Panic floods my veins. That means I don’t have a lot of time. “I can be ready by then, but I need to go so I can pack.”
“I’ll pick you up at your building in a half hour, okay?”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
We arrive at the airport, with the plane scheduled to take off by five-forty-five. The flight to Vermont is only about thirty minutes. From there, we have a twenty-five-minute drive to our hotel, which fills me with both excitement and dread.
Will we have separate beds? Knowing Crew, I think that’s doubtful.
Pretty sure I’m in over my head.
I enter the Gulfstream jet first, Crew right behind me, and we’re greeted by a male flight attendant who’s dressed in a black suit.
“Mr. Lancaster, good evening. Welcome. My name is Thomas and I’ll be serving you and your guest during your flight.” Thomas glances over at me, his gaze friendly. “Would you care for anything to drink?”
“I’d like a glass of champagne,” Crew answers Thomas.
“And you, Miss?” Thomas’s gaze meets mine.
“She’ll have the same,” Crew answers for me.
“Will do.” Thomas offers a little bow and leaves to go fix our drinks.
I turn to Crew. “Champagne?”
“Let’s celebrate.”
“We’re underage.”
“They’re not going to check our IDs. My family owns the plane. We can do whatever we want,” Crew says before he starts checking out the plane. “This is nice. I haven’t been on this one.”
“Do you fly private often?” He’s right. This plane is very nice. The leather seats are a rich cream, clustered in pairs facing each other with a small table in between them. The windows are oval shaped and large, and there’s a cabinet with a TV.
“Most of the time,” Crew answers, and I marvel at the casualness of his answer. What it must be like, to come from such wealth. My family has plenty of money, but nothing like this.
I think of what my father said on the phone earlier and I’m starting to think we don’t have as much money as I originally thought.
Thomas brings us our drinks and I take mine with a murmured thank you, settling into the seat closest to the window.
“We’ll be taking off shortly,” Thomas announces.
“Thank you, Thomas,” Crew tells him, settling into the seat beside me and taking a sip from his glass.
I follow his lead, taking a tinier sip, the bubbles tickling my throat. My nose. It tastes almost bitter, but at least it goes down relatively smooth.
“Ever drank champagne before?” Crew asks me.
I slowly shake my head. “I don’t drink alcohol.”
“I am thoroughly corrupting you.” He clinks his glass to mine. “What do you think?”
“It’s okay.” I take another sip because he’s watching me, and I make a face. “It tickles.”
“It’s the bubbles.”
I study the glass, the tiny bubbles in the golden liquid. “I don’t know if I like it.”
“I bet you’d prefer something sweet. A tropical drink.”
“I drank lots of virgin pina coladas when we went on a Caribbean cruise a couple of years ago,” I tell him, immediately feeling dumb for admitting that.
He sets his glass on the table in front of us and then takes mine from my hand, setting it on the table next to his. “You’re nervous.”
This isn’t asked as a question. He can sense it. I don’t bother denying it either.
“I am,” I admit. “I feel bad, lying to my father. Going away with you for the weekend. This is a huge step for me, Crew. I don’t do things like this.”
“I won’t push you for anything you don’t want to do,” he says, and I know he means it, but he also knows how easy it is for me to get carried away when I’m with him.
I know it too. Maybe I feel guilty because I want to do this. I want to run away with him for a couple of days and forget the rest of the world. Spend my time with Crew and no one else. I think of the day he showed up at the art gallery, and how much fun we had. Just the two of us.
I also think of the night in his room, when we kissed in his bed and he went down on me. That was fun too. A different kind of fun, something I want to explore more, if I’m being honest with myself.
I didn’t know it could be like this. That he could feel like a friend and a—lover, both at once. How much I’d want to spend time with him. How lonely I feel when he’s not around. How happy I am when I first spot him, when he shines that smile on me, looks at me with those all-knowing blue eyes. Filled with a combination of affection and lust. Sometimes amusement. Sometimes irritation.