“Nah, I think?—”
I glance at my ticket and towards the back of the cabin, but my mouth falls open in shock.
Nah, it can’t be.
My steps falter, the shock of seeing that familiar face sparking something hot inside of me.The closer I get, the more vivid she becomes.
Yes, it is her.
Marley Jacobs.
The one who got away.
Marley doesn’t see me coming. She’s lost in thought, completely oblivious to me heading her way.
Oh shit.
Now I’m feeling a bit insecure. Do I smell okay? Is my breath fresh? Will she remember me? It’s been almost four months since we met. That night had been the first and last time I’d seen her. It had been a brief introduction, but I remember the vibe and the instant connection between us. I can remember the night so clearly, as if it happened yesterday.
Her perfect smile and the way she shined it on me, making me feel like a schoolboy with a foolish-ass crush. I’m getting giddy thinking about the way she looked at me, the amber glint in her dark brown eyes.
Marley made me nervous as hell that night. And that doesn’t usually happen with women. But with her, I didn’t know how to form a simple-ass sentence to simply ask her out on a date. By the time I worked up the nerve, her phone interrupted. The bubble of hope I had burst as she excused herself and hurried off into the crowd and out of my life.
Until now.
The girl of my literal dreams is here. In the flesh. I’d thought of her constantly since that night. Four long months of wonder and regret. But not anymore. I look up to the Most High and whisper a silentthank-you.
Marley is still lost in her own world when I make it to our row. I slide my bag into the overhead bin, schooling my expression before taking my seat beside her. Her face turns, glowing and radiant, and out of habit she smiles. When her eyes register who I am, the curve of that pretty mouth turns up even more. Genuine. The smile I’d fantasized about more times than I care to admit.
Damn, she takes my breath away.
“Wow. What are the odds?” I ask casually.
“Othello?”
She remembers me.
My chest and ego lift as I settle into my seat.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
“Catching a flight to Hawaii, I hope.”
This gets a laugh out of her, hitting me like a sweet song I never want to end.
“This is wild,” I say, shaking my head. “When you ran away from me at that party, I honestly thought I’d never see you again.”
More laughter spills from Marley’s lips, the sound just as infectious as before. And I want to make her do it over and over again. “I didn’trunaway,” she says. “I walked away to take a phone call.”
I lean in closer, my smiling not letting up. “Yeah, but you never came back.”
Anchored in her gaze, the moment shifts, and I feel a subtle pull humming between us. The energy is radiating, and I can’t stop looking into those brown eyes. They’re mesmerizing. A sweet concoction of copper, bronze, and gold. For a second, I feel like I’m back to the first day we met at her friend’s party. The chemistry was there then, and I can feel it here now.
I take Marley in, eyeing her from head to toe. I feel like my Uber driver, Clover, who was trying hard not to look conspicuous, but I’m failing miserably.
Marley’s hair is an opulent blend of locs and whimsy curls. Her satin leopard-print skirt brushes her knees, and her white graphic t-shirt with the phrase “Catch flights, not feelings” is printed boldly in red. The caption makes me smile.
“Catch flights, not feelings?” I read the words out loud.
