The next morning in Chicago arrived with a gray sky and a whisper of snow falling over the city. The private hangar buzzed quietly, the jet getting fueled for the next leg. Avery stood by the aircraft, clipboard in hand, mind miles away.

She hadn't spoken to Ethan since last night.

Every word they shared still echoed in her chest—"Prove it. Don't just say the words—show me."

She hadn't meant it as a challenge. But maybe that's exactly what he needed.

Just then, Lila called.

"Hey," Avery answered, her voice soft.

"You okay?" Lila asked gently. "You sounded off last night."

"I'm fine. Just... tired."

Lila hesitated. "Well, I don't want to make it harder, but... a letter came. From the Aviation Institute. A position just opened up in Boston. Lead training captain. It's everything you ever wanted."

Avery froze. "They offered it to me?"

"They want to interview you in two days. It's real, Ave."

Her throat tightened. "Wow."

Lila paused. "Is this still what you want?"

Avery didn't have an answer.

Not yet.

Elsewhere in Chicago – Ethan's Hotel Suite

Ethan paced the room, phone in hand, laptop open. He hadn't been this nervous since his first company pitch at twenty-three.

"She asked you to prove it," his best friend Nathaniel Calloway reminded him over speaker.

"I know," Ethan said. "But I don't want to do something flashy. I want it to mean something."

"Then stop thinking like a CEO," Nathaniel said. "And start thinking like a man in love."

He paused.

And then smiled.

That Evening – Hangar 5

Avery returned from a quiet walk to find something... different.

The hangar was glowing with soft lights. Strings of white bulbs looped around the plane's wings, and inside the jet, candlelight flickered through the windows.

She stepped in cautiously.

The cabin had been transformed.

A small table was set near the cockpit, draped in linen, two chairs pulled close together. A single rose rested in a crystal vase. A tray held takeout from her favorite Burlington diner—Lila must've helped.

Then Ethan appeared from the back galley, wearing a slightly wrinkled button-down and the most nervous smile she'd ever seen on him.

"What is all this?" she asked.

He stepped forward. "This is me... trying."

She stared, lips parting slightly.

"You said to show you," Ethan said. "So I thought... I'd show you that I see you. Not just the pilot. But the woman who gave up a home to fly. The sister who still sends postcards. The girl who once dreamed under the stars and made it happen."

Avery's heart squeezed painfully.

"You're not easy to reach," he continued. "You're guarded. Fierce. And honestly? You scare the hell out of me. But you also make me want to try. Not just with you. For you."

She swallowed hard.

"Ethan..."

He took a breath. "I want to be someone you fly toward, not away from."

And in that moment—it would've been so easy.

To close the space between them.

To fall completely.

But her voice came out quieter than expected. "There's something I need to tell you."

She reached into her coat pocket and held up the letter.

"The Boston Aviation Institute offered me the lead captain position. It's huge. It's everything I worked for."

Ethan nodded slowly, the flicker in his eyes dimming slightly—but only for a second.

"Are you going to take it?"

"I don't know," she whispered. "I don't know if I'm ready to stop flying... or if I just thought I had to."

He stepped closer. "You don't have to decide tonight. But if you do take it, just know... I'll book a hundred flights just to see you. I'll fly to you."

She blinked fast, the emotion catching her off guard.

"Just... don't leave without saying goodbye," he added gently.

She laughed through her tears. "I'm not going anywhere yet."

They stood there, the quiet hum of the jet surrounding them like a heartbeat.

Then, without hesitation this time, she stepped into him.

And their lips met.

Soft. Slow. Certain.

Like landing after a long, wild flight.

FLASHBACK – ETHAN, AGE 15
Rooftop in Manhattan – Watching Planes Overhead

"I want to build something that soars," he whispered.

His dad laughed. "You'll build companies, not planes."

But Ethan never stopped looking up.

BACK TO PRESENT – INSIDE THE JET

They sat together, takeout containers half-eaten, hands entwined over the tray.

No promises.

Just presence.

Just this.