13 Flames | gxg

59 - mile high

Lexa

"You got everything?" I call over my shoulder to Palmer as I search through my purse.

"Yep."

"You sure?" I dig around in my bag. Phone, wallet, keys... "Where are my keys? Shit, they were just here!"

Palmer puts a hand on my shoulder and spins me towards her. My car keys dangle from her hand.

"Oh."

Palmer smiles and drops the keys in my bag before wrapping her arms around my waist. "Breathe, Lex."

"I'm breathing. Just panicking at the same time." Palmer smiles and shakes her head. "It's just, everything needs to be right, okay? You sure you have everything?"

Palmer brings her lips close to mine. "I promise. Everything will be okay."

A sense of calm washes over me at the gentle tone of her voice. My nerves start to settle, if only slightly. This week is important to me. Palmer's meeting my parents, I'm meeting hers, and I'm going to tell my parents I'm bisexual. I love them, and I know they love me. I'm sure they'll be accepting. But there's some small part of me that won't forget James's reaction to even a brief mention of me not being straight. The disappointment on his face. I'm scared.

Palmer's fingers sneak under the hem of my shirt and she rubs small circles on my skin. She kisses my cheek, making me smile. I lean forward and press my lips to hers. We break away and I take a moment to search her chocolate eyes. She grins and her eyes brighten with happiness.

"What time does the plane leave?"

Palmer removes one hand from my waist to check her watch. "Twenty minutes."

"Shit!" I pull away from her, grabbing my purse and suitcase. She laughs and grabs her own duffle bag before returning to my side.

"Lexa, it's the show's private jet. They leave when we get there."

I take another deep breath. She's right. We convinced the show's producers to lend us the jet to fly out to New York and then pick us up in Boston Christmas Eve. With extra pay for the pilots, of course. Christmas is in four days, and my heart swirls at the thought of waking up next to Palmer on Christmas morning. I can't wait to give her her present.

Palmer hooks her arm through mine and leads me out of the apartment. The drive over is uneventful, despite Palmer rambling on about everything she wants to do back in her hometown, and within half an hour the jet is taking off.

Palmer sits beside me in a two-person love seat, her legs thrown over my lap. My head tilts back against the headrest as the plane tilts upwards. Palmer is looking out the window but I'm watching her. The curl of her eyelashes, her soft but defined jawline, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight and her lips pink and full. Without thinking, my hand finds its way to the back of her head. I turn her towards me and kiss her passionately.

She giggles and my heart swells with warmth. We break away and gaze into each other's eyes, lost in the moment. The plane is silent except for our soft breathing and the whir of the turbines outside. The only other people on the jet are the pilot and copilot sitting in the cockpit fifty feet behind us. The jet isn't huge but it's more than comfortable with ten rows of large, plush seats, three different movie screens, and a full bar in the back. Palmer and I have the cabin all to ourselves.

I lean in, brushing my lips against her jaw. She drags me forward until I'm sitting sideways in her lap. Her hands tug at the hem of my shirt. "Still overthinking?" she whispers.

I kiss her neck, my tongue slipping between my lips. "Are you offering a distraction?" I mumble.

Palmer smiles and leans in, her lips brushing my ear. "Mile high," she whispers.