Page 14 of Finding Love in the Clouds

Sophie went to the restroom to clean up as Fernando explored how the buttons on the remote controlling the seats worked. He was pleasantly surprised to learn that the seats laid flat and the blanket and pillow provided were of high quality.

“Well, what do you think?” Sophie asked when she returned. “Comfortable enough?”

“For me and my inferior height, yes. I can see why Gabriel felt it necessary to buy his own plane, though. His six-foot-five self would be very uncomfortable in these seats. Actually, I imagine all of my brothers feel a little tight flying commercial. I guess I will be a little nicer to them the next time they mention chartered air transportation. What about you? Will you be sufficiently comfortable?”

Sophie had reclined her seat and was covering herself with the provided blanket. “Yes, I imagine I will sleep like a baby. This pillow and blanket are so soft,” she commented, rubbing her face against the golden fibers. “When I ride on airplanes, I usually bring my own blanket and pillow. It’s so weird having one provided for me. These are really nice, though. I have lots of legroom, too. I guess sometimes being shorter is a blessing.”

“I agree with you on that. My brothers have always teased me for staying short, but in certain circumstances, it does work out well.” Turning to face her and propping himself up on an elbow to see her over the center divide, he asked, “So you got to fly as a child?”

“Before my dad left. We had a few vacations where we flew. I had a band thing and got to fly for that trip, too. My family and I just flew on the vacation you sent us on as well. That was a long flight.”

“You didn’t book yourself first-class tickets for that, did you?”

“Of course not!”

“Well, from today on, if you fly for me, you book first class. I took a peek in the back and couldn’t even imagine flying shoulder-to-shoulder like that,” he said with a little shudderthat made Sophie laugh.

“You can be so dramatic at times. The flight didn’t bother us. It’s what we know. We were grateful for the flight. It beats a two- or three-day car trip, although those are fun too. You just have less time at your destination, and as we discussed earlier, your chance of disaster on your way is greatly increased. Do you want to go to sleep or watch a movie?”

“A movie sounds nice. They gave us these personal earbuds so we can watch something without disturbing others. That’s very courteous. You know how I hate hearing the videos people are watching on their phones,” he commented, handing her a small plastic package of headphones.

“Oh, I do. Trying to eat lunch with you in public can be quite challenging when there are children or teens around. You spend more time grinding your teeth than chewing your food. It’s quite funny, actually. Okay, action or romcom? I know you aren’t interested in horror or children’s animation.”

“Hey, I can be a good sport with a quality animated flic if my nieces are around. I don’t see myself going to see one on my own. Strikes me as a little creepy.”

“It isn’t creepy! Adults can enjoy animated films as much as children. Some people don’t enjoy the blood and guts or sexual content of most adult movies nowadays, so there isn’t much left to go see if you want to spend some time at the cinema,” Sophie rebutted, scrolling through the movie options. “Ooo, this one says family. Want to try that?”

“Sure, go for it.”

They decided to watch the same screen, so they split the earbud wire, and each took one side. Halfway through the movie, Sophie heard Fernando’s breathing change and looked over to see him fast asleep, his head resting on his bent elbow while the other hand wastucked under his chin. His circulation was no doubt being restricted, but he was sleeping so peacefully she didn’t want to wake him.

Reaching over the divider, she gently removed the earbud from his ear and turned off the movie. She hadn’t really been interested in it but wanted to spend every possible moment with him, so she had tried to think of an excuse to stay up longer. Now she was feeling the exhaustion of the past few days catching up with her and snuggled down into her little cubbyhole bed to sleep. She really hoped she didn’t talk in her sleep tonight. The last thing she needed was for this plane ride to unveil all her secrets before the trip even started.

Chapter Fourteen

It was amazing that even after a long day of travel, their internal clocks still woke them at their normal time. For Sophie, that was 4:30 am, and Fernando awoke at 5:15 am. They took turns freshening up in the lavatory using the warm washcloths that were provided and the change of clothing they had packed in their carry-on luggage.

When Sophie returned to her seat, she still felt rumpled. She had applied a light dusting of eyeshadow, bronzer, mascara, and lip gloss, hoping it would make her look a little more put together. Fernando noticed the effort but wished she didn’t feel it was necessary.

After she had repacked her clothing from the night before in her bag, he spoke, “Soph, I don’t know how to say this properly, so I’m just going to say it. I hope you don’t feel it necessary to wear makeup on my account. You are a stunning woman. I have heard that makeup accentuates the eyes and such, and I’m not about to contradict any of that. If it makes you feel good and more confident or something, go for it, but you never need to wear it for me. Whether on vacation or in the office. You are beautiful, just as I saw you last night.”

“Oh. Okay. Thank you. I don’t wear much, but it’s nice to know that you don’t expect it. I always thought it was the professional thing to do, like wearing a camisole under a silk blouse. I’ll keep that in mind, though.” There was a hint of color in her cheeks as she finished this confession.

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry that I never said it before. To be honest, it never even crossed my mind,” Fernando said absentmindedly as he retrieved his laptop from his bag. “You really wear a camisole under your blouses?”

“Yes, of course. I’m not sure if I should be relieved that you, as my boss, never noticed the lack of display of my undergarments under my clothing, which seems to be so popular nowadays, or dismayed at the total lack of interest in my feminine presentation,” Sophie commented thoughtfully as she booted up the laptop on the desktop that swung into place from its little hiding place in the center console.

“I’m not sure either,” Fernando said just as thoughtfully. “I would never want my female employees to feel objectified in my presence, but I could see where my total disregard could be insulting as well. I couldn’t honestly say what it is you wear everyday. I feel like it may be a skirt. Am I right?”

“Yes, long pencil skirts usually. They keep me from rushing around. My mother suggested them when I was hired. I have a tendency to walk quickly, and they prohibit a long gate and force a more sedate pace. I try very hard not to draw attention to myself. I see that my objective has been a success.”

“Don’t take it personally, Soph. You know how absentminded and over-focused I can be depending on the day and topic. I feel like since we started this adventure, I am seeing you in a whole new light. I think this trip is going to be a lot of fun,” he said, reaching to squeeze her hand where it rested on the desktop.

“No offense taken. I do know you, and seducing you was never my plan, so I can’t be upset that you weren’t distracted by my appearance when I was trying very hard to avoid that very scenario. I think this is going to be a lot of fun, too.”

They worked in silence for a couple of hours before the stewardess informed them breakfast was going to be served. White table linens were placed on their tables, with a selection of fruit juices, tea or coffee, fresh-cut fruit, breakfast breads, and steamed omelets.

Midway through their meal, the captain came over the speakers to announce that they were going to hit a short period of turbulence. He was going to climb to a higher elevation to try and avoid the worst of it but would be unable to avoid it completely. He suggested that passengers think of it like a bump in the road when driving, nothing more. It was simply a pocket of air they needed to get through, and all would be well.

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