people on to plane as quickly as possible, cram bags into overhead bins, cater to those of us lucky enough to be in the front of the plane, go over a bevy of safety information that no one paid attention to, and then push back from the gate to get the show on the road and the big metal bird in the air.
Catharine was prettier than most of the flight attendants I’d encountered in the past, but she was also just another face in the sea. After this flight, I’d never see her again. Frankly, once the season started up, most of the faces I’d see would be ugly, male, and coming at me at full speed with every intention of breaking my body.
Ah, football. Good times.
My playlist rolled on to a Selena Gomez song, and I felt my cheeks pull up into a smile. My teammate and one of my best friends, Sean Phillips, was always stealing my phone and adding random music to my playlist. Funny thing was, I normally liked everything he added. Britney, Selena, Beyoncé, Kesha, Lady Gaga—they were all empowered women. And I got a certain kind of excitement out of women who knew their own worth. Not that I shared that kind of information with Sean—he wouldn’t keep adding to my music collection if he thought I was actually enjoying it.
I felt a presence return and tensed. A cramping, tight chest and clenching hands—symptoms of want and curiosity—tried to sway me to give in to the urge to take a peek.
Was Catharine back with the drink? Would she smile my way again? Would I be able to keep my loose tongue from running away and saying something embarrassing?
It was serious battle, a war waged with nothing but desperation and self-preservation on my side, but I managed to keep my eyes closed. Just barely.
I did turn the volume down on my music so I could listen in, though. I was only fucking human.
The voice I heard surprised me. It was hard, to the point—and it definitely wasn’t hers.
“Your drink, sir.”
I opened my eyes then, seeing Mr. Bloomingdale’s leaned over, the offensive drink offered up to Luke like a trophy. My brother’s almost-boyfriend was the picture of poise, his face fixed into an almost-smile—but make no mistake, there was nothing friendly about it.
Just as I’d suspected, I wouldn’t be seeing too much of the pretty flight attendant from before. Even through my disappointment, I was glad for it. Glad she had the intelligence to avoid a guy like Luke despite his obvious money, and glad she had friends who were willing to help her do it.
I could feel my face settling into a grin just as the male flight attendant looked over—and winked.
My smile deepened.
He looked surprised for the barest hint of a moment, and then turned to hustle back up to the front of the plane. He spoke rapidly to Catharine, and I watched raptly, unable to stop myself. Her eyes flicked up in surprise and landed right on mine.
All I could do was hold them.
Moments passed as time slowed, her surprised gaze opening up a virtual tether between us where she tried to infiltrate my mind and I tried everything I could think of to be superhuman enough to let her.
Fuck being only human. I could Clark Kent the shit out of this moment and open up my mind.
Just as concentration started to feel a little more like constipation, my abilities to let her mind meld with mine officially limited by the constraints of something called science, the speaker crackled, breaking the connection. Released from her grasp, I moved my scrutiny to the male flight attendant standing at the front of the plane, right in front of the cockpit doors, an old-style beige phone to his ear.
“Hello, my name is Casey,” he announced over the speakers, his voice about two-hundred percent cheerier than it had been while addressing my seatmate, Luke. “I’d like to be the first to welcome you to RoyalAir Flight 2107. If you’re going to Birmingham, you’re in the right place. If you’re not going to Birmingham, you’re about to have a really long evening.” He chuckled into the intercom as Catharine moved out of the galley and to the center of the aisle and turned to face the entire plane, ducking her head as she turned back to glance at him. Her long, dark, smoothly curled hair covered her face like a curtain.
“With the help of lovely Catharine, we’d like