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[color=74BF4C][sub]Staring: Rowan Gale[/sub]
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No amount of excitement that Rowan had for the reunion could take away from his anxiety about the flight there. 

With every slight jerk of the plane, or gust of wind, Rowan felt his hands tighten on the arm rests of the seat. Since this was his first flight, Rowan understood why he was feeling anxious - but that didn’t stop him from getting a little angry at himself as well. 

[color=74BF4C][i]It’s just a tiny little flight. I’m fine,[/i][/color] he thought, taking a deep breath as he tried to figure out how to work the on-flight TV so he could watch a movie. A kid a few rows behind was starting to scream at the top of their lungs, and Rowan was [i]not[/i] about to listen to that for the last two hours of his trip. 

After the plane hand landed, Rowan did the best that he could to navigate the airport and gather his luggage. Figuring out the Uber app relatively easily, Rowan took a seat on one of the benches in the loading area while waiting for his ride to arrive. The bright sun and the stickiness of the humidity was an unwelcome change from the cold rain of Washington. He missed his home already. 

On his ride to the hotel, Rowan exchanged a few words with his driver. The young man didn’t seem to be the chatty type, and that was something that Rowan could appreciate. Another thing that he happened to notice was the way that the driver's eyes had widened when Rowan had told him his destination. 

“Fancy place, man. Don’t really look like you’d be traveling there. Er… no offense.” 

[color=74BF4C]“None taken,”[/color] Rowan replied, chuckling quietly from the back seat. [color=74BF4C]“I get that a lot. I’m actually in town for a high-school reunion sort of thing.”[/color]

It was the younger man's turn to laugh this time. 

“Ah dude… I am [i]not[/i] looking forward to my high-school reunion [i]at all.[/i]” 

Arriving at the hotel, Rowan tipped the driver and thanked him for his time. Grabbing his luggage and entering the building, Rowan took a deep breath. He had already felt out of place a few times since landing in the big city - but the hotel took the cake. Everything was neat, polished, and organized. Rowan's work boots, jeans, and favorite comfy tattered t-shirt absolutely did not belong here. Thankfully the young woman at the desk was more than welcoming and was happy to see that Rowan was checked into his room properly. 

Rowan had managed to score one of the rooms with a private balcony. He was excited with this outcome. While the plunge pool would have been nice as well, there was already a pool upstairs if he needed to go swimming. With the balcony he could lean against the railing and look out to the ocean - just as he was doing now. 

It had been years since Rowan had seen the east coast, but the salty air was familiar and welcoming. After checking his phone for the time, Rowan re-entered the bedroom, leaving his boots outside. He was more than ready to wash off the dirt and grime that was American Airlines, and had arrived early enough to do so. 

While in the shower, Rowan did his best to keep his mind from wandering, and to keep his nerves in check. His plan didn’t work. 

Feeling the knot in his stomach growing every second, he took a deep breath and let the warm water run over him and relax his aching muscles. 

Rowan had never been super popular in high school, and to tell the truth - he really didn’t know why he was currently standing in a Florida hotel, buttoning up his shirt. The only person that he could think of that would actually want to see him was Marg. Would she even be speaking to him, or would they still be playing it as cool and nonchalant as ever? Was he about to spend his whole weekend watching her fall prey to Roman once again? 

Maybe there was Frankie, but the two of them had never been close, and it wasn’t like Rowan had kept in contact with anyone over the years. He tried to look at it on the bright side - perhaps he would walk away from the weekend with a few new-old friends. 

Once dressed, Rowan checked the time once again before making his way to the final destination of the evening. 

He walked up the stairs slowly, focusing on his breathing as he went. Hands shaking ever so slightly, he stepped outdoors and braced himself for whatever may come next. 


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