Page 9 of The Cloud Catcher

‘In that case, we’ll have plenty of time to catch up, because I’m heading to Amsterdam, too,’ Jay mused aloud, with a hopeful edge to his voice that mirrored the excitement building within her. ‘It sounds like we might be on a similar roster.’

‘Really?’ She couldn’t contain her excitement at the thought of exploring Amsterdam with this remarkable man.

‘Yes, really.’ His elated expression matched hers. ‘I understand Dubai is a super-quick layover, and we’ll both be tired and in need of sleep.’ His hand, so big, so strong, so calming, came to rest on her arm. ‘But I do hope you’d like to spend some time with me in Amsterdam.’

‘I’d love to.’ Zara’s smile lingered as they stood silent for a few breaths, as if they were breathing each other in. ‘I better get back to work.’ Before I kiss you, she wanted to add.

‘Yes, and I better get back to the cockpit,’ Jay said, stepping aside to let her pass as his gaze lingered on her just a moment longer. ‘I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Zara Monroe, very much.’

‘And me, you,’ she said with the butterflies multiplying and now fluttering into her heart.

‘Hang on, let me give you my home phone number, just in case we lose each other again, somehow, God forbid.’ Pulling a pen from his pocket, he scribbled onto a napkin plucked from beside him. ‘And I’ll write down the hotel in Amsterdam I’ll be staying at, which I’m gathering you might very well be, too, given the airline puts all their staff up in only a handful of chain hotels.’

‘Thank you.’ Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for the tangible link to their undeniable connection, hoping with all her might they were staying at the same place. ‘Oh, how wonderful, it looks like we are at the same hotel.’ The dark ink seemed to pulse with possibility, teasing at the romantic adventure that lay ahead. ‘Would you like me to give you my home number as well, just to be doubly sure we don’t lose each other again?’ Any other man would have found her insistence off-putting, she was sure of it, but Jay seemed nothing but keen for it.

‘Sure, great thinking.’ He passed her his pen, and her fingers gracefully swept across another napkin. She even double-checked she’d made the numbers legible. ‘Here you go.’ She passed both pen and napkin back.

‘Thanks, Zara, this means we’ll definitely be keeping in touch.’ His smile was slow and easy, and his voice exuded warmth and intimacy.

Zara clutched the napkin he’d gifted her tightly, feeling its weight and significance in her palm. ‘Seems like it,’ she replied, gazing into his intense blue eyes, and in that breathtaking moment the exchange felt less like a casual transaction and more like a fateful binding of two souls.

‘Well, Miss Monroe, bye for now.’ He offered one last lingering smile before disappearing through the cockpit door.

For a lengthy twinkling of time, Zara stood frozen to the spot. This was so uncanny that she almost believed she was about to wake up from some blissful dream. But she wasn’t complaining. In fact, she wanted to run through the aisles, shrieking in delight. Never in a bazillion years would she have believed a second encounter was possible. But yet here they were, finding each other again. And so effortlessly.

Zara welcomed the passengers on board, her smile brighter than ever while attending to each one’s needs, but as they flew through the night sky, hours into their journey, she found herself drawn into the comfort of the cockpit with food trays for the pilots.

Jay’s presence instantly enveloped her, not just physically but emotionally too. ‘It’s a beautiful night for flying,’ she observed, taking in the glittering stars scattered across the velvet darkness of space.

‘There’s nothing quite like this view,’ Jay agreed, his gaze turning towards her.

‘I couldn’t argue with that.’ Her heart quivered. ‘Do you know what I love about flying the most?’ she pondered aloud, her gaze drifting from him and back towards the vastness.

‘I’m intrigued, so please tell me,’ he urged with a curious glance. ‘It’s like being suspended between moments, in a space where time stands still. It gives you room to reflect and dream in a way that you don’t get to when you’re on solid ground.’ She sighed as she smiled.

‘It sounds to me like it feeds your soul, Zara,’ he remarked, his voice gently understanding.

‘Exactly,’ she breathed, feeling seen and understood in a way that was both rare and exhilarating. Then, catching a perplexed glance from Jay’s co-pilot, she straightened and nodded. ‘Anyhow, I better let you two do your thing, and I’ll get back out there to do mine.’

‘Okay, thanks.’ Jay’s smile told her there were many things she was yet to discover.

Stepping back into the galley area of the cabin, Zara couldn’t contain her grin. She and Jay most certainly had a spark, and weren’t such sparks meant to ignite into fiery passion? Goodness, she hoped so. Because she was dying to feel his kiss, and more. But first she wanted to get to know who the man was beneath that charming, handsome exterior of his. And something told her she needed to hold on for one hell of a ride, if she was lucky enough to discover everything about him.

* * *

Twenty-nine hours later, the rhythmic hum of the engines inside the cabin faded into silence as the plane’s wheels gently touched down on Amsterdam tarmac, signalling the end of one journey and the beginning of another. Her heart fluttering with anticipation, Zara offered a quick smile to Suzanne, who’d joined her in Dubai en route from Greece, as she unclasped her seatbelt with a satisfying click, then got back to work. Captain Maverick, their charming pilot and her soon-to-be Netherlands chaperone, had just announced their successful landing over the intercom, his smooth voice like silk caressing her ears as he offered his warm gratitude to his passengers with a charismatic ease. And shortly after every passenger had disembarked, she, too, gathered her personal belongings as she prepared to exit the plane. Now with forty-eight hours of rest and relaxation to play with, Jay’s words at the start of their shift echoed through her mind, fanning the sparks of excitement within her.

See you at the hotel, he’d said with a smile that could rival the warmth of the sun itself, before disappearing into the cockpit. I look forward to it, had been her reply, the simple promise to meet up holding so much potential, stirring up a whirlpool of longing and optimism in her soul.

‘Hey, Earth to Zara.’ Suzanne’s voice broke through her vivid thoughts, swiftly bringing her back from the edge of daydreams. ‘Where have you floated off to?’

‘Back up in the sky, way above the clouds,’ Zara responded playfully.

‘With that hunk of a pilot asking you out on a date, I don’t blame you for being on cloud nine, Zaza,’ Suzanne replied with a cheeky grin. ‘I still can’t believe how lucky you are, running into him again, at work, too.’

‘I know, crazy huh.’ Zara smirked then shrugged. ‘It was meant to be, not that I’m expecting anything to come of it.’ That didn’t mean she wasn’t silently hoping, praying and dreaming that it would.

‘Yes, it’s early days,’ Suzanne agreed. ‘And I know you want to dive in headfirst, being the romantic soul that you are, but just have fun with it and see where it goes, okay, because I don’t want to see you hurt, or I’ll have to put on my big best-friend boots and give him a sharp kick up the you-know-what.’