I noted that I had messages from everyone in my family, except my sister Sarah. I doubted she had my new phone number, anyway. My nerves came back full-force, and I wished I had faked the flu and stayed home. There was no way I could survive the next two weeks like this. I'd have to see a cardiologist if my heart kept racing this way.

I had purposefully planned around holidays for the last three years. I would schedule meetings, vacations, pretend illnesses, and anything I could to get out of flying home. Unfortunately, they all knew it too. My brother, Matt, would call me out on it, but he knew it was never his fault. He and my parents had visited me a couple of times here and there since I moved to Florida. They would come in the summer; Matt, his wife Taylor, and my parents would all pack up for a week and enjoy the beach while I worked. They would convince me to go to dinner or make me take them to a tourist spot some days. But eventually, they would all go back home to Aspen. Back to Sarah.

The sound of people standing and grabbing their bags out of the overhead bins shook me back to the present.

“You good over there, Olive?” Finn’s rich voice gave me comfort for a millisecond. It wasn’t much but I definitely felt it.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Sorry, just zoning out.” I reached between my legs for my large carry-on and began layering up my jackets to prepare for the frigid air.

I don’t know exactly how long I slept on the plane, but it was not enough. My eyelids were heavy, and my muscles were sore from the tightly cramped seats.

Finn stood, and his tall stature took up the aisle. He stretched his lean arms over his head, his shirt lifting with the movement, flashing me his perfectly sculpted stomach. Ugh, of course, his body is beautiful. I fought not to roll my eyes around in aggravation.

When he was done stretching, he reached by my feet and grabbed my carry-on bag. I tried to pull it back, but he insisted.

“I’ll get it for you. Just till we’re off.”

It was annoying how sweet he was being, no matter how much I tried to shut him down. I let go of my bag, simply because of pure exhaustion, and let him take the lead off the plane. We walked by the flight attendant, who wished everyone goodbye. She made eye contact with me and looked back and forth between Finn and me.

“Have a good day, sir.” She said to him. Only to him. This eye roll was not going to be contained.

“Thanks, doll.” He smiled brightly at her, his beautiful teeth shining through.