Page 103 of My All American Girl

“Well, until they start offering interstellar bus routes, we’ll have to settle for seeing London from the top deck.” Standing, he extended a hand to me and helped me up from the bed.

“Oh, such a hardship,” I teased back as we started gathering our things.

We walked out of the hotel room together and headed toward the bustling streets. London was alive with the hum of people and traffic. Our shoulders brushed against each other periodically as we strolled without a care in the world. Here, we were free to be a couple. It was perfect.

Soon, we were climbing aboard a red double-decker, blending in with the tourists snapping photographs with their cameras. We made our way to the top deck, getting a panoramic view of the city. The wind tousled our hair as we both enjoyed London’s skyline. I didn’t take pictures, even though I was dying to. Pictures were evidence. I didn’t want any evidence to come back and bite me in the ass. This trip was just for us.

At Westminster Abbey, we were surrounded by centuries of history as we walked through the grand arched doorways. Our footsteps echoed softly in the quiet space as we admired the intricate stained-glass windows, luminous with sunlight. As we passed the tombs of kings and queens, poets and scientists, I felt so lucky to be here with him.

After enjoying the Abbey, we moved on to a quaint little pub he’d found last time he was in London. It was nestled between two larger, more modernized buildings, but its age and character had been preserved.

Inside, the timber beams, stretched across the low ceiling and blackened with age, held an air of old-world charm. A stone fireplace covered most of one wall. It was warm so there was no need for a fire, but I could imagine it providing a cozy atmosphere during the winter months.

We found a table nestled in a quiet corner and ordered fish and chips. There was nothing quite like the traditional English fare to round off our day. As we ate, he told me about some of his most exciting flights and near-death experiences in the cockpit.

I found myself lost in thought, thinking about how different my life had become since meeting him. I went from being a single woman focused on flying to looking at things just a little differently. I didn’t want to stop flying, but for the first time, I realized there might be more to life than being in the cockpit.

We left the pub with sunset fast approaching. Once again, we held hands and meandered through the city with the other tourists and locals alike. I didn’t care if it was London or Paris or any other city in the world. I was just glad we were getting the chance to be a normal couple.

We wound our way back to the hotel for one last night together. We didn’t say it, but I knew we were both thinking it. We had no idea when we would get to stay the night in each other’s arms again. I wanted to take advantage of every minute we had before it was time to return to the real world.