Page 12 of Blue Moon

I nodded yes, but my answer was no. Not okay. Embarrassed, humiliated, ashamed.

“You’re doing great. No more tricks. Just relax, and I’ll show you your beloved city from a whole other angle.”

We flew right over the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, and then he made a sharp right and flew over Alcatraz. Wow. The view really was breathtaking. I’d lived in the Bay Area my entire life but had never seen our beloved landmarks from this mind-blowing perspective.

I could see my reflection in the plane’s window. My hair was wild, and I had drool running down my face. My makeup was smeared, and I was downright gross, but by this point, I didn’t care.

I was totally in the moment, and I was actually enjoying this flight. I felt weightless and carefree. And completely in awe of Sawyer.

After the longest forty-five minutes of my life, we finally descended.

I did it!

I’d conquered my fears.

Sawyer helped me out of the plane and hugged me. “I’m so proud of you.”

“You’re fantastic. I’m in awe of you.”

He laughed.

I grabbed my phone to record. “Hey, guys. I just had the most incredible plane ride of my life. I’ll be uploading it in a bit.”

Sawyer spoke to my fans again. “This girl’s a champ—she didn’t even pass out.”

I beamed and turned off the camera. I wanted to freshen up, and then hopefully spend some more time with Sawyer before I had to leave.

As if he could read my mind, he walked me over to the bathroom.

“You can change in there, and I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“Okay.”

I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face, and changed out of my clothes. I tried to brush my hair, but it was a tangled mess, especially because a few of my extensions had fallen out. I wrapped my mane into a loose braid and hurried to see Sawyer,

He smiled when he saw me, and I smiled back. Maybe I was reading something into it, or still high from the ride, but I really felt like we were connecting.

He turned to me and gazed into my eyes. “Hey, there’s this gala tonight for the Blue Angels. Would you like to be my date? No cameras though, just you and me.”

His date? To a gala no less? A fancy evening where I get to dress up like a princess with a sexy pilot by my side. Umm, hell yeah! Hello, follower count increase!

But ugh, he had said no cameras. He probably meant that he didn’t want to film our entire night, but I was sure that he wouldn’t mind me shooting a few stories.

Okay, stay cool, Sol. Don’t sound too eager.

“I’d like that very much.” I hadn’t been on a date in a few months. Did anyone even date anymore? I thought they just hooked up. I could never tell if anyone wanted to date me or only grow their own Instagram following. The men with their own followings were the worst. They would slide into my DMs, flatter me with flowers and false promises, and the minute we were Instagram official, they would vanish. Social media prevented people from making genuine connections. There was always another woman to swipe right on so there was no real reason for a man to get to know me.

“Great. I’ll pick you up around seven. Here,” he handed me his cell. “Add yourself to my contacts, along with your address.”

I typed in my information. “Seven is perfect.” That gave me plenty of time to shower and change. What was I going to wear?

He placed his arm around me and led me out of the building.

I melted under his touch.

I turned to him and lightly touched his chest. “You were in perfect control of the plane. I couldn’t believe it. I’m blown away by you.”

He kissed me on my sweaty forehead. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”