Page 68 of Simply Yours

So she was here in a tiny, rickety-looking plane that seemed more like a toy than an actual aircraft, with a propeller that didn’t inspire confidence. The metal step beneath her foot felt insubstantial, as if at any moment it might betray her, sending her plummeting to the ground before they even left it. She swallowed hard, fighting the overwhelming instinct to step back—to keep stepping until she was safely out of sight.

Jason was already in his seat, his face alight with an unguarded, boyish joy that Caitlin had never seen before. It stole her breath, that smile. It reached all the way to his eyes, brushing away years of stress and duty, stripping him down to something raw and real.

And she was doing this for him.

For them.

Let it be known, by all who bore witness, that Caitlin Barnes had never once in her life wanted to fly. Not in a plane this small. Not in a plane thisbreakable. She was a Navy girl. She worked at a desk. She liked her feet on solid ground where the laws of physics behaved predictably, not in the sky where things could gowrong.

Dating Jason had already pulled her far beyond her comfort zone—this was just another step into the great unknown. Still, she climbed in, hands gripping the sides of her seat like a lifeline, heart hammering against her ribs.

Jason was already putting on his headset, his enthusiasm bubbling over, completely unaware of her inner turmoil. Teflon, their pilot, continued his pre-flight checks, rattling off instructions to Jason with an ease that suggested he had done this a thousand times before. Caitlin, on the other hand, sat frozen, watching the exchange with growing unease.

Teflon turned, handing her a headset. “Here you go—so you can hear us during the flight.”

“It’s gonna be loud?” Caitlin asked, surprised.

“Windy,” Teflon clarified.

Windy. Loud. Unpredictable.Fantastic.

“Are we ready?”

“Yes,” Jason answered without hesitation, his voice practically vibrating with excitement.

Teflon grinned. “Let’s go then.”

Caitlin fumbled to put on the headset, only half-listening as a voice crackled through.

"Cessna 5739, the runway is clear. Bank right at three thousand feet and have a good time. And to the Birthday Boy… welcome to our world finally. So – Mr. Honorary Flyboy—are you ready to sell us some property yet?"

Jason chuckled, shaking his head. “No, sorry, Petersen. I’m not selling yet.”

"Had to try, man. No offense."

“None taken.”

"Have a great birthday flight, Baird."

The plane lurched forward.

Caitlin’s stomach lurched with it.

Her fingers clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white, nails digging into her thighs as they picked up speed. The moment they lifted off the ground, leaving solid earth behind, something primal and unhinged clawed its way up her throat.

Jason inhaled sharply in front of her. “Whoa…”

Caitlin couldn’t respond. She couldn’t breathe.

The world tilted.

Her pulse pounded in her ears, drowning out everything except the deafening realization that she was no longer in control of her own fate. Her muscles locked up, chest tightening, sweat slicking her palms. This was unnatural.

This waswrong.

Jason was staring straight ahead, his expression unreadable—until they hit an air pocket.

The planedropped.

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