By the time the plane touched down safely at London Heathrow, it was already two in the morning.
Tonight they would overnight in London and fly straight back to New York the next day, and after that came seventy-two hours of leave.
Luna was pulling her suitcase down the corridor when her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the caller ID, and her whole expression softened before she picked up.
The moment the call connected, a soft, milky little voice came through:
“Mommy, did you miss Charlotte today? I missed you!”
Before Luna could answer, Charlotte kept chattering on:
“Mommy, Grandma said that when you come home you’ll take me to the amusement park, right?”
“Yes. Mommy will take you—right after I get home tomorrow.”
Luna smiled and answered her gently.
Just then Daisy happened to pass by her side. She waved and laughed:
“Luna, get some rest—I’m off!”
Then she stole a glance behind her, and sidled up close, voice dropping to a whisper: “Captain Victor is right behind you.”
With that she pushed her suitcase forward at speed.
At those words Luna’s fingers clenched hard around her phone. On the line, Charlotte was still chattering; hearing no answer, she called for her mother a few more times.
Two seconds later Luna soothed her softly:
“Be good and wait for Mommy at home, sweetheart.”
“Mommy has to hang up now.”
The other end chirped a reply, and Luna—guilty as a thief—hung up at once, unable to help glancing back at the man barely ten meters behind her…
He stood where he was, watching her. The moment she looked back, he started walking toward her.
Luna whipped around and hurried forward, dragging her case.
“Luna. Do you really hate seeing me that much?”
His familiar voice came suddenly from behind, and her steps faltered, fingers tightening slightly.
He couldn’t have heard my call with Charlotte just now… could he?
She was still thinking it when the footsteps behind her drew closer and closer, until his handsome face entered her view.
Her heart ached in little twists and pulls. She forced her feelings down and spoke first:
“Mr. Victor. Is something the matter?”
Victor looked at her reddened eyes, and his heart ached in exactly the same way.
Slowly he raised a hand—and forced it back down, curling it into a fist, wrenching his gaze away from her.
When he said nothing, Luna looked away and moved to pass him and walk on—until her wrist was suddenly caught, her steps forced to a stop.
“Let go.”
She didn’t struggle. Her voice was simply flat.
Victor turned to look at her. His lips moved, and in the end all he said, slowly, was: “I’m sorry.”
Luna’s lashes trembled, and one tear escaped despite itself. She turned her head so he couldn’t see, said nothing more, pulled her hand free, and walked on.
Victor stood where he was, his hand suspended in midair. Only after several stunned seconds did he lower it, swiping quickly at the corner of his own eye. Then he turned to watch her receding figure.
…I’m sorry.
Three years ago, when she came to him with the divorce agreement, something in his idiot brain had made him sign without even reading them…
And in the three years since, she had vanished from his world completely. He had searched every corner and found no trace of her.
Until, by accident, he saw the airline’s roster—and there was that familiar name.
He had his own flight assignments tied to hers.
——
The next day, the London–New York flight departed at noon on the dot.
Once the plane leveled off at thirty thousand feet, Luna made another round of the cabin. The passengers were settled, no one needed anything. She returned to the galley.
Just then the call panel lit pink—and before she could react, Keane had already pulled the cockpit door open and come out.
He met Luna’s eyes, grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, then shut the door behind him.
He came over smiling. “Luna. Long time no see.”
“Could you sit in the cockpit in my place for a bit? You know how it is—it’s only me and Victor flying this rotation, and regulations say at least two pilots have to stay in the cockpit at all times.”
Keane got the whole thing out in one breath, giving her no time to react.
Luna nodded. Once Keane had gone into the lavatory, she walked to the cockpit door, pulled it open, and stepped inside.
Victor sat in the captain’s seat. Hearing the movement, he turned his head and looked back at her standing behind the seats.
The air went stiff. Neither of them said a word, until two minutes later Keane came back into the cockpit.
After Luna left, Keane dropped into his seat and stole a glance at the man beside him, eyes full of curiosity: “Did you two talk?”
