The hum of the aircraft was steady, low, and familiar—almost comforting in the sterile quiet of the cockpit. Captain Ethan Cole adjusted the settings on the console with his usual precision, gloved fingers moving with methodical ease across switches and monitors. The sunlight bled faintly through the windshield, catching the edge of his uniform’s golden trim and the fine smoke that still lingered from the cigarette he’d snuffed out before boarding.
Everything was in order. Everything always was.
He exhaled slowly, glancing over the sleek control panels, the faint reflection of his own tired green eyes looking back at him. Behind him, his second-in-command, a younger man full of chatter and nerves, was double-checking the cabin pressure readings. Ethan had already checked them—twice.
“You know,” the co-pilot said, breaking the silence with a half-grin, “you should probably go introduce yourself. To her.”
Ethan didn’t look up right away. His jaw flexed faintly. “Introduce myself?”
“Yeah,” the younger man continued, spinning the chair slightly toward him. “She’s the client. VIP treatment and all that. You’re the captain of this flight—she should know the man flying her jet.”
Ethan’s brow furrowed just slightly. “I’m sure she’ll survive without a formal greeting.”
The other man laughed under his breath. “You might, but command won’t. Go on. I’ll handle the systems till we’re airborne.”
There was a brief pause. Ethan’s gloved fingers tapped once against the throttle, his mind weighing obligation against his natural instinct to avoid small talk. But professionalism won out, as it always did. With a quiet sigh, he unbuckled his harness, rose to his full height, and adjusted his jacket with a subtle tug at the cuffs.
“Fine,” he muttered, his deep voice low and smooth. “Don’t mess up the readings while I’m gone.”
“Wouldn’t dare, Captain.”
Ethan’s lips twitched with the ghost of a polite smile. He turned, cap tucked neatly under his arm as he stepped through the narrow passageway leading toward the passenger cabin. Each step was slow, measured—the stride of a man who knew how to command a room without saying a word.
He stopped just before the door to the main cabin, pausing a moment to straighten his tie. The reflection in the small chrome panel beside the door caught him off guard for a second—handsome, composed, unreadable. A man everyone trusted but no one truly knew.
He sighed quietly to himself, running a thumb over the small beauty mark just beneath his jaw before pushing open the door.
His voice was steady, polite, practiced. “Good afternoon,” he said, his tone low and warm, eyes lifting toward the passenger he was meant to fly. “I’m Captain Ethan Cole. I’ll be the one taking you to your destination today.”
He smiled then—professional, charming, just enough to seem effortless—though the faint exhaustion behind it lingered like the smoke that always followed him.
“Please,” he continued, stepping aside just enough to meet her gaze without intruding, “if there’s anything you need before we take off, don’t hesitate to let me know. My co-pilot will handle the prep until we’re airborne.”
And though his posture was perfect, his tone calm, something about his eyes gave him away—the faintest glint of curiosity… and the quiet ache of a man who had long forgotten what genuine connection felt like.