(Kristina's P.O.V.)

We look at each other just before we line up for boarding. Matt's face is bright burning red, and I can feel the heat coming off my cheeks as well. He offers a small smile to me, and I return it back to him.

Matt blurts out, "Who boards first?"

"I board at A-43. You?"

He looks at me and says, "I'm A-44."

"Well, at least we can board together."

Matt laughs a little bit as our line starts to move forward towards the gate that leads to the jet bridge. I hand the flight attendant my boarding pass, and she scans it in as I start to walk down the jet bridge slowly so Matt can catch up. I hear her whisper to Matt, "How long have you two been together?"

He replies, "We just met."

I continue to walk down and Matt catches up to me. As he reaches me, he gently puts his hand on my shoulder as if to tell me to wait for him. I greet him with a smile as we board the plane. Sure enough, we walk towards the back of the plane and in the last row, there are two seats together.

I allow him to sit by the window while I put my bag in the overhead compartment. Matt slides his bag underneath the seat and lowers himself down slowly to insure his suit wouldn't be tarnished. I sit in the aisle of the row, and I quickly look out the window as other passengers board onto the flight.

"See you real soon, Nashville. I already miss ya," I whisper to myself.

Matt looks at me with curiosity in his hazel/blue eyes as he asks, "Nashville, it's special to you?"

"Yeah, it's the one stable place I've had my whole life."

"Wait, what happened?"

"Matt, I grew up in the military. My folks always moved around, and Nashville was the one place I grew up around and had the most memories about."

He nods, "I got you."

I nod back at him and we buckle up because the seatbelt sign turns on announcing our departure to Tampa. It is the beginning of a new day for me, and I couldn't wait! Unfortunately, due to the bad weather, we would have to stay seated most of the flight. That didn't bother me as I could continue getting to know Matt for who he truly is, and not as some up and coming hockey superstar.

The plane starts to back out towards the runway marking our departure from Music City. I am going to be back in a few days, but who knows if those days will change me for the better or worse? I watch Matt as he looks out over the Cumberland River as we takeoff. A small smile lights up his face and as soon as the city lights disappear, he asks, "What's the one thing that is unique to Nashville?"

I think for a moment before saying, "The small town feeling even though it is a huge city. It just has that charm to me, and I love it because of that. What's the best thing about Syracuse or Tampa?"

"Syracuse, they are such a supportive community and that energy doesn't compare to how the fans fuel us in Tampa. They have our backs through thick and thin."

"That's awesome! Maybe one day I'll go to Syracuse!"

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(Matt's P.O.V.)

"That's awesome! Maybe one day I'll go to Syracuse!" she exclaims.

As soon as she said that, my mind starts to wander off and I realized that her dream was also my dream as well. I could picture it now, seeing her wander around Syracuse and finding her way to the War Memorial Arena. Watching her from the stands reacting to every play.

"I hope that happens, Tina," I reply.

She nods and as we approach cruising altitude, we fall silent for a second as she looks around at the flight. Flight 2422 is one where we could of had our own rows, but we chose to stick together.

Damn, why me though? There's plenty of fish in the sea, but why does she like me? And she treats me as a normal person, and that's awesome. No one respected me for the true person I was before.

I ask her, "Can I ask a question other than this one?"

"Fire away, what's up?"

I hesitate as her ocean blue eyes distract me and make me forget what question popped into my mind so I blurt out, "Have you ever skated on the ice before?"

She laughs a little bit and replies, "No, I haven't. I'd probably injure myself."

"Why's that?"

She giggles and sighs out, "I'm injury prone. Literally, I sprained my ankle sledding once. Who does that? If I even stepped on the ice, I would probably crash and bust my chin open."

"What if I was by your side?"

"Unfortunately, you would crash alongside me, Matt!"

We both laugh because what are the odds of us meeting up again? Slim to none, but maybe if we met here and at the carnival, things will change. I mean, the Lightning do expect us to interact with the fans, so what if I follow her around? That would require me to find her, but maybe it won't be hard at all. I can't miss her ocean blue eyes no matter where she hides.

The flight attendant asks us what drinks do we want, and she asks for an apple juice and I get a cup of ice so I can cool down my water from earlier. He hands us our drink orders and walks up the aisle to hand out the rest.

"So, Kristina, what's one thing that I should know about you?" I ask her.

I just want to see what her reaction to this question will be, because I feel like she's really guarded and tries not to show much emotion.

She takes a deep breath in and says, "I don't like showing my emotions. I've been hurt so much already, and I can't handle it anymore."

She looks away and I say, "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for, Matt?"

"For hurting you by asking that question."

"You didn't hurt me. It's just who I am."

I nod and look away, "Oh, okay. Can I ask another question?"

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(Kristina's P.O.V.)

As much as I want to tell him no, I need to know what this last question is that is bothering him so much.

"Sure," I reply.

"Can I have your phone number? Just in case you need anything in Tampa?"

I almost burst out in laughter, "What? Are you messing with me?"

"No, but this is going to sound crazy. Even though we only met a few hours ago, it feels like a brand new day talking to you. I can't get your eyes out of my head, and your voice sounds like the one I hear in my dreams all the time."

I grab the napkin my apple juice rests on and grab a left pencil from a few flights before. I scribble down my number and hand it to Matt. Once I lay the pencil down on my tray table, he grabs it and writes his number down for me. I smile a little bit and thank him as I put his number in my pocket.

We stare out the window as the plane starts to rock back and forth due to a headwind hitting the front of the plane. I squeeze my eyes shut because I hate heights and being thirty thousand feet above with winds up to one hundred miles an hour rocking something so small as a plane makes me want to faint. Matt squeezes my hand and asks, "Are you okay?"

I reply quickly as the plane rocks from one side to the next, "I don't like heights, and the headwind, and this is horrible! I just wanna be on the ground!"

Almost if instinct told him to do this, Matt wraps me up in his arms and he whispers to me, "It's going to be okay. I got you, Tina."

Even though we're about the same height, his strong grip steadies me as the plane continues its' battle with the wind. I feel a single tear slide down my face, but Matt wipes it away. His arms feel like home, and I don't know what I would do without him.

Who knew a few hours could change me so much? Why is the person who can barely trust a single soul over weeks opens up to a man in just a few hours?

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A/N- See you all next Tuesday for Chapter 5!