Flying an airplane. The dreams of a child.
She was a woman now. She would be married soon and have responsibilities. No more playing house with the boy next door. No more gazing up at the planes over the Atlantic and thinking someday. Someday when I grow up.
While she’d wasted time on dreams and Andrew and dreams of Andrew, she’d grown up without realizing it and her commitments hadn’t followed suit. She might have been a reliable and loving daughter, but what had she actually accomplished?
Those were the thoughts that had been circling her head when Ajay slid the ring box across the table on their first alone date. He’d blushed and rambled and she’d thought, how bad could this be? At least he wanted the kind of future Jiya envisioned, even if she’d always pictured it unfolding with Andrew. At least Ajay seemed to value what she could add to his life. He came part and parcel with a new endeavor. A new restaurant to mold into something of her own making. And while that didn’t necessarily excite her, not like flying, the thought of making her parents proud…the thought of making up for her inexcusable time wasting…propelled her into accepting the proposal.
This is what you’re supposed to do. This is the adult decision.
Never mind that she’d intentionally omitted any mention of her flying lesson today when speaking to Ajay on the phone. Never mind that he’d tried to kiss her after their date and she’d jerked away like he’d bitten her. Attraction would fall into place once she got to know him better. So would honesty. She just wanted to finish her lessons and then…she’d knuckle down and attack her responsibilities in a way that would secure her future.
She’d make herself proud, if not happy.
Hey, you’re still paid up for four more lessons. You don’t have to figure out the next step today, all right? But I’m not going to let you talk yourself out of continuing.
She covered her ears to stop Andrew’s voice from filling her ears, but it didn’t work. It never worked. He’d been whispering in her ear for days, sometimes miserable, sometimes sweet, pushy, funny. He was her very own phantom limb. The ghost of him was still attached, still part of her, but her heart mourned his absence at the same time.
Hey. Jesus Christ. You just flew a plane, badass.
“Shut up,” she whispered, rubbing at her gritty eyes. “Go away.”
“What was that?”
Rick’s voice jolted Jiya and she gasped. She’d been so distracted by the echoes in her head, she didn’t realize she’d entered the hangar. Rick stepped out from behind the plane they’d flown during her last lesson, tossing a greasy rag back and forth in his hands. “Sorry, Rick. I was just having a one-sided conversation.” She attempted a smile, but it never came to fruition. “I promise I’m mentally stable enough to fly.”
“Oh, I’m not worried.” He raised a bushy eyebrow. “The front desk kid isn’t giving you trouble, is he? My nephew isn’t exactly a people person and can’t file worth a damn, but I owed my sister a favor.”
“No, I didn’t even…am I supposed to go in there and check in?” She waved a hand. “Sorry, I’m a little distracted today.”
Rick whistled through his teeth. “Well look at that. I’d say you have a good excuse for being distracted.” He nodded at her right hand. “Congratulations are in order.”
“What?” Understanding dawned when she glanced down and the diamond winked back. “Oh! Yes. I’m engaged. It was kind of unexpected.”
“Was it?” He took the rag off his shoulder and reached up to clean a spot off the body of the red striped Cessna. “It seemed pretty serious to me.”
“It…what?” She thought back to the week before. How Andrew had held her in the middle of the airfield while she cried. Jiya nodded through the fresh slice of pain. “Oh. No, the guy who drove me here last week? He’s just a friend.”
Rick frowned. “He must be a really good one. When he arranged the flying lessons back in May, I swear it was more like an interrogation. He wanted to see my pilot’s license, asked for references, even sat there while I took someone up on a test flight.” He laughed. “He wanted to make damn sure I’d keep you in one piece.”
Jiya’s lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. She couldn’t take a breath. The shaking started in her knees first and spread upward until her stomach was sucking in on itself and trembling. “Andrew paid for the lessons?”
“Andrew.” Rick snapped his fingers. “That’s his name.”
Her vision doubled and rotated like a Ferris wheel. “But he…why w-wouldn’t he tell me? I don’t understand. I thought my parents bought them—”
“And then again last week. He called and asked about extending the lessons. Wanted to know how many hours you’d need to get certified. I think he worked out a payment plan with my nephew, if you want to find out the details.” Rick shook his head wryly. “Are you sure he’s not the one who proposed?”