Page 87 of Fly with Me

Olive held up the phone.

“I feel like I need some context. Otherwise, you ladies need to seriously work on your sexting skills.”

“Things more likely to kill you than a plane crash. In theory.”

OLIVE

The fact remains that if I don’t get on a plane, my chances of dying in one are pretty much zero.

“She’s still trying to get you on a plane?”

“Yes.” Olive leaned her head back onto the couch.

“Why don’t you do it?”

“Uh, because I’ve been terrified of flying my entire life.”

“So?” He ran a hand over his face. “If you’re insisting on engaging in this fake relationship, then you should get something out of it.”

“She wants to take me to Italy.” A wicked smile played on Olive’s mouth and she didn’t even attempt to hide it.

“Goddamn it, Olive, I’m leaving.”

Derek finished his wine and left, literally slamming the door behind him. Olive flinched. If he hadn’t walked out of her apartment this way many times before, most recently as a result over which contestant deserved a rose on The Bachelor, she would have been more concerned. Also, she was the only reason he ate any home-cooked food, and he’d forgotten to get his Tupperware out of the fridge.

She finished her wine and grabbed her phone.

Stella answered on the second ring. “Hey!”

“Where are you tonight?”

“Tampa. Leaving again soon.”

She slid down, putting the phone on speaker, resting it on her chest, and closing her eyes. “Can fake girlfriends miss other fake girlfriends?”

The half bottle of wine was speaking very loudly tonight. She needed to stop letting anything with a cheap screw top talk for her. It had no shame.

“I think so.” Even tipsy, Olive couldn’t miss the uncertainty in Stella’s tone. Or was it worry? “Friends can miss friends.”

“Right. Friends. You’re my friend, Stella,” Olive said like a completely chill person would say.

“You’re my friend too, Olive.” It sounded like she was smiling again.

Olive stretched out all her limbs and then yawned. “You still want to come with me to go see that dress and get dinner tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“That’s nice…”

“Olive, are you falling asleep?”

She yawned again. “No, why?”

“Let me take you flying.”

“I’m too drunk to talk about this.”

“I’m shamelessly taking advantage of your weakened and altered state.”

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