Playboy Pilot

“I’m sorry that I almost risked our friendship to be with him.”

“By the time you told me you were sleeping with him, I was happy with Brian. Someday, you’ll meet a good guy, too. Fuck Carter.”

“That’s the problem. I already did. Now, I just need to get over it.”

I couldn’t stand to listen anymore. Putting my earbuds in, I blasted the music.

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Was I sick in the head?

There were just so many reasons why I could potentially be delusional. This guy had a proven track record of being an asshole to women. Attractive women. Suddenly, I was going to be the one to change him? A girl who was potentially about to get pregnant by another man?

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, I felt trapped. Both literally on this long-haul flight, and figuratively by my own idiotic heart. Because as much as I knew I should get out of this situation—my heart wouldn’t let me.

What if.

What if.

What if.

What if what we have is different?

When Jolene came by to take my dinner order, I couldn’t help myself. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” She smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth. God, could she have been more opposite from me physically? She was like an Amazon woman. They all were. What did he want with me, if he liked them?

“I noticed that the pilot likes to sing Beatles songs. I was on another flight with him, and he sang Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”

“Uh-huh. Usually, he just sings that one. For some reason, he did a different one today.”

“My dad used to sing the Lucy song to me,” I lied. “Is there a story behind why he sings that one in particular?”

Without hesitation, she shook her head. “I don’t think so. He told me once he just likes the song.”

I examined her face for any sign of dishonesty. “Okay. Thanks.”

I knew she was telling the truth because she had no reason to protect him at this point. If anything, it probably would have given her pleasure to spill his secret. He hadn’t told her the meaning behind the song.

As Jolene took my order, my heart was doing a bit of a happy dance. The fact that he’d dated her for two months and never opened up to her like he did with me gave me a bit of hope. The cynical side of me, however, quickly concluded that maybe he opened up to me because he figured he’d never see me again.

The rest of the entire flight was spent ruminating. I asked God to give me a clue that my being here wasn’t all a huge mistake. At one point, I was able to fall asleep again.

By the time I woke up this time, the sun was shining through the plane windows, and we were almost in Dubai. I had no clue what time it even was there.

I noticed that the man sitting across the aisle from me had a charger plugged in. Thankfully, he let me borrow it to power up my dead phone.

When Carter’s voice came on the intercom, it sent chills through me, not only because I hadn’t heard it in a while, but because he sounded down and tired.

“Ladies and Gentleman, we are now on our final approach into Dubai International Airport. The time here is a little after one-thirty in the afternoon. This is the hottest time of the year in the UAE. Current temperature is a scorching ninety-three degrees. Stay cool and thank you again for flying International Airlines. We hope to see you again soon.”

Closing my eyes, I said a little prayer for a smooth landing. My ears popped as the plane lost altitude. My heart began to beat out of control in anticipation of revealing myself to Carter.

The landing was smooth as could be. When the engines were shut down, I powered on my phone, shocked to find that there were several missed messages—all from Carter.

Oh my God.

He’d bought me a ticket.