You were finally going on the girls trip you’d been planning forever with Maddy and Bella. Your dream location.

Hawaii.

It was their birthday gift to you — and honestly, the only thing ruining the perfection was having to wake up at an ungodly hour because your flight was at 7 a.m.

So here you were, at 7:48 a.m., in the air, head leaning against the cold window. The flight was still long, and your only plan was to zone out with your AirPods, maybe even nap a little.

But of course, things never go quite as planned.

Just as you tried to slip your AirPods into your ears, the plane jolted unexpectedly. Your fingers fumbled, and they tumbled to the floor, sliding right under your seat — and, unfortunately, right to the person behind you.

You muttered a quiet curse, leaning a little to see if you could spot them. But before you even had time to move, a hand appeared next to your armrest, offering the AirPods back to you.

You froze, staring at the hand for a second before your eyes travelled up to see the face it belonged to.

“Thanks,” you breathed out, offering a shy, grateful smile.

He smiled back, casually, but his eyes… god, his eyes. Blue like the sky right after sunrise, blue like those perfect Hawaiian waves you’d been daydreaming about. Your heart betrayed you with a stupid little jump, heat creeping up your neck.

For a moment, you couldn’t look away.

⸻

Rafe hadn’t thought twice when he handed you your AirPods. Just a small gesture, no big deal. But when your eyes met his… he felt it too. Something tightening in his chest, an ache he couldn’t name.

It wasn’t just that you were pretty. It was something else. Something he hadn’t expected to feel on a random flight at way-too-early o’clock in the morning.

⸻

Eventually, after what felt like hours but was probably only seconds, you forced yourself to break the eye contact. You sat back straight in your seat, clutching the AirPods a little tighter than necessary.

But your heart kept racing, like it was trying to tell you something your mind refused to admit.

And Rafe? His heart wasn’t just racing. It was running a marathon, like it couldn’t catch up with what had just happened.

It was just a stranger, right? Just someone you found attractive. Just an awkward airplane moment that meant nothing.

…right?…