the way.”
“Still flying?”
“Mostly as a passenger now, but I get enough left seat time to stay current.”
“You look good, Jake.”
“So do you, Abbey.”
A waiter comes to take their order.
“What’s good, here, Jake? I assume it isn’t your first time here?”
“I was here yesterday. Dungeness crab is to die for.”
“Crabs it is, then.”
“Crabby Abbey.”
Abbey and Jake both order the crab.
“Crabs two nights in a row, Jake?”
“Not really. Last night I ate alone.”
“Oooh. Nice way to win me over.”
“You know me. Couldn’t pass that one up.”
“I know you, alright.”
“Abbey. Is that a little tear in your eye?”
“Just the light in my eyes, that’s all.”
“Right. Wanna tell me about it?”
“I don’t know where to begin.”
“How about from when we almost fell in love?”
Abbey wipes her eyes, thinks for a moment, and decides to come clean with Jake.
“I was so mad at you. I mean, when I thought I could have had a night in a warm hotel instead of freezing out on the beach.”
“You see, Abbey, that’s where we differ. That night on the beach was the best part for me. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. All I could think about was the moment I saw that look in your eyes in the light of the pale moon. A look of happiness I had never imagined you could feel. I pictured in my mind for years what that might look like, if it could even be, but I never thought I’d be the one to see it. And there you were, just like me, at the onset of falling in love.”
“Oh, Jake. You assume way too much.”
“We’re here, aren’t we? I assume your not mad anymore?”
“No, Jake. I’m not mad anymore.”
“I know. I can see it. I can see a huge change in you, Abbey.”
“At the end of the day, I’ll always be the bitchy old boss to you, though, won’t I?”
“Maybe last month. Not so much now. You’re just the girl I’ve dreamed of falling in love with for the last six years.”
“Six years?”
“In my mind, yes. That’s why it’s seems so easy for me. I lived it in my head long before it happened.”
“If I had only known.”
“I tried to find the right moment. But it just took six years.”
“When did you know?”
“When the engine sputtered.”
“Really?”
“The thought that went through my head first was to keep you from seeing the island. I tilted the plane so you couldn’t see it. I wanted you to think I was the only one on the island that night. I wanted to be the one who took care of you. I knew I’d never get a better opportunity than that.”
“You weren’t concerned about our safety? Or crashing and not living through it?”
“No.”
“Why not? I was.”
“I trained for this many times during flight school. I knew what to expect. The mechanics of landing the plane came easy. The hard part was dealing with you.”
“So you knew you were going to make your big conquest?”
“Believe it or not, that was actually the last thought on my mind. At least for that night. All I expected was to soften you up a bit in hopes you’d see I could actually be more than just your employee. I hoped we’d leave as friends, and things would blossom from there.”
“No hopes of our romantic interlude?”
“The way you were back then? Not a prayer. That was something I didn’t predict would ever happen until years later, if ever. No, girl. My mission that night wasn’t your body. It was your heart.”
“Lucky you, then. You succeeded at both. Just not in the time frame you predicted.”
“That’s OK. I’m in no rush.”
“I wish I knew you like this six years ago.”
“And I wish it was seven.”
“You once told me you’d never hurt me.”
“I remember.”
“Still feel that way?”
“More than ever.”
“So if I decided, you know, I mean, is there anyone else now?”
“To be honest, there were a few girls I took out, yes. Nothing happened. I knew then you had my heart, because
“Still flying?”
“Mostly as a passenger now, but I get enough left seat time to stay current.”
“You look good, Jake.”
“So do you, Abbey.”
A waiter comes to take their order.
“What’s good, here, Jake? I assume it isn’t your first time here?”
“I was here yesterday. Dungeness crab is to die for.”
“Crabs it is, then.”
“Crabby Abbey.”
Abbey and Jake both order the crab.
“Crabs two nights in a row, Jake?”
“Not really. Last night I ate alone.”
“Oooh. Nice way to win me over.”
“You know me. Couldn’t pass that one up.”
“I know you, alright.”
“Abbey. Is that a little tear in your eye?”
“Just the light in my eyes, that’s all.”
“Right. Wanna tell me about it?”
“I don’t know where to begin.”
“How about from when we almost fell in love?”
Abbey wipes her eyes, thinks for a moment, and decides to come clean with Jake.
“I was so mad at you. I mean, when I thought I could have had a night in a warm hotel instead of freezing out on the beach.”
“You see, Abbey, that’s where we differ. That night on the beach was the best part for me. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. All I could think about was the moment I saw that look in your eyes in the light of the pale moon. A look of happiness I had never imagined you could feel. I pictured in my mind for years what that might look like, if it could even be, but I never thought I’d be the one to see it. And there you were, just like me, at the onset of falling in love.”
“Oh, Jake. You assume way too much.”
“We’re here, aren’t we? I assume your not mad anymore?”
“No, Jake. I’m not mad anymore.”
“I know. I can see it. I can see a huge change in you, Abbey.”
“At the end of the day, I’ll always be the bitchy old boss to you, though, won’t I?”
“Maybe last month. Not so much now. You’re just the girl I’ve dreamed of falling in love with for the last six years.”
“Six years?”
“In my mind, yes. That’s why it’s seems so easy for me. I lived it in my head long before it happened.”
“If I had only known.”
“I tried to find the right moment. But it just took six years.”
“When did you know?”
“When the engine sputtered.”
“Really?”
“The thought that went through my head first was to keep you from seeing the island. I tilted the plane so you couldn’t see it. I wanted you to think I was the only one on the island that night. I wanted to be the one who took care of you. I knew I’d never get a better opportunity than that.”
“You weren’t concerned about our safety? Or crashing and not living through it?”
“No.”
“Why not? I was.”
“I trained for this many times during flight school. I knew what to expect. The mechanics of landing the plane came easy. The hard part was dealing with you.”
“So you knew you were going to make your big conquest?”
“Believe it or not, that was actually the last thought on my mind. At least for that night. All I expected was to soften you up a bit in hopes you’d see I could actually be more than just your employee. I hoped we’d leave as friends, and things would blossom from there.”
“No hopes of our romantic interlude?”
“The way you were back then? Not a prayer. That was something I didn’t predict would ever happen until years later, if ever. No, girl. My mission that night wasn’t your body. It was your heart.”
“Lucky you, then. You succeeded at both. Just not in the time frame you predicted.”
“That’s OK. I’m in no rush.”
“I wish I knew you like this six years ago.”
“And I wish it was seven.”
“You once told me you’d never hurt me.”
“I remember.”
“Still feel that way?”
“More than ever.”
“So if I decided, you know, I mean, is there anyone else now?”
“To be honest, there were a few girls I took out, yes. Nothing happened. I knew then you had my heart, because
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