My Flight to Paris

The Week From...

This has to be the worst week of my life. I thought to myself as I got to the check-in station only to realize I was thirty minutes late.

"I am so sorry Miss, but that flight has already departed," said the kind, yet nervous-looking attendant, voicing what I already knew. She eyed me suspiciously, worry flashing across her eyes while mine held nothing but frustration.

With a deep breath and my eyes closed, I tried to control my frustration. It wasn't her fault that my Uber was late, managed to pick up a flat tire on the way to the airport, and that traffic backup caused the second Uber to be running 30 minutes later than their original ETA.

Yep. Definitely the worst. Especially after the breakup.

"Thanks," came the reply through my gritted teeth. "Is there any flight I can catch that is going to Paris today?"

"Let me check," the young lady, Maggie according to her name tag, said, loudly typing on the keyboard and clicking the mouse.

"Oh! It says here that there is a flight leaving in about two hours," Maggie said. Her smile quickly turning into a frown before she continued. "But it's a private jet and I can't refund or transfer your ticket. You'd need to pay a fee that is nearly four times your original ticket price."

"That's fine. Just get me on that flight," I said with an exasperated sigh.

"Okay! You're all set."

After what felt like days instead of hours, I was ready to ascend the steps that would take me closer to the week of focusing on myself that I needed desperately. I grabbed the strap of my small suitcase, took an excited breath, and put my foot on that stairway to my temporary heaven. Once aboard, I took my seat, was given a pillow and blanket by the flight attendant, then waited to fly the heck out of Dodge.

"Good afternoon. This is your pilot speaking. We will be leaving for the City of Love in mere moments. Please enjoy the food and beverages and we will see you in Paris in no time." After his announcement, the pilot had us up in the air with a quick and smooth take-off. I was finally on my way.

Once over the ocean, a man approached me. I hadn't noticed him before, but I wasn't looking either. The week from hell had me encapsulated in my little bubble, avoiding anyone I possibly could.

"Excuse me, miss, but is this seat taken?"

Taking in his appearance, my breath hitched. Handsome, tall, tan, deep blue eyes the color of the ocean we were zooming over, and a smile that lit up his eyes even more than the sun reflecting off the blue waves below. His smile quickly changed into a smirk when he realized I was ogling him.

"Oh my! I'm sorry. I'm. Oh gosh," I flushed with embarrassment taking a deep breath before I answered his question. "Nope, not taken at all."

"Not taken?" The hint of flirtation in his eyes grew right along with his smirk.

"No... I mean the seat. The seat is not taken." Neither am I anymore for that matter.

"Is that so," he asked, and I realized I spoke the last part out loud. My face turned as red as a fire engine.

"Oh no! I said that out loud! Oh my gosh! Why me? This is the worst week of my life and it only keeps getting worse," I said, trying not to sob, burying my face in my hands.

"Oh, come now," the mysterious stranger said. "It can't be all that bad. It brought you to me after all."

I laughed so hard my tears streamed down my cheeks.

"If you say so."

"I do and if I have any more say in it, this is going to be the best day if not, the best week of your life, not the worst."

I looked up, glaring at the man next to me.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm the pilot," he said smiling, his hand held out in greeting. "My name is Lukas Greggory."

"Lukas, I'm Shana Daniels," I replied shaking his hand.

"Shana. That's a beautiful name, perfect for a beautiful woman. Can I interest you in joining me in the cockpit?"

That's where we stayed until it was time to descend on Paris.

"Shana, I hate to do this, but I need you to return to your seat, Love, so we can land. I'd hate for anything to happen to you before we get to enjoy the City of Love," Lukas said, stroking my hair as my head laid on his chest.

I made my way back to my seat, head spinning with questions about what happens now. I was going to be here all week and so was Lukas. He said that he would fly me back home, but what happens between now and then and then after?

I waited until all the other passengers had disembarked to go to their destinations. As I grabbed my small suitcase from the overhead bin, a voice grabbed my attention.

"So, where are we going, Shana?" Lukas asked with a smirk.

We spent the week together and true to his word, Lukas made my first day in Paris the best day of my life. Every day after that, for the rest of the week, was as great or even better than the one before. We spent every moment together, turning my week from hell into a week in heaven.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, otherwise, you would never know the difference between the good and the bad. Life would be merely mediocre, monotonous.

The time had come to fly back home. We didn't want our Paris affair to end, the attraction between us was magnetic, drawing us to each other, unable to separate. We didn't know how to make it work, but we would certainly try.