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“Where are we landing?” she asked, her eyes still on the window.
“Near Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas,” I said. Largest city in the U.S. Virgin Islands. From there, we’ll sail to my island.”
She didn’t reply, instead taking in the view as we drew closer and closer to the ground. It wasn’t long before I could spot the port of Charlotte Amalie. A pair of massive cruise ships were in the bay, a very common sight from above.
We descended further, and I could make out a tense expression on Emily’s face. No doubt the novelty of flying hadn’t settled in just yet. As we descended, I felt the overwhelming urge to take her hand once more, as I’d done on the way up.
I decided against it. Emily was still upset with me, and there was no doubt that she’d reject my offer of comfort.
We touched down, a gasp sounding from her as the wheels connected with the pavement. The plane raced down the runway, the rolling, green hills surrounding the airport a blur as we moved.
“Is this normal?”
“It’s normal. We speed up, then we slow down.”
She didn’t have anything to say after that, instead choosing to have a white-knuckle grip on her arm rests. The plane soon slowed down, coming to a stop near the private airfield’s terminal. A chime sounded to let us know that the flight was over.
“That’s it?” she asked.
“That’s it. We’re here safe and sound.”
A breath of relief escaped from her. Emily quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up, stretching and shaking the anxiety from her limbs.
“Wow. You do this all the time?”
“All the time. When you fly as often as I do, you don’t even think about it.”
She pursed her lips and glanced away.
The speaker came on once more. “Welcome to the Virgin Islands, Mr. Stone and Ms. Marone.” The voice on the intercom wasn’t the pilot’s, but Estella’s. “It’s a beautiful seventy-fourdegrees, with not a cloud to be seen. The private car is pulling up now, and as soon as the stairs are secure, we’ll have the doors open and you both on your way. A pleasure flying with you as always, Mr. Stone.”
I watched out of the window as the stairs pulled up to the door, the runway staff taking a moment to put everything into place. Estella came out from the cockpit, eagerly walking over to Emily, both speaking in Spanish as they chatted about one thing or another. I could sense from their gestures that they were discussing the flight.
The door opened moments later, a rush of warm air tinged with a bit of humidity coming into the cabin and intermingling with the chilly dryness inside. I was beyond eager to take in some sun, to have a little time on the water.
“Ready?” I asked, rising and coming around to offer my hand to Emily.
She regarded my hand with skepticism. “Ready.” Instead of taking it, she turned brusquely away and headed toward the door.
Estella and Emily chatted quickly in Spanish, finishing the conversation with a warm hug. Estella led Emily the rest of the way to the door and gestured down the stairs. I followed behind as we descended.
The sun hit me right away, a pleased smile spreading across my face as I closed my eyes and let the warmth hit me. After a rough New York winter and chilly spring, a little bit of paradise was just what I needed.
About halfway down the stairs, Emily stopped so abruptly that I nearly walked right into her.
“Something wrong?”
She said nothing at first, simply looking forward.
“It’s… I don’t know. It just hit me that I’m thousands of miles away from my dad. I’m not free. But this is the closest I’ve ever been.”
I didn’t reply at first, letting her words hang in the air. It was a candid admission, considering she was still upset with me. It was also one to which I couldn’t relate. Ever since I was a young man I came and went as I pleased. Sure, I was responsible for the company, but it wasmine. Answering to anyone was something I simply didn’t understand.
“The views get better from here,” I said. “Come on, we’ve got a bit of a trek in front of us.”
We reached the ground, the staff already waiting with our bags. A sleek, black Land Rover awaited us. I nodded to the crew to load the bags inside. Once more, Emily held her personal bag close, as if someone might pluck it from her at any moment. I was curious as to what was inside but didn’t want to pry.
Once the bags were loaded into the back of the car, I took the keys from the staff member and went around to the passenger side to open the door and help Emily inside.
