall.
One night a couple of us had decided to go bowling, which had become a ritual several nights a week. I was just sitting there waiting for my turn, staring off into space, when I spotted her a few lanes away. When had she shown up? I hadn't noticed her in the group that met in front of the bowling alley. I took my turn, and of course, threw a couple of gutter balls. Sitting back down, I drained what was left of my beer and of course my eyes drifted back over to where Sheila was standing, screwing around with the automatic score thingy.
