We were just about to push back from the gate when an attractive young couple came bursting into the plane. They made there way down the aisle and end...d up sitting directly across from us. I overheard the girl mutter “damn, the girl at the check in counter said nobody was sitting aft of row 12”. I didn’t think anything of her comment at the time.Take-off and climb weren’t noteworthy. Nor was the meal. It had grown very late, and everybody else on the airplane had their reading lights turned out. .. that's why I got out. I was gonna takea bus or a taxi or something? But he was kinda cool about it ..." Cool?" Yeah ... I mean, he wasn't a jerk or anything ... like, he said hestill thought I was beautiful? And like, he never would have guessed?And that made me feel a bit better ... you know, like he kind ofaccepted me for who I am, even if he wasn't into having me for hiswife?" So if marriage is out, why wouldn't he still wanna date you, if hethinks you're so hot?"Good question, I thought.. Everything was the same. Walking past Ray playing the fruit machine as usual, the film Groundhog Day popped into his head again. Looking around he was half expecting Bill Murray to be sitting at the bar.Tapping Ray on the shoulder as he walked past, Dan makes his way to the smoking shack outside."Hold up I'm coming"Dan was surprised to see Ray leave the machine instantly. That was something he had never done."Fuck me, you shit yourself or something?" Dan joked"Eh? What you on about?" You jumped. ”Bethany got our towels. I locked the house on the way out and took Bethany’s hand. Mark was silent as he led us the two doors down to his house. The last time I made this walk with Mark I thought he might care about me a little. But if he cared about me he wouldn’t have refused to be with me again. It’s not like I’d have told anyone. And plenty of girls dated older guys.“What did he say?” Bethany asked.“He came upstairs,” I said and met her eyes as they widened. “He heard us.”“Oh,” she said.