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“We’ve hardly planted a garden, Elle.”

“I’ve got the rake and shovel ready, though.” Elle leaned across the table, biting her lip the moment Arianna glanced back at her. “You just bring the seeds of love.”

While the woman across from her nearly passed out from the loss of blood to her brain, Elle laughed.

“I’m kidding, of course. You’re a very shy woman, aren’t you, Aria?”

“Does that surprise you?” she asked once regaining her bearings.

“Maybe a little. You’re so confident on a plane.”

“It’s my domain, you know. Every law, every passenger, every expectation is not lost on me. It’s easy for me to feel comfortable in a place I fought so hard to be in.”

“What about elsewhere? Does someone like me throw you off balance?”

“Only because you are something I want.”

A plate clattered in the distance, but that wasn’t enough to distract Elle from what her date had said. “Oh, am I, now?”

Arianna’s head fell slightly to the side as she realized what she had said out loud. As her eyes grew larger and her lips curled into her mouth, Elle had to resist the urge to crack up laughing and further embarrass this poor woman.

“If you excuse me, Ms. Sparrow,” she said through the bubbles in her throat. “I think I’m going to go put myself in the kitchen oven.”

“Please don’t. You haven’t even eaten what’s come out of there yet.”

“I think I should like to lock myself in the bathroom.”

“Before we’ve had our first kiss?”

“There is a large road nearby. Maybe I should jump in it.”

“Or before you’ve seen the inside of my suite across the street? It’s impressive. I picked it hoping you’d enjoy the view.”

Their food arrived. Arianna looked like she wanted to throw up.

“I’m making this worse, aren’t I?” Elle asked as her food was delivered before her.

Arianna curtly nodded. “I can’t believe I said that.”

Neither of them picked up their utensils. Elle plucked her glass off the table and coated her throat in cool liquid, hoping it would help her speak more clearly.

Arianna beat her to the conversation.

“It’s not you, specifically,” she said, with eyes only for her dinner. “It’s the freedom dating you would offer.”

“It’s more about the ideals you’d like to have in your life than me.”

“Yes. I mean, you seem wonderful, Elle, I just don’t know you very well. So all I’m thinking about is how I’ve never had…”

Her hesitation confused Elle, prompting her to say, “Go on.”

“I’ve never had an open relationship.”

“I think that means something different in Mandarin than it does in English.”

“I mean a romance that I can tell people about. Someone I can be seen with. You’re fascinating to me. Hitting on flight attendants and asking them to dinner.”

“Please note that I also slipped you the note, made sure to get reservations away from your hotel, and even got myself a room in a different hotel. My company wanted to put me in the same place as you again, you know. I’m footing my bill to be elsewhere.”