Page 31 of Come Fly with Me

“What?” Taylor asks.

“Chick flicks, you know, romantic comedy type movies. Dirty Dancing, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Sliding Doors, you name it,” I confess, wondering if any of this is changing her opinion about me.

“Okay,” she says, hesitantly. “So, what’s the big secret about all this?”

“Well,” I start. “I’ve seriously never told anyone this, okay, but I actually really, really like them. I mean, I still watch Love Actually every year when I go home at Christmas, even if I’m only pretending to enjoy it to make my sisters happy.”

Taylor bursts out laughing and even though she promised she wouldn’t, I don’t have the heart to stop her. “Oh my god,” she breathes out between giggles.

“You’re totally making fun of me, aren’t you?” I ask.

“Yes!” she shouts down the phone, still laughing. “Although, it is kinda cute, too,” she admits. “Who would have thought you were such a softie.”

I smile at her words. “No one does, so remember that, okay? It’s our little secret.”

She giggles again. “Well, thank you for trusting me with it,” she says teasingly, even as I can tell she’s also being sincere.

“I’m just glad I could make you smile,” I tell her. “Maybe forget about what happened at the bar tonight.”

I hear her laughter subside as she takes a deep breath. “You did,” she eventually murmurs. “Thank you.”

“Your past doesn’t define you, Taylor,” I remind her again. “And it certainly doesn’t matter to me either. We all have a story to tell and it’s a part of what makes us who we are.” I pause, swallowing hard as I tuck a hand behind my head, my gaze moving to the window and the lights of the city. “And, for the record, I happen to really like who Taylor Patterson is.”

She takes a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “You’re nothing like I expected you to be, Jake Campbell,” she whispers.

I chuckle. “I could say the same about you.”

“And I really like talking to you,” she adds shyly.

“I really like talking to you too,” I reply, unable to wipe the smile off my face. “Maybe one day I’ll even let you watch a chick flick with me, too.”

She laughs, the sound falling through the phone and into my ear, making my body hum with desire.

“I’m always here if you want to talk, okay?” I tell her. “Or do other things,” I add, unable to resist.

“Thank you,” she whispers, the words low and sexy. “See you for breakfast tomorrow?”

“You will,” I tell her. “Good night.”

The next morning, I come down to find the whole crew dressed and in the restaurant having breakfast. It’s not hard to tell who’s hungover by the plates piled high with bacon and scrambled eggs, hash browns and other fried food.

There’s no sign of Taylor, so I take the first seat I can find which happens to be next to the flight attendant who hugged me when I first came aboard back at LAX. I still don’t know what her name is.

“Hi, Hunter,” she says, smiling up at me as she slides a hand onto my arm.

“Hey,” I reply, pulling my arm from her grip.

“Have you had a good time?” she asks in a fake seductive voice. “I was sad we never got to spend any time together Down Under,” she adds, batting her heavily made-up eyes at me.

I nod just as Taylor walks into the restaurant and looks around. “I did have a good time,” I tell her, catching Taylor’s eye. “Spent time with my family.”

“Really?” the flight attendant asks, surprised. “Word is you and Taylor were hanging out?”

I watch as Taylor moves over to the buffet to grab herself some coffee. It feels strangely weird now that our time together is over, as though we’re being forced back into the real world. I have no idea what that means or what happens when we get back to the US either.

“Mmmm,” I eventually reply, non-committal.

“Well,” the flight attendant says, her tone changing. “She made quite the scene last night in the bar. Do you remember, Ali?”

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