“What are you up to?” Casey spoke quietly as the car sped forward. It was fall where they were, so there was a bit of a chill in the air, but it wasn’t freezing. Casey wore a light jean jacket that was both stylish and comfortable looking.
Jake wrapped an arm around her shoulders and cocked a sarcastic eyebrow in her direction. “I hope you brought something warmer,” he said, eyeing her jacket choice.
She nodded at him, smirking.“I don’t think you would have let me in the car if I hadn’t,” she said.
Jake beamed at his beloved. His heart was like a snow globe, having been turned upside down and shaken. That was what Casey had done to him.
They arrived at one of the many private airports Jake owned around the world. He sat in silence as Casey leaned out the window, trying to guess what on earth he had in store.
“Jake,” she said breathlessly.
He remained quiet as the car parked, and he helped her out. The driver took their bags and began loading them into their form of transportation…an expensive-looking, personalized helicopter.
Casey’s eyes were swimming with intrigue and maybe a bit of fear. Jake took the two winter jackets from his bags and handed her one, draping the other over his shoulder.
“You are going to need this,” he said.
Casey frowned, shaking her head with delight. “You really love being the mystery man, don’t you?”
Jake leaned down to her level and kissed her nose. He hadn’t stopped smiling since they’d picked her up.
“I really do,” he murmured.
They had picked Casey up later in the evening, which was intentional. Their drive to the helicopter pad had taken a few hours, with Casey staying silent and watching the surrounding area out the window. She wanted to be surprised, and he loved surprising her.
They climbed into the helicopter, and Casey nestled sweetly in his arms.
“Have you ever been on a helicopter before?” he asked.
She shook her head as he placed giant headphones over her ears, and she spoke into the microphone. “Not once, no.”
“Then why do you seem so calm?”
She wrinkled her nose at him as the blades began to swirl. “I like to think I’m an open-to-adventure type girl,” she bellowed. “But you are really pushing that definition, aren’t you?”
She continued to surprise Jake, to fill him with sublime adoration. All he could do was kiss her cheeks individually and wrap his arms around her as they soared into the air.
They glided easily into the night sky as the darkness enveloped them completely. Stars soon sprang out from the depths, glittering across the velvet sky. Casey leaned against the window, stunned with admiration.
“Jake, this is gorgeous!”
He looked out the window with his hand on her shoulder and spoke casually. “You’re right,” he said into the microphone. “But this is nothing yet.”
She turned to him briefly, her smile sparkling in the dim light of the chopper. She wrinkled her nose again and then turned back to the window without another word.
Jake could feel his heart hammering in his chest. It was a lovely sensation, born out of a desire to see someone he loved enjoying themselves. It was fresh and transcendent.
The helicopter made its way into the Yukon Territory of Canada. He had asked Casey to bring her passport. They soared through the night sky, and when Jake caught a glimmer of a hazy, turquoise gleam, he leaned over Casey’s shoulder and pointed. “What do you think of that?”
Something beaming a bright white caught her eye from a distance, making her heart beat a mile a minute. Jake could feel it through her jacket as he leaned against her back.
A cinematic vision ensued, cropping out from the darkness like a lighthouse in a dream. The helicopter moved slowly over a frozen waterfall and glacier. Rushes of life stopped in time.
Casey stared with her mouth wide open. She was silent, but Jake knew in his heart that she was stirring with splendor. She turned briefly to Jake, then kissed him hard. Jake closed his eyes, the faint waves of the Northern Lights emerging into a magnificent shimmer beyond the lovers.
He opened his eyes, then pointed them out to her. “Look,” he said quietly.
Casey leaned against him as a rainbow of colors danced before their eyes. To Jake, it looked like something out of a storybook, something fabricated rather than something naturally crafted by the earth. He had seen them before during trips on his own, but it was nothing compared to watching someone he loved seeing something so marvelous. Her emotions poured into him like the tastiest water fountain.