Paige was asleep when we took off, which surprised me. I wondered if she’d done a bunch of traveling in the past. I gripped my armrests nervously, squeezing my eyes shut and chomping down on my gum as we took off, my ears popping as we changed altitudes. When we were finally airborn and I felt fairly safe, I relaxed back into my chair and opened my eyes. Paige was staring at me. Well, I guess she hadn’t been asleep. She smiled. “You don’t fly much, do you?”
I just stared out the window at the clouds. More than anything, I just wanted to be there already. To be with her again. Paige sighed and leaned back in her chair again, closing her eyes and turning her face away from me. Soon she was breathing evenly, her chest rising and falling slightly, a sure sign she was asleep. I looked out at the darkening night sky as we flew to Florida.

I was almost asleep when Paige’s breathing suddenly spiked. I leaned forward to get a better look at her face; though she was asleep, there were tears streaming down her face.