“Copy,” he says, his lips forming a small smile.
The plane jerks forward and we move toward the runway. I tamp down my excitement. I don’t normally love flying, but I am giddy to be riding in a plane like this. To fly above the clouds and actually see the open air before me? Just… wow. Excited, anticipatory jitters run down my limbs. I check that I’m buckled in, and when I look behind me, the curtains are still closed.
“Luca, you asleep?” Anderson asks.
“I was. How do I turn this thing off?” he asks through the headphones, his voice groggy.
“I’ll disconnect your headset. Tap Natalia if you need anything.”
I hear a clicking sound as Anderson pulls onto one of the runways, where we idle for a few seconds. I swallow, trying not to think about the way his hand is gripping the handle, or how his jeans are tight against his thigh muscles, or the way his throat bobs every few seconds. The morning sun is shining through the window, causing a silhouette to form, and I can’t really see his face—only his furrowed brows and frown lines.
“Cessna 172AC3, cleared for takeoff runway zero-one,” the headset sounds.
“Cleared for takeoff runway zero-one, Cessna 172AC3,” Anderson answers. He turns to me. “Hold on.”
I thought the engine was loud before, but he ramps up the momentum. The headphones don’t really make a dent in the noise. My whole body is shaking as we start to gain speed. The all too familiar sensation of going too fast pushes me against the seat, and I hold on to the door handle as the nose of the plane lifts.
“I mean it, hold on,” Anderson commands, his voice rough, his eyes forward.
We’re flying directly into the sun, and I shield my eyes as we take off, the wind causing the plane to jump around a bit—way more than I’m used to. I end up grabbing the handle above me as we dip and dive, the whole San Fernando valley before us lit up in gold.
“Amazing,” I breathe.
“Much better than those tiny airplane windows,” he agrees, and then he turns suddenly, causing the whole plane to tilt. I flail around for something to hold on to, finally grabbing the edge of my seat to push myself up against gravity. We finally break through the clouds.
“I thought I told you to hold on,” his voice purrs.
“Oh, fuck off,” I chastise, but I’m smiling.
“Has anyone ever told you what a filthy mouth you have?”
I glance over at him, and he’s still looking straight ahead—but now he’s smiling. We level out a bit, gaining altitude quickly.
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
“It’s definitely not a bad thing,” he replies, and then he looks over at me as we straighten out. We’re up higher now, and I wonder how much higher we’ll go seeing as it’s such a small plane. “Do you want to try it?” he asks, gesturing to the handle.
“Hell, yes,” I answer, placing my hands on the thick steering wheel. “Tell me what to do.”
Anderson’s low laugh reverberates through me, going from my headphones and sliding down my spine to the spot between my thighs.
“Good grip,” he says, and I give him a mocking smile.
“I’ve had practice,” I answer, and this makes him laugh out loud.
“All you have to do is hold on. The plane is pretty much flying itself now, but you have to keep it straight and steady.” He points to one of the instruments. “That’s the level. You always want the wings level with the ground.” Then he gestures to a knob. “That’s the engine throttle. Press it in, and we start to descend. Pull it out, and we ascend. And that’s basically flying 101. Ready for me to let go?” he asks, but before I answer, he removes his hand from his steering wheel, and the power of the plane thrums through me.
“Holy shit,” I murmur.
“Good girl,” he utters.
When I look over at him for a second, I can’t tell if he’s looking directly at me or not because of his sunglasses, but his jaw is a hard line, and he’s balling his fists.
“Fuck,” he adds, shaking his head. I see him lean forward out of the corner of my eye, and he looks down at the bottom of the airplane—almost like he’s in prayer.
Almost like he’s resigning himself completely.
His gravelly voice rasps in my ears. “Why is this so fucking hot?”
