Flying High Read Online Free Page A

time before; in this moment, I released myself. I stirred the ice in my glass. It rang like wind chimes.
    I took the last sip and let Max’s tilted-head smile fill my mind. Max and I flew together twice after that sunset lingered in suspended animation. Both flights were over dry land, in the middle of the day. Both west to east, compressing the day instead of elongating it. We talked, listened and laughed, but never said a word about what had happened between us. Shortly after that, she made captain; we’d never fly together again.
    The waitress looked at the scant strip of brown liquid at the bottom of my glass. “Ready for another, Cap’n?”
    I was going to be in Phoenix for two days. I was in no rush to seek out the courtesy van to the hotel. I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. “What the hell. Why not?”
    â€œMake it two.” The voice was soft and smoky, with a hint of a soft English accent. I took in deeply tanned skin and big freckles, her hair released from its usual ponytail. She looked out at an Airbus A300 taxiing out to the runway, the strip of passenger windows glistening like a zipper by candlelight. Max’s
wide pupils formed an ellipse. I could tell she was locked on me in her periphery. She turned her head and looked deep into my eyes. “Mind a little company? I’ll be in town for a few days, and I don’t fancy drinking alone.”
    I waved toward an open seat. “Only if we can make it more than a couple of days.”
    She sat down.

A BRIEF RESPITE
    Desiree
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    I really didn’t want to go but I didn’t have the heart to tell him.
    He looked so excited, his greenish eyes sparkling.
    Our relationship wasn’t working. I’d known it for some time and I believe way deep down he knew it, too, even though he seemed content in his state of denial. I guess I was mildly in denial, too. It’s never easy to hurt someone.
    I was nervous about spending a week at his parents’ house. I was excited to see Chicago. I just hoped that I wouldn’t want to throw myself out of a window before it was all over.
    We were boarding the plane. I’d been very quiet and, surprisingly, he was letting me be. We’d always had trouble in this area and I was glad for the respite from his whining, no matter how brief it would be. Part of me hoped Drew would decide to stay in Chicago and not come back to New York, but I knew that wouldn’t happen. The plane was tiny and that made me nervous. It kind of reminded me of that episode of “The Twilight Zone” where that ape-like gremlin was on the wing of the plane.

    Before I knew it, we were seated and I felt like a death row inmate on his last walk.
    I pulled my sleep mask over my eyes not because I was sleepy but to avoid any conversation with my boyfriend. I had closed my eyes for all of thirty seconds when I felt a brush against my arm. I was instantly annoyed, thinking it was Drew trying to get my attention.
    â€œExcuse me,” said a deep voice. “Are you okay?”
    I started to nod, but I wanted to see who the voice belonged to so I pulled the mask off of my eyes. I almost gasped as I stared up into a pair of piercing blue eyes accompanied by a warm smile.
    He was dressed head to toe in various shades of blue—a flight attendant. I was getting ready to write him off as gay but something in the way his hand lingered on my shoulder told me not to be so hasty to generalize.
    â€œI’m fine.”
    The smooth caramel of his cheeks folded into two dimples as he smiled warmly and went back down the aisle. Dimples were a weakness of mine. And a brown man with blue eyes was indeed a beautiful rarity.
    At least it would make for something nice to think about during the flight, I told myself. I sure as hell wouldn’t be thinking of Drew unless it involved ways to break free of him.
    Henry: that was the flight attendant’s name. I paid