Page 49

That was how it went in the airline industry, but it was the first time it happened at Royal Asia, and everyone had to readjust. Even Arianna, who said goodbye to most of the Economy and Business Class cabin crew she had come to know on a first-name business. Now, the LA-Singapore route was an even split between Singaporean-based and American crew. Not everyone would be on the same flights: the Singaporeans continued their old layover schedule, but the Americans had their own to hold down back in Los Angeles. This meant the people Arianna saw on her flight to LA might be returning home, and the ones coming back with her to Singapore were heading for their layovers. Corporate assured them that things would “shake out better" once the flights themselves were adjusted to allow for two a week instead of one.

Arianna wasn't sure about that. But as long as the airline remained financially solvent, all she had to do was go where she was told, do her job, and get paid. For now.

This meant she was not prepared for some of the shakeup in the flight crew, though.

“For the past six months, I've been flying with some of the best crew a pilot could ever ask for.” Capt. Fan, who often came to the preflight meetings but rarely spoke, was asked to give a small speech before the newly integrated crew boarded the plane back to Singapore. “While it's strange to suddenly say goodbye to some old fellows, we're welcoming new ones to our humble crew here at the weekly Royal Asia Singapore to Los Angeles route. Allow me to be the first to introduce our new copilot, First Officer Riley Lowe.”

The polite applause muffled the surprise stewing in Arianna's head. You're kidding! She was probably the only one there who remembered Riley from the mixer, let alone knew her from the modeling stunt. Yet there was Arianna, mouth agape as a familiar face dressed in her pristine uniform stepped in front of the group and bowed in greeting.

Riley briefly made eye contact with Arianna before looking away again. I swear she winked at me. Was that beyond Arianna's ability to comprehend? This was all happening so fast!

They were ushered to the gate shortly after the meeting concluded, Arianna looking around for other people she recognized. But she didn't see Sherry, nor did she see any of the other American flight attendants she met at the mixer. Only the new ones who spoke enough Mandarin to be considered anything but a liability in the cabin.

“At least we're still together, huh?” Charmaine said as she and Arianna went over the preflight checklist in the cabin. “They can't keep us apart, no matter what airline we fly.”

Any other day, Arianna would have humored her coworker's joke, but today was not an ordinary day. Her head was instantly snapping up when Riley Lowe came out of the cockpit to stretch her legs before the passengers boarded. As she quipped to everyone at the end of the preflight meeting, “It's a long flight, huh?”

“Hello,” she said, hands in her pockets as she leaned up against the galley wall. “I'd say ‘long time no see,’ but it's barely been a couple of weeks since we were in front of a camera. How have you been doing? Arianna, right?”

“That's right.” Arianna was aware of Charmaine watching them from behind. “Not too bad. I had no idea you were going to be on this flight from now on.”

“I got the notice not too long ago. Then again, I had no idea it was your route when we formally met. What a small world Royal Asia operates, huh?”

Arianna couldn't help but giggle, finger running beneath a list of meals ordered for dinner that night. “The smallest,” she quipped.

“And who's this, huh?” Riley stood quite comfortably next to Arianna while addressing Charmaine, who was in charge of ensuring all of the meals were accounted for. “Hi. I'm Riley Lowe. Feel free to call me Riley.”

The shrillest sound erupted behind Arianna, and it took her more than a moment to realize that Charmaine was laughing too. I've never heard her laugh like that before… Hardly ladylike. Arianna rather liked it, although she wasn't allowed to admit it.

“I'm Charmaine,” she heard. “Huang. You can call me Charmaine.”

“Charmaine! That's a lovely name. You don't hear that very often.”

Arianna almost choked. “Charmaine" was one of the most common female names back in Singapore. At least among their age bracket.

“Is it your first time flying to Singapore?” Arianna asked.

“No, which is why I think I was put on this route. Not a lot of FOs on the roster know a touch of Mandarin and have flown to Singapore before. Granted, I don't get to do the announcements on the flight. James says that might come when I can perfectly recite the onboarding and landing messages to him, and that man is a stickler for tones.”

Arianna hung up the clipboard beside the galley. “Mandarin is a difficult language to learn and understand. It didn't come naturally to me, and they taught it to us in school.”

“It's not your native language?” Riley asked.

“No. I grew up in Malaysia. My baby tongue is Malay.”

“That's true for a lot of the girls on board,” Charmaine said. “I grew up in Singapore but was born in Taiwan. Singapore is a big crossroads city for Asia. There used to be a couple of Indian girls who worked in Economy but they were shuffled off to some other route. Do you know which one, Miss Song?”

Arianna shrugged. “We should focus on getting ready for boarding.”

That was Riley's cue to leave them alone, but not before she winked at Arianna once again. What do I even make of that?

Before takeoff, she used the opportunity to quickly text Elle and thank her for all the fun they had those past couple of weeks. Even when they were apart, her girlfriend was quick to reply, either with silly pictures or flirtatious words.

No wonder Arianna always had a smile on her face!

“You spoil me, sis.” Kaylinn splayed herself across Arianna's bed, admiring the stash of makeup procured from the beauty shop Elle had recommended. It was so much cheaper than where Arianna had been going before that she rather felt like she was stealing from the small strip mall shop. Either that or I should be worried that they're knockoffs. Was that a problem in LA like it was in other places? Arianna was only used to shopping in familiar chains like Sephora and ULTA.

Arianna finished tossing fried rice in her wok and turned off her burner. For the first time since coming home, she took her hair down all the way and rubbed the back of her scalp. The long-sleeved shirt she had bought in Santa Monica weighed nicely on her torso as the air conditioner pumped cold air into the small flat. “If I had to spend so much time in LA, I might as well have made the most of it.”