Two passengers are late and the flight is delayed

Fat chance—they’re your neighbors, and they’ve brought a lot of gear. Pillows, eye masks, noise-canceling headphones, even a travel blanket. They look like seasoned travelers, fully equipped and ready to turn this flight into a first-class nap experience.

You can see two women from afar an older and a younger one, maybe mother and daughter? They seem to be in their 20s and 40s with typical black asian hairs. They are smiling but you can’t tell if it’s relief at making it on board or just carefree amusement, oblivious to how close they came to missing the flight. Either way, they look comfortable.

As they reach their row—your row—you realize your solitude is over. There’s no room to stand, no space to step aside so you just make yourself as small as you can in your seat, hoping they will fit between you and the seat in front.

Their expressions drop when they see you and they exchange a few words in Mandarin. {reveal "Do you try to understand?" set game:chinese_proficiency = 10}

Your Chinese isn’t great… but with your phone and a bit of effort, you piece it together.

- You didn't order the middle seat ?

- I thought you did.

- Uugh not again

Your proficiency increases slightly!

{endreveal}

You offer to switch seats, but one shakes their head, already wedging herself into the aisle seat. The other—the younger one heading for the window—turns sideways and begins to squeeze past you. The scent of her perfume, something floral and light, fills the cramped space as she presses closer. You catch the warmth of her body through the thin fabric of her shirt, and then—there it is—the brief, unavoidable brush of her upper thigh and butt against your legs as she climbs over you to reach her seat. She doesn’t acknowledge it, but you feel the heat rise in your face. The girl settles in, already pulling her eye mask down, as if the awkwardness never happened.