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She ran her hands over the controls, feeling the familiar weight and resistance of each switch and lever. The memories flooded back— all the countless hours spent in a cockpit, all the missions flown and battles won. She closed her eyes, letting the sensations wash over her, and when she opened them again, she was ready.
With a flick of a switch, the engines roared to life, sending vibrations through the plane and into the marrow of her bones. She couldn’t help but let out a whoop of excitement.
Connelly’s laughter echoed through the cockpit as he buckled himself in beside her and settled back in his seat. “The controls are all yours. Take me for a ride.”
She smirked over at him. “You have no idea what you’re asking.”
“Go ahead,” he said with a dare in his eyes. “Scare me.”
With practiced ease, she taxied the plane out to the runway, the vibrations of the tarmac beneath her feet intensifying with each passing moment. She took one last deep breath before pushing the throttle forward, the plane surging with a burst of speed.
The ground fell away, and the plane lifted off into the air.
Veronica’s heart soared with it, her eyes glued to the horizon. The world opened up before her, vast and endless, and she felt a sense of freedom she hadn’t experienced in years. She let out a whoop of joy, and Connelly’s laugh mixed with hers as they soared higher. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once, but she kept her focus on the controls and the open sky ahead.
Freedom.
The sun glinted off the wings as they soared higher and higher, the world below shrinking to a patchwork of color and texture, with the wildly rugged mountains to the east and the Pacific sparkling in an endless blue that curved gently over the earth’s surface to the west. They soared over verdant forests and fertile farmland and rivers carving meandering paths through the earth.
“Look at that view,” Connelly said with soft wonder.
Oh, she was looking, drinking it all in. With as much time as she’d spent in the air, one would think she’d be used to the beauty. But she had forgotten how stunning it could be, how it could take her breath away. The world was alive and vibrant, and she felt alive with it.
“It feels like coming home,” she whispered. She realized he was grinning at her, his eyes warm with affection. She grinned back at him. “Let’s do some maneuvers.”
Connelly raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t exactly a plane built for maneuvers.”
“All planes are built for maneuvers.” With that, she pushed the plane into a steep climb, the G-force pressing her back into the seat until the engine stalled. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, igniting something in her that she had thought long lost.
Connelly didn’t make a sound, but she saw his hands tighten on the armrests.
She grinned at him. “Scared yet?”
“Nope.”
Of course not. Mr. Horror Writer would never admit to being frightened.
But the longer the dive went, the tighter his grip got. “Uh... Vee? Ground’s coming up fast.”
She pulled the plane from the stall and leveled out.
He exhaled in a rush and released his grip on the armrests. “Jesus. I might need a new pair of pants.”
They were never in any danger. She was in control the whole time, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. “You used to jump out of planes,” she reminded.
“Yeah, but the plane was still, you know, flying when I did it.”
She laughed.
The plane dipped and swerved, sunlight glinting off its sleek wings as it cut through the clouds like a knife.
She glanced over at Connelly, and warmth spread through her chest, a soft and sweet sensation she couldn’t quite define. Was it gratitude? Affection? Something else entirely? She didn’t know, but she was content to let it simmer and grow and thaw her from the inside out.
“Thank you,” she murmured, her voice barely audible above the roar of the engine. “I never thought I’d feel like this again.”
His smile was soft, his dark eyes shining with unspoken emotion. “Seeing you like this—fearless, free—it’s like watching a phoenix rise from the ashes.”
They continued to fly, soaring through the clouds, taking in the breathtaking views. The sky was a canvas, and they were the painters, creating new patterns and paths with every turn and maneuver. Hours passed, but it felt like mere minutes.
