Page 36 of Forever Fascinating

“I will.”

“Next time, Jana…” he waved as she started to bolt towards her gate, causing her to immediately turn and wave.

“Next time, Matthew! Safe travels… and you had better write me,” she called out playfully.

“You’d better write me,” he replied loudly in the distance. “See you soon!”

Jana didn’t reply.

She couldn’t.

Her smile was too wide, realizing that she was developing something with the handsome pilot who had swept into her world unexpectedly. She got to the gate as they were boarding, quickly taking her seat on the plane.

Getting her phone back out, she looked at the photos… and sighed.

The goofy one was funny… but she hoped no one saw it either. She texted it to Matthew as promised, touched by the hidden silly streak within him.

The second photo, however, was telling.

Her eyes were half-closed in yearning, leaning into the gentle kiss he’d placed unexpectedly on her cheek. His eyes were closed, and there was such a look of longing on his face that it was breathtaking to behold.

She texted that photo to him… along with a comment.

This picture… is just WOW! But you missed your target, Bunt-boy

She was getting ready to put her phone on airplane mode and had just buckled up when she heard a text message come through. The woman in the seat beside her gave her a dirty look, as Jana smiled apologetically.

“Sorry,” she began. “I’m turning it off now. I forgot.”

Sliding her thumb across the screen, she saw Matthew’s text and couldn’t help the rush of joy and happiness in her at seeing his words.

I was scared to mess things up between us. Next time, my lovely date.

She quickly replied, biting her lips as her hands were shaking.

This was all so amazing, so incredible, and she’d never believed in love at first sight, thinking it was the stuff of dreams and fantasies. The moment she’d laid eyes on him, she felt something change within her. Now, she was pragmatic enough to realize that it could be just an intense attraction, but my goodness… everything about him left her reeling in amazement and wonder.

Until next time then… my date.

* * *

Jana was draggingwhen she finally got home.

The sun had just set a little while earlier and her tiny blue frame house on an acre of land was just what she needed at this moment, wanting to hide away from everything and think back over the last week that she’d been gone.

Specifically, the last two days.

Walking in the door, she tossed her keys and backpack on the couch, flipping on the light switch. As she walked back to the kitchen to get a drink of water, her cell phone rang.

“Hey Ma… I just walked in the door.”

“I wanted to make sure you’d gotten home okay. Your Daddy and I are going to stay a few more days, take in some shopping in Dallas, and maybe take a flight. There’s a very nice young man that your brother knows who offered to fly us to Austin if we wanted to go see the river. Did you know there is a bridge there and bats… yes, bats… come out at night. It’s apparently a big event and people float along the river to watch them. The Guadalajara River…”

“Guadalupe,” her father yelled out in the background. “It’s the Guadalupe River.”

“That sounds cool,” Jana smiled tiredly, thinking that maybe Matthew’s suggestion to travel and do crazy things wasn’t all that strange. It was sweet her parents were traveling together, doing cozy things like this, which made her really want to take advantage of the crazy offer he’d extended to her.

“You sound so tired, baby. Are you okay?”

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