"Some people can't believe in themselves until someone else believes in them first."

~Good Will Hunting

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The McCarren airport in Nevada was much bigger than Kelsey had anticipated. She'd already gotten lost once—no, twice—since she'd arrived from Kansas.

Finally, she found her gate, and although her stomach longed for something to eat, she decided not to risk leaving her spot.

She clutched her laminated tickets tightly and kept folding them in half. The layover between Nevada and L.A. was only an hour long—she'd be boarding in fifteen minutes.

Kelsey swallowed hard and tried to harness the butterflies running loose in her stomach.

When she arrived in California, she would have officially moved away from home.

After finishing culinary school last year, she'd worked off and on at restaurants around town in Kansas. She sent in applications for internships all around the state in hopes of being able to hone her skills in a more formal atmosphere.

Then she got a call back from an internship in L.A.

On a movie set.

With a real Italian chef.

And she would be getting paid.

Kelsey could only shake her head and cry whenever she thought of it. It was almost too good to be true.

The steward behind the front desk began calling for handicapped passengers or parents with infants to board the plane, so Kelsey hauled her carry-on onto her shoulder and stood in line.

She clumsily pulled her phone out of her pocket and began to type with one thumb.

-Hey Sandy! I'm heading for L.A. now, should be there in an hour or so.

She'd just put her phone back in her pocket when she remembered something else.

-Oh, and don't be freaked out when the moving truck gets there. I promise I don't have a ton of stuff, they just put the five boxes in a giant van, lol

The steward called her group and Kelsey awkwardly waddled forward, showed her crumpled tickets, and hurried down the passageway.

Walking to the back of the plane was always the most awkward thing about travel. No matter how closely Kelsey held her bag to her chest, she always bumped people's shoulders or stepped on their feet, while saying "excuse me" or "I'm sorry" a thousand times.

Finally, she collapsed into her assigned seat and shoved her purse under the chair in front of her with a hard kick.

She blew a stray hair away from her face and pulled out a big cookbook—hardcover. Probably not a smart idea to carry around, but it was her favorite, and Kelsey figured she'd need a little familiarity as she trekked into the unknown.

She spread open the pages and skimmed through them until she found a recipe for pommes dauphinoise. She knew how to pronounce the recipe in her head, but always tripped up when she tried to speak it out loud. The creamy, cheesy, potato-y dish had a language all its own, anyway.

Finally, Kelsey felt her chest relax. She rested her head back on her seat and exhaled.

A man slowed down in front of her row and began pushing his carry-on into the compartment above.

Kelsey frowned. Her small hope of being able to sit alone was officially dashed.

She quickly turned back to her cookbook, trying to convey the fact that no, she did not want to have a conversation, and she was very happy in her own world, thank you.

Unfortunately, curiosity got the best of her.

She stole a look at the stranger.

He was medium-height, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, and a hoodie like anybody else. He wasn't astoundingly attractive by modern standards, but he just had a look about him.

He was attractive in an odd way.

Then it hit her.

She'd seen him before—not in a Kansas grocery store or garage sale—but at the movie theater.

She sank in her chair and shut her eyes, feeling a wave of uncomfortableness crush her inside.

Ethan Glenn.

She'd seen him in several movies and occasionally when she watched a YouTube clip from a talk show.

Of course she knew him. Who didn't? And why the heck was he sitting in an economy seat next to her?

"Are you reading a cookbook?"

Kelsey jumped and snapped the book closed. "Uh...yes...I am. Was."

He nodded, eyebrows raised, and settled in his seat. He closed his eyes and gave a sigh that was a mix between a groan and an exhale.

Kelsey stared through the cover of her book. He's just a person, she told herself. What's the big deal?

Her brow creased. And he probably just wants to be treated like a person, Kelsey, geez.

Drawing in another breath, she relaxed her shoulders. "Sorry for being so uptight. I'm in the process of moving and I'm kinda stressed, plus I've had about five cups of espresso since six this morning."

Ethan Glenn glanced at her, looking more friendly than Kelsey had assumed movie stars could be, considering she was just a peasant from nowhere.

"Moving where?"

"California. The L.A. part."

Ethan blinked once before offering an amused grin. "Southern California?"

Kelsey nodded. "Right."

"You must have a crazy reason for moving there," he said, giving a laugh that was carefree with a hint of bitterness.

"I do, actually," Kelsey replied quietly, before turning to buckle her seatbelt. The safety procedure began playing on the screen on the seat in front of her. She fiddled through her purse to find a piece of gum as the plane rattled into motion.

"What is it?" Ethan asked.

Kelsey glanced at him. "What's what?"

"The reason you're moving to L.A.?"

It took a moment for Kelsey to remember what he was talking about. "Oh," she laughed, "I got a job, which is kinda crazy. I'm a chef—intern, rather."

"Explains the cookbook," he nodded. "Why California, though? L.A. isn't all it's cracked up to be, trust me. I'm guessing chefs could go anywhere—New York, Paris, Italy..."

