I imagined his face when we landed.
Me stepping off in the red dress he loved when I tried it on the last time we went shopping.
He had said I looked stunning in it, and I had pretended not to like it.
However, the next day, while he was gone to work, I went back to get it because I knew he would love seeing me in it on our upcoming anniversary.
I imagined him laughing in surprise, maybe pulling me into one of those kisses that make people look away politely in public.
We would grab a hotel near the airport, order bad room service, and tell the story for years.
That morning, I curled my hair more carefully than I had in months.
I did my makeup twice because my hands were shaking with excitement.
When I slipped on the red dress, I stood in front of the mirror and actually blushed at myself, which at 38 felt ridiculous and wonderful.
I looked like a woman still in love with her husband. And I was.
At the gate, I nearly ruined everything.
Daniel was standing by the jet bridge in full uniform, talking with his first officer and laughing at something I couldn’t hear.
Even from 20 feet away, he had that calm, steady presence people trusted without thinking.
He looked handsome in uniform, his broad shoulders standing out and his clean-cut hair, making him look younger.
His wedding ring gleamed when he lifted a hand. He was the same man I had loved since I was 26.
My heart jumped like I was young again.
I ducked behind a pillar before he could spot me and actually laughed at myself. I felt ridiculous, giddy, and stupidly happy.
I boarded with the last group, slipped into seat 14C, pulled my hair forward, and kept my face down.
The plane filled around me with the ordinary noises of people settling in.
Overhead bins slamming, seat belts clicking, a baby fussing three rows ahead, and a businessman arguing softly into his phone until a flight attendant told him to switch it off.
Then the doors closed, and the plane pushed back.
A crackle came over the speaker.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain…”
I smiled like an idiot, waiting for the standard welcome. Weather in our destination city, expected flight time, and smooth conditions en route.
But then Daniel paused.
