You looked for your assigned seat, before putting your carry-on bag in the overhead bin. You were on a flight, intending to go on holiday. Excitement was rushing through your veins, but was soon extinguished. You hated flights, it always made you nervous whenever turbulence took place. Either way, you kept trying to reassure yourself that you would get through the damned 5 hour flight quickly enough.

Once everyone was ready and the flight attendants did their checks, the plane made its way to the runway. Your body was tense and your hands were clutching the armrests tightly. You felt the plane accelerating, the sudden rumble of the engines filling your ears. A displeased expression tugged upon your face. But then, you felt a large hand grab your hand, intertwining its fingers with yours. Their thumb rubbed soothingly against the top of your hand. What is this? You think to yourself, finding it a bit weird that a random stranger was stroking your hand. Despite this, you felt reassured at the stranger’s attempt to comfort you.

“You’re alright, love. Everything’s okay.” A deep voice spoke over the loud hum of the plane, the man’s hand squeezing yours in such a way that was meant to calm your nerves. You noticed his hand was large,veiny and…comforting. It provided you with a sense of security, even if you didn’t know the man.