I laughed, tossing my head back a bit. “You’ve got me there.” I offered her my hand. “Come on, our ride awaits.”
Hannah glanced at my hand and then into my eyes. There was something earnest behind her gaze, something sweet and innocent and a little impressionable. She made me feel like some knight in shining armor, a man who would never fail to impress. It was nice to be in the company of someone who didn’t immediately judge me based on my reputation, or my title, or who my family was. Hannah just knew me as some European tourist, a guy she met at a party who charmed her off her feet. She didn’t need to know about my past to enjoy spending time with me, and I was pretty sure that was why I was so fascinated by her.
The helicopter was a grand old thing, shiny and new and well out of my area of expertise. Its blades were already whirring about in circles, ready to take off at a moment’s notice. The helicopter pilot was the one to open the door for us. When Hannah and I slipped inside, he handed us a pair of headphones with an attached mic so that we would better be able to hear one another over the rotating blades.
“Have you ever ridden in one of these before?” Hannah asked me.
“A couple of times,” I admitted. “You?”
“Never.”
“You can hold onto me if you get scared.”
Hannah laughed, but there was a slight tremor of nervousness in her voice. “You’re one smooth guy, you know that?”
The helicopter lifted off the landing pad, engine roaring loudly as we took to the skies. Over the microphone, I heard Hannah let out an excited gasp as she looked out the window to view the city below. It really was something spectacular, like looking at a million twinkling stars beneath our feet. From way up above, we could see familiar yellow and red lines of traffic. People walking about looked like little ants.
But the view couldn’t compare to Hannah’s smile.
A warmth spread through my chest, a feeling I hadn’t experienced in years. It was combination of joy and admiration. I’d seen her smile before, but not like this. This was something pure, genuinely glorious and brilliant. The air caught in my lungs as my guts arranged themselves in a knot. In that moment, I forgot about everything waiting for me back home. I forgot about that evening’s plans. I could get lost in her crooked smile.
At some point, I wasn’t sure when, Hannah slipped her arm in mine and hugged me close. She didn’t look at me, too preoccupied with the view.
After about fifteen minutes or so, the helicopter landed in a clearing a few meters away from a large lake. A perimeter of lamps about a walking path illuminated the area, accompanied by the silver glow of the moon and the winking of stars above us. I helped Hannah step down from the helicopter, which promptly left us to our location. I had arranged for a small table and two chairs to be set up by the water’s side. A pristine white tablecloth covered its surface, along with dining settings for two and a pretty floral arrangement and tea candles for decoration.
Hannah giggled, but looked at me with a confused expression. “This doesn’t look like La Royale to me.”
I put my hands in the air in mock surrender. “You got me. You were right when you said there was a multi-month-long waitlist. I had to think on the fly. Luckily, I happen to know the head chef. He prepared us some food and sent it right over for us to enjoy.”
“Well, I have to say, I’m impressed at how well you think on your feet.”
I walked over to one of the chairs and pulled it out for her to sit down. Because, you know, I’m a gentleman and all that. But I also felt the inexplicable need to impress her. She took a seat and I helped tuck her in. I sat across from her, lifting off the silver lids covering the fresh food I had delivered. It felt sort of like cheating, but I looked to be dazzling Hannah just fine.
“Please,” I said, “dig in.”
We took a couple of bites out of our food. I ordered a bit of everything, unsure if Hannah had a preference between lobster, lamb, steak, or some vegetarian option with a fancy name I couldn’t pronounce. I watched as her fork slipped past her lips, my eyes drawn to her mouth like some sort of moth to a flame.
Hannah moaned. “Oh, wow.”
I smiled. “Good?”
“Better than good.”
“I hope you leave room for dessert.”
She smirked at me. “Dessert dessert? Or bedroom dessert?”
I shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. “That’s entirely up to you.”
Hannah’s smile faltered for a second, her fork hovering over the dish with hesitance. I wondered for a second if I said something wrong. Was I being too pushy? Was I freaking her out?