“Magic Kingdom, but I’m sure—”
“Cool. Magic Kingdom it is,” Jax said before I could finish my argument.
I shut my mouth, because there was no point in arguing with her. Jax was probably the most stubborn person I’d ever met. There was no way she was going to back down once she made up her mind about something.
When we got to the airport, we were able to go right to security since we had both brought along carry-on size bags at Jax’s request. It was hard since I had no idea what to pack, but Jax had convinced me to bring exactly what I would have worn if we stayed home.
I resisted the temptation to keep checking the time to make sure we’d get to our flight on time. This trip was supposed to be about flying by the seat of my pants. If we didn’t make the flight, so be it.
Jax bounced up and down beside me in the line for security. “This is going to be so much fun. I’ve always wanted to go to Disney.”
“Wait. You’ve never been to Disney?” This felt like a big deal. It was definitely something that should be planned out. Jax deserved that for her first experience. She deserved to be making the trip with a family member or close friend, not her best friend’s sister. “Why didn’t you tell me that before we bought these plane tickets?”
Jax laughed. “Because I predicted exactly what’s going through your mind right now.”
“And what would that be?” I challenged, because there was no way she actually knew what I was thinking.
“You think my first experience should bemore special.But if you ask me, this trip is pretty damn special. We’re both doing something we’ve never done before. I’m going to Disney for the first time, and you’re doing an unplanned trip.”
“Okay, so you did know what I was thinking.” I had no clue how she did that. “Is there a reason you never went?”
Jax shrugged. “My parents owned a beach house in South Carolina, so that’s where we spent most of our time over the summer. And then I became an adult and could plan my own trips, but my friends weren’t really trying to take vacations to Disney World.”
“Where do you normally go on vacations now?”
“The beach still. Or anywhere with a music festival.” Jax’s face lit up. “Speaking of which, tickets go on sale soon for one in Vegas in January. Do you want to go?”
“Do I really have a choice?” I asked with a laugh. I knew I did, but I also knew Jax could convince me to go even if I didn’t think I wanted to.
“Not if you want to complete the list,” Jax said smugly. “I’m doing great with mine. Not to brag, but I’ve already messaged a few girls on the dating app.”
My stomach flipped as if her words had triggered my anxiety, but it was one of those times when I didn’t know what I was so anxious about. Jax had done two things from her list so far, and I was on the second thing from my list. Technically, I hadkind ofdone three of them since I was actively working on my book, a task that seemed to get easier with each passing day. It’s not like I was way behind.
I held onto my stomach as we moved through security. “Any dates planned?”
“No. I’m trying toget to know thembefore I decide if they’re worthy of a date.”
I knew she was joking around, but I hoped Jax actually made sure these girls were worthy of dating her, because she deserved the best. In just a month of living together, it was obvious how special she was. I didn’t want her to give her big heart away to just anyone.
Before we could continue this conversation, it was our turn to go through security. The line was so long that by the time we were through, we had to rush to make it to our gate just in time for them to do the final boarding call.
I laughed harder than I could ever remember as Jax and I stumbled onto the airplane. This wasn’t something I wanted to do all the time (or ever again), but there was a certain rush to not knowing if we would make it that had my adrenaline racing in a way that was actually kind of fun and exciting.
I let out a long sigh as we sat down in our seats. “That was… something.”
“Admit it. You kind of loved it.” Jax smiled at me and my stomach flipped again, but this time felt different than the anxious flip from before.
What the hell? What was that all about?
“Oh! When they come around, we should have a snack,” Jax said, her eyes wide and voice high-pitched as if it was the most exciting idea in the world. “We forgot to eat lunch.”
That’swhat was going on with my stomach. It was nice to know there was a logical explanation. “Definitely. I’m starving.”
Once we were safely in the air, we ordered overpriced snacks and Bloody Marys. I don’t know if it was the fact that I barely ever drank, something about the elevation, or maybe just the company, but by the time the pilot announced we would be starting our final descent, it was as if I was intoxicated. I couldn’tstop giggling as Jax pointed out of the plane window and made up stories about the buildings and the people inside.
“What about the house with the pool?” I asked as I reached past Jax to point out the window.
Jax grabbed my hand and used it to point at three different places. “Do you mean that one, that one, or that one?”
