Chapter 197 - Montreal Air and the Whisper of Paper

​The takeoff from Haneda Airport took place beneath a overcast, gray sky that was beginning to drop the first cold rain onto the runway. Inside the first-class cabin of the transcontinental flight bound for Canada, the constant hum of the engines eventually turned into a hypnotic lullaby that wrapped around the passengers. Aibek, with his seat fully reclined and covered in a thermal blanket, slept almost the entire fourteen hours of the journey. His right hand, still protected by the medical compression bandage, rested on Jake's lap, who kept his fingers intertwined with the younger man's throughout the entire flight, watching over his brief awakenings with the patience of a silent guardian, caring for his Bek like the most beautiful and finest jewel.