"Well, that's where you're wrong," Kelsey sighed. "I got this internship by a complete stroke of inexplicable luck." She laughed suddenly and shook her head, gazing out at the city that was quickly diminishing beneath her. "Two weeks ago, I was working at a fancy restaurant in rural Kansas—and by fancy, I mean a place called Gourmet Gomer's. I'd applied everywhere, and this place happened to call me. I have a friend who lives in the area, so I'm moving in with her for a while. Which is crazy! I've never lived away from home, so I'm kind of panicking, to be honest, which you can probably tell." She looked back at Ethan apologetically. "And that was a lot of rambling. Sorry."

He was watching her with that same perplexed quirk in his brow, but a sense of amusement and curiosity had partially taken its place. He extended his hand. "I'm Ethan."

Kelsey shook it. Part of her wanted to play innocent and pretend she didn't know who he was. It would make things so much less awkward, but it wouldn't do either of them justice. "I'm Kelsey Harris, and I'm guessing your last name is Glenn."

Ethan's face fell. Disappointed only for a moment. He bowed his head with a wry smile. "Right."

"I'm not a huge fan of your acting,"

He looked up, startled. "...what?"

Kelsey sighed. "You're too dramatic."

"It's called acting."

"Oh, I know. But you don't have to drown, get burned at the stake, or hurl yourself off a cliff because a girl dumped you in every movie."

Ethan stared at her for a long while, trying to decipher whether or not she was serious.

She laughed. "I'm just kidding. You're fantastic. I was just trying to get rid of that sad look on your face when I said I knew who you were."

He nodded, still not completely satisfied, and said, "I guess you just get hopeful to meet someone who thinks you're a new face."

"I hadn't realized we'd met before."

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."

Kelsey pulled out her purse and looked for a pen to open the stubborn package of chips she'd bought. "So I have to ask, why is a movie star like you sitting in an economy seat at the back of the plane?"

Ethan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Long story."

"Ah-ha," Kelsey muttered, having victoriously opened the chips. She popped one into her mouth and said, "We've got about thirty minutes and I haven't eaten in about three hours—which is catastrophic for a chef. So please go on."

"I missed my flight."

"Famous people do that too? I thought it was just me."

Thankfully, Ethan laughed at that. "Shockingly, yes. And today was one of those days. This flight was the last one going to L.A. and I have a screen test to get to."

"Wow. What movie?"

"No clue."

Kelsey tilted her head to the side. "You don't know what movie it's for?"

"Nope."

"What if you don't want to be in it?"

Ethan chuckled, but Kelsey couldn't understand what was funny. "So you don't have the ability to choose what you want to act in?"

"I used to," he admitted, "but once you get big, you basically sign your freedom away to an agent. Suddenly you're not a guy trying to make a buck...you have so many people relying on you, so many expectations you've got to fulfill. You're not really your own person anymore, you belong to the world, I guess." He shrugged casually.

Kelsey couldn't help but stare. Her world suddenly seemed so far away...so estranged from this man's sphere. How could anyone live like that?

"But," he said, brightening, "I'm just in a bad mood since I missed my flight. You get to eat at amazing restaurants, see amazing things, meet cool people. There are perks, it's not all bad. But I am curious about this cooking business of yours."

They continued chatting for the remainder of the flight, and soon Kelsey couldn't picture Ethan in any of the parts she'd seen him play as. His "bad mood" at the start of their conversation began to disappear, and in its place was a quirky, lighthearted guy. In fact, he faintly reminded Kelsey of her brother back in Kansas.

She was shocked when the plane's wheels skidded against the runway and the captain began giving instructions.

Ethan slid out of his seat and handed Kelsey her carry-on with a grunt. "Holy crap, what's in there? Rocks?"

"Cookbooks," Kelsey replied demurely as they awkwardly made their way down the aisle.

They walked in silence down the jetway and Ethan turned to her once they were outside the gate.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," he said, extending his arm.

Kelsey juggled her things to free up a hand before shaking his. "It was—"

"Excuse me? Can my friend and I take a picture with you?"

Before Kelsey could react, two girls had sidled up beside Ethan, selfie faces ready.

Kelsey stepped back uncomfortably and spun around when she heard her name being called.

"Kelsey! Over here!"

She beamed excitedly as Sandy waved and jumped up and down. Her blonde curls bounced as she squealed and ran up to hug her friend.

Kelsey almost dropped her stuff on impact, but managed to return the gesture. "I can't believe it!" She gasped.

"Me neither," Sandy said. "To think you'd move all the way to Cali, just for me!"

Kelsey laughed and rolled her eyes. "In your dreams. You just wanted me to move in with you so you can steal my mac 'n cheese recipe."

"You know me too well." Sandy took one of Kelsey's bags. "I had an awful time finding a parking spot, so we're going to have to walk a ways."

She started off, but Kelsey lingered for a moment, glancing behind her.

Ethan was nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for someone?' Sandy asked, craning her neck behind her.

"Oh, no," Kelsey laughed.

"Didn't sit next to any crazy people, did you?"

Kelsey smiled to herself. "No, not at all."

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Hello! Thank you so much for reading the FIRST chapter of "Last Flight to L.A.", I hope you enjoyed it ^_^

~What do you think of the characters so far?

~How will Kelsey get on in L.A.?

~What are your thoughts on the chapter?

Thank you again for reading! {don't forget to comment, vote, and share!}