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They were away from the tour and everyone else they knew. It felt like a protected little bubble and right then and there, Reese redefined her rules for the trip.
If Sterling moved things forward, she wanted to go where he went. She was along for the ride, whatever that meant and no matter the consequence when the ride ended.
But even the thought of ending sent an avalanche of panic through her. Because she sensed that no matter what happened, there would be an ending and it would be soon and devastating.
Lord, in the words of Staci, gird my heart. I’m not so worried about my loins … but just to be safe, guard those too.
* * *
Sterling couldn’t believe it. Reese really did fall asleep before takeoff. Even after being as excited as a little kid by the first class experience, bouncing in her seat, touching everything, ordering a coffee before they took off, she conked out while people were still boarding. He had given her the window seat and he thought at first that she was just looking out the window. He had been checking emails last minute on his phone and when he looked back up, she was out.
While he immediately missed her company and the way her lightness buoyed his moods, this gave him a chance to really look at her in a way that normally he couldn’t. Reese was beautiful in that unassuming, girl-next-door way. Shiny brown hair, full lips that seemed pink without any added color, and long lashes framing her big eyes.
Reese sleeping was definitely beautiful, but he preferred Reese awake with her vivacious personality. He loved listening to her talk and seeing the way she lit up when she was excited about something. She wasn’t afraid to laugh loudly and often. She also wasn’t afraid to show how much she cared. This whole trip showed that. She and Sterling had known each other for just over a week, but here she was: all in on a plane with him to be there for what would likely be the most emotionally challenging moment of his life.
There was no one he would rather have beside him.
Watching her while she slept also meant he couldn’t look at her unique blue-gray eyes. Not that he could stare into them while she was awake either, not without drawing attention to the fact that he was staring.
At this point, though, he was being pretty obvious about his attraction to her. She had held his hand first in the airport lounge, an unexpected gesture that had both comforted him and sent his pulse rocketing along, but he had been the one to keep holding hers. Even after she let go to pick up her bags, Sterling had laced their fingers together, keeping her close.
She seemed startled when he told her that this time away was to be just for them. Not a working trip. A personal trip. Had she understood what he meant? The smile on her face made him think she did.
Sterling probably could have been more clear, but it took enough guts to say those words to Reese, knowing that she could remind him about her job or about the fake relationship or whatever other excuses she had. He thought for sure she would tell him that they needed to stay professional. But she didn’t.
Their conversation and the touching—all of it felt natural. He couldn’t stop thinking of Moby’s challenge not to miss this shot. He didn’t plan to. Every moment he wasn’t dedicating to his family—which would be tomorrow at the morning intervention and after if needed—he planned to spend focused on Reese.
She murmured in her sleep and shifted as the wheels lifted off the ground. Sterling could hardly hear the small sound, but he had been paying attention. Her head lolled toward him and Sterling leaned in her direction, hoping that she might fall asleep on his shoulder. But these seats were too big and too far apart. The first time he had ever been sad about the space in first-class seats.
“Did I miss it?”
Sterling blinked, realizing that Reese had woken up and was gazing sleepily at him. “Miss what?”
“The drink cart.”
Sterling held up her coffee, which he had been holding. “No, but this is first class. We drink when you want. And you already have coffee. Do you want something else?”
“Oh. Nothing really. Habit, I guess.” She yawned and pulled her knees up in her chair, looking small and contented. “Sterling, tell me about your music. It seems to bring you joy.”
Surprised by the change in subject, he cleared his throat. The question was not a hard one to answer, but he hadn’t talked with anyone about his music in this way in a very long time. Now that he had “made it,” people assumed a sort of status quo. Like the success meant he had arrived or that he didn’t have feelings or want to talk about music.
“It does. Or, it can. Sometimes it’s more of a struggle, but I’m always grateful I get to do what I do.”
“You seem happy when you’re on stage. I feel like I’m watching your very best you.”
“Thank you,” Sterling said, swallowing down the emotion crowding his throat. He was always in front of people, thousands of people, but in this moment with Reese, he felt like he was actually seen.
“I wish I had something like that.”
“Doesn’t your work bring you joy?”
Reese made a face, then fixed her gray-blue eyes on him. “Sort of? I mean, I like looking at a goal, then looking at the status quo and planning how to move from one to the other. Especially when I get to the end and my planning worked.”
“It’s sausage,” Sterling said.
“I’m sorry?”
He explained to Reese what Riley the sound guy had told him about all the hidden things that went into making sound feel effortless.
