Page 2 of More than Fiction (Misty Springs #1)

Sophia

I was caught , completely stunned and unable to think, unable to move, or even tear my eyes away. I felt my pulse everywhere, including places that made my cheeks heat.

The gorgeous stranger flashed me a tantalizing grin, eliciting a soft whimper from my lips.

“Excuse me, miss.” An older gentleman stepped into my view, blocking the absurdly handsome stranger and breaking my trance.

Blood rushed to my head as my body re-learned how breathing worked. I turned my attention toward the interrupter.

"Y-yes?" my voice squeaked. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Yes?"

“Is this seat available?” he asked.

“Oh! Of course.” I removed my belongings and watched as he and a woman shifted into the seats next to me.

The man was thin and leanly muscled, dressed in cream-colored linen pants and a collared white button-down shirt.

The woman—his wife, I assumed—was petite, donning a “coastal chic” outfit with large pearl jewelry.

The couple dressed like they were used to flying when air travel was a luxury, not the mass transit cattle herding it was today.

Their interruption hit me like an ice bath. I dared to look in the direction the mystery man was standing, but he was gone.

I couldn’t tell if I was relieved or disappointed.

The elderly man who was now seated beside me asked a question, but I was still jumpy from my awkwardly sensual airport encounter, so I had to ask him to repeat himself.

“Business or pleasure?” he repeated louder and slower .

“Oh. Pleasure,” I answered, and my face warmed, my mind still in the gutter using that word. “I was visiting my sister and her family in Phoenix.”

“Phoenix. I spent a good amount of time down there. My wife and I are coming back from Montreal. I’m Dan, by the way.” He smiled before gesturing to the woman beside him. “This is Ethel.”

I introduced myself and continued chatting with Dan, while Ethel occasionally chimed in from behind her Kindle—mostly to fill in details Dan forgot or to gently smooth over the ones he missed.

There was a quiet rhythm to the way they interacted, instinctively in sync, like only couples who’ve spent a lifetime together can be.

I welcomed the small talk, as it was doing wonders to tame my voyeuristic libido.

A crackling announcement blared overhead, informing us that the flight to Misty Springs would be boarding soon.

Just one more short flight, and I’d be home.

“Sophia, this is a long shot, but can I ask you what seat you’re in?” Dan straightened in his seat and pulled his phone out of the inside pocket of his coat.

I glanced at my boarding pass to double-check. “Um… 23C it appears.”

“Gee, I just knew it!” Dan slapped his knee. “Didn’t I say it, Ethel? I knew she’d be the one.”

“You called it, honey.” Ethel raised an eyebrow, her eyes remaining locked on her screen.

I sat in silence with a puzzled smile on my face.

“After thirty years of travel, you get status on airlines. I was bumped to first class, but Ethel is stuck in the back, in 23D to be exact. I don’t want to sit by a stranger on the plane.

I want to sit by my wife.” He turned to her lovingly before returning his attention to me.

“Could I convince you to switch seats with me, Sophia?”

“First class?” I tried not to sound too excited. “Absolutely!”

“Great. See, Ethel? I knew everything would work out.” He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.

My heart pattered at the genuine affection they shared.

I listened intently as Dan continued, “I’m going to board with first class to ensure I get overhead bin space for Ethel’s bag. But I’ll go to your seat instead—22C. ”

“23C,” I corrected him.

“Right, 23C. I’ll take your seat, and when you board, take my seat in 1B. If any flight attendants ask, just tell them you swapped seats with me. Trust me, they won’t care. A couple of nice folks like us switching seats is the least of their worries.”

“Wow! Thank you! Wait…” I paused, possibly finding a fatal flaw in Dan’s plan. “Is 1B by the window?”

It didn’t matter if it was first class or not, one thing I couldn’t stand was being by the window. Flying made me nervous enough, but some illogical place in my head told me that if I sat away from the window, I wouldn’t be sucked out of the plane if we all started careening toward the ground.

“No, it’s the aisle. These tiny planes have one seat on one side and two on the other in the first class section,” he assured me.

“Then that sounds great, Dan! Anything I should know about first class? Is there a secret handshake or something I should learn? Do they only speak Pig Latin up there?”

“Ouya etgay eefray inksdray,” he fired back, not missing a beat.

“Free drinks?!” I exclaimed a little louder than I wanted to.

“Just one, but it’s a short flight.”

I smiled and thanked him, waving goodbye as he gathered his things and began boarding.

My face nearly hurt from smiling so hard—those muscles have been getting much-needed use these past few weeks. For the first time in a long time, it felt like things were finally looking up.

***

I took my seat at the very front of the plane. It felt strange up here. My legs had so much room, and the seat felt cushier—it was about as luxurious as things got for me.

“Hi there, do you care for a drink? Cocktail? Beer? Wine?” a beautiful flight attendant asked.

She had long, slick blonde hair and was donning the airline’s trademark form-fitting blue dress.

“I’ll take a gin and tonic,” I replied with delight.

“Sure thing.” She smiled, leaning in closer. “Dan in 23C already told us about your seat swap when he got on. He said to sneak you an extra bottle if I could. I’ll see what I can do.” She gave me a conspiratorial wink and turned to the front of the plane .

I was ecstatic. First class, free drinks, and it looked like whoever was supposed to sit next to me wouldn’t make it.

I settled in, buckled up, and pulled out my phone—already grinning at the thought of sending the group chat with my friends a smug first-class selfie.

The flight attendant returned with my drink. She also slipped another bottle of gin into my palm from the pocket of her dress. She quickly tapped her finger to her lips, assuring me this was our little secret.

With a contented sigh, I leaned back in my seat and settled my newly purchased book on my lap.

I didn’t even feel the need to drown out the noise with my music this time. I was ready to experience this entire flight with all my senses.