Victor pressed his lips together and gave him a sidelong look. “Are you hoping to enjoy my misery?”
Keane laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “No, no—I just happened to run into Luna, so I asked her in.”
“Besides… you two have been divorced three years now, haven’t you?”
He rolled his eyes, thought of something, and asked carefully, eyebrows waggling: “Do you still have feelings for Luna?”
Victor stared straight ahead. His fingertips twitched. He didn’t answer.
Outside the cockpit, Luna made another circuit of the cabin and came back to the galley, her gaze drifting, without quite meaning it, toward the cockpit door. She lost herself for a moment.
It wasn’t until Daisy walked into the galley that she came back to herself.
“Luna, did First Officer Keane just ask you into the cockpit? I happened to see.”
“And last night at the airport—I saw it. Captain Victor stood there the whole time just watching you. You didn’t even notice.”
Luna pressed her lips together and gave Daisy a faint smile, tilting her head. “Daisy. We’re on duty. None of that.”
“Oh.” Daisy swallowed everything else.
She wheeled out the little service cart, and the two of them headed into the cabin.
At row five, the plane suddenly hit clear-air turbulence, the fuselage lurching violently without any warning.
Luna lost her footing, was thrown against the cart, and a gash opened along her arm.
Her first instinct was to catch the frightened, crying child beside her; only once she’d steadied herself did she pat the child’s back to soothe her.
In the cockpit, Victor heard the commotion from the cabin and frowned. He opened the PA and steadied the passengers with his voice.
His calm voice filled the cabin:
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain, Victor. Please remain calm and fasten your seatbelts.”
And Luna, hearing his voice, felt herself calm for no reason she could name.
Standing in the aisle, paying no mind to her own seeping wound, she gestured to reassure the passengers:
“Everyone, please—seatbelts on.”
Daisy and the other attendants went down the rows checking seatbelts, and only when Daisy reached her did she see the gash on Luna’s arm, her eyes going wide.
She almost cried out, remembered where they were, then grabbed Luna’s hand and hauled her toward the galley.
Seconds later the turbulence ended and the plane steadied.
Just as the two of them reached the galley, the call panel blinked pink and Victor’s voice came through: “Any passengers injured in the cabin?”
Daisy snatched up the handset. “No passengers injured—but Purser Luna’s arm got cut.”
At that, no more of the captain’s voice came through. A few seconds later, the cockpit door was suddenly pulled open from inside.
Keane came out, eyes locking straight onto Luna’s injured arm. He signaled Daisy to hand over the first-aid kit, took it, looked at Luna: “Victor wants you inside.”
Then he turned, carried the kit in to set it down, and came back out.
Luna sighed and walked into the cockpit. The door had barely shut behind her when a figure appeared at her side, pulling her down into a seat.
The cockpit held only the two of them now. Victor pressed her into the seat, opened the first-aid kit, took out an iodine swab, and began cleaning the wound.
“Hss—” Luna’s brow knotted with the sting.
Victor stared at the two-finger-wide cut on her arm, his own brows drawn tight.
“Does it hurt?”
At her wince he kept cleaning, breathing softly as he worked.
“I tore up the divorce agreement long ago.”
He said it suddenly, his eyes slowly reddening. “The night you handed it to me, three years ago—I tore it up right then.”
Luna went still, lashes trembling, her throat suddenly tight and aching. “But you signed,” she whispered.
Victor’s hand paused for an instant as he cleaned the wound: “I’m sorry…”
Luna looked at the face she had missed day and night, and set her teeth:
“Mr. Victor. We ended a long time ago.”
At that he lifted his eyes and held her gaze, and only after a long moment did he speak:
“Then why are you still wearing the necklace I gave you?”
At those words Luna’s eyes dropped instinctively to her collarbone. “I…”
Victor added one more line: “I saw it last night.”
Luna’s lips pressed into a thin line. Between her collarbones indeed hung that small airplane pendant. His gift.
Three years had passed. She had never once taken it off.