Page 200 of Aviatrix

Eli pulls on his flight suit and turns to face me. He unclips his silver flight pin and presses it into my hand. I curl my fingers around it instinctively.

“Did you ever look at the thumb drive Sasha gave you?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No. She said you wiped it.”

Eli flashes that breathtaking grin. “You should look at it.”

“No thanks,” I chuckle grimly. “I’ve had enough bombs dropped on me this week.”

He laughs. “Just look, will you?”

I groan. “Fine.”

Then, his hands cradles my face and he kisses me. Slowly at first, like a coal catching fire. Then, like a blaze set free. His mouth moves against mine with purpose and devastation.

I hold on. As long as I can.

And then… it’s over.

Because nothing in our lives is ever easy. Or simple.

“I’ll reach out when I can,” Eli promises.

I nod, arms wrapped around myself, his flight pin digging into my palm.

“Fly safe,” I whisper.

We don’t say goodbye. We just look at each other, memorizing. Speaking in silence. Making every second count.

He climbs into the cockpit and lifts off, taking every piece of my tattered heart with him.

I don’t cry. I don’t even let the tears form.

In this life and the next, I’ll always be yours, Quay.

His words echo in my mind like a song I’ll never stop humming.

And then… he’s gone.

Just a dot in the sky.

A tall figure appears beside me, stoic and serious.

“Another classified mission?” Lark asks.

“Yeah,” I reply.

There’s a moment of charged silence before he says, “I get it.”

“You get what?”

He scratches the back of his neck. “Why you never got over him.”

“Who said I never got over him?” I challenge, voice low and cryptic.

He rolls his eyes, ignoring the question entirely. “He kept you safe, Kin. When I couldn’t. He always keeps you safe.”

I exhale. “He does.”