“It’s called lift. The thrust generates an upward force under the wings, or propellers in this case, and keeps it airborne.”
A smile tugs at my mouth at the random fact as he continues guiding the drone, subtly demonstrating exactly what he just explained. It climbs higher, zipping above the tree line until the lake comes into view.
“That’s… beautiful,” I whisper. My mom would love this. Being able to see nature without the exhaustion. Without the pain. Like she could be wild and free again, even if it’s only through a screen.
The drone suddenly dips, this time diving into the trees. My body instinctively sways as it veers left, then right. It bobs and weaves through branches filled with red, orange, and yellow leaves before sweeping back out over the field and landing neatly at our feet.
I pull the goggles off, a little breathless. “That was incredible. And you do this for work?”
“Yeah. People love aerial footage. It’s the best way to get perspective.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Sorry for interrupting our conversation earlier.”
“Totally worth the interruption.” I hand the goggles back. “What did you want to talk about?”
He hesitates. “Would you… go on another date with me?”
I blink. “Generally speaking, OneDate is one date. That’s kind of the whole premise.”
“Well.” He winces. “After my niece’s party… my family now thinks we’re dating.”
“…Excuse me?”
“They want me to invite you over for dinner.”
I stare at him. “Why would they think that?”
He squeezes his eyes shut, as if not looking at me might somehow soften the request. “Because I told them.”
I smack his arm. “What the hell, Miles?”
“I’ve accepted that you might strangle me,” he replies calmly as he lowers himself onto his knees.
My eyes widen. “What are you doing?”
“This makes it easier.”
“Stand up.” I grab his sleeve and tug. “Start from the beginning. How are we suddenly dating?”
“It’s only casual dating.” He says it like the words casual dating carry no real weight. I glare at him, and he immediately flinches. “After you left, my family asked a lot of questions. They kept saying how much they loved seeing me with someone, and it just… came out. Then they told me to invite you to dinner.”
I press my fingers to my temples. “Dinner.”
“We get together once a month,” he explains quickly. “It’s mostly an excuse for my sisters to hang out while the kids entertain themselves. Or I could tell them I broke things off with you.”
“You broke things off with me?” I stare at him. “Out of all the possible solutions, that’s the one you landed on?”
“Okay. You broke up with me.” He nods like this is a reasonable revision. “But maybe after dinner? It’s too soon to try and get another date through OneDate.”
I pinch my eyes shut. I won’t lie; I had the teeniest bit of fun hanging out with his family. But still, what the hell did I get myself into? I’m now fake dating Miles. And yet…
“You know what,” I say slowly. “I have a proposition for you.” Chances are, I’ll regret this later, but after seeing my mom the other day, I think this would cut through some of the darkness. “I’ll be your fake date again. Family dinner. Smiling. Handholding. The full, convincing girlfriend package.”
His eyes go wide. “Really?”
“On one condition.”
He nods immediately. “Okay. Deal.”
I blink, my brows pulling together. “You don’t even know what it is yet.”
