Chapter 1
The airport smelled like burnt coffee, expensive perfume, and the kind of stress only delayed flights could create.
Which was fitting, because Sienna Hart was currently one inconvenience away from committing a felony with her ballet flats.
“Tell me again why we thought bringing four suitcases each was a good idea?” Mila groaned, dragging a massive pink case behind her through the terminal.
Sienna adjusted the strap of her tote on her shoulder without slowing down. “Because unlike you, I packed necessities.”
Mila blinked. “Six bikinis are not necessities.”
“In California they are.”
“Fair.”
The automatic doors whooshed open beside them as another wave of travelers poured through the terminal. Somewhere nearby, a baby screamed like it had just discovered taxes existed.
Sienna checked the time on her phone for the fourteenth time in ten minutes.
BOARDING: 20 MINUTES.
Her stomach flipped.
Westwood University.
California.
Dance program.
New dorm. New people. New life.
It still didn’t feel real.
“You’re spiraling again,” Mila said casually.
“I’m literally standing.”
“You get scary quiet when you spiral.”
Sienna exhaled through her nose. “I’m fine.”
“You reorganized your carry-on three times.”
“That’s called efficiency.”
“That’s called clinically concerning.”
Sienna shot her a glare, but Mila only grinned wider.
They moved through the crowded airport together with the ease of people who had known each other since birth. Their moms had been college roommates. Their dads coached little league together. Mila had been there for every dance recital, every heartbreak, every meltdown in a Sephora changing room.
She was less a best friend and more an attached organ.
As they reached security, Mila suddenly stopped walking.
“Oh no.”
Sienna nearly crashed into her. “What?”
Mila stared ahead with wide eyes. “Six o’clock.”
Sienna frowned. “Why are you talking like a spy?”
“Because if I say turn around normally, you’ll do it aggressively.”
That was fair.
Sienna slowly looked over her shoulder.
And immediately understood the problem.
A group of college guys stood near the boarding gate surrounded by duffel bags and lazy confidence. Tall. Loud. Definitely athletes.
One of them was leaning against the window with a backwards baseball cap and headphones around his neck.
But the one beside him?
That one looked carved out of trouble itself.
Tall enough to make everyone around him seem smaller. Dark brown hair falling messily over his forehead. Black hoodie stretched across broad shoulders. Strong jawline. Tired eyes.
Not just attractive.
The kind of attractive that made you instinctively distrust someone.
He laughed at something his friend said, head tilting back slightly, and Sienna caught the flash of a crooked smile.
Unfortunately, her brain chose that exact moment to malfunction.
Because the guy looked over.
Directly at her.
Eye contact.
Immediate.
Sharp.
Like he’d felt her staring.
Sienna turned away so fast she almost gave herself whiplash.
“Oh my God,” Mila whispered beside her. “Airport boy is HOT.”
“Don’t call him airport boy.”
“Future husband then?”
“He looks like he drinks protein shakes recreationally.”
Mila gasped dramatically. “Your type.”
“My type is emotionally stable and leaves me alone.”
“Then why are your ears red?”
“They’re not red.”
“They’re crimson.”
Sienna ignored her and pushed her suitcase forward toward security.
Still, against her better judgment, she glanced back one more time.
The guy was still watching her.
Not smiling.
Not looking away either.
Just casually holding her gaze like he already knew something she didn’t.
A strange flutter twisted low in her stomach.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Mila caught the look on her face instantly.
“Oh no,” she said. “You’re intrigued.”
“I’m absolutely not intrigued.”
“You did the face.”
“What face?”
“The face you make before your life gets dramatically worse.”
Sienna scoffed. “He’s just some random football guy.”
At the gate behind them, someone called out:
“Rowan! Hurry up, man, boarding starts in ten!”
Sienna froze for half a second.
Rowan.
The name settled somewhere inconvenient in her chest.
And for reasons she couldn’t explain yet, it sounded like the beginning of a problem.
~~~
By nine p.m., the plane had settled into that strange midnight limbo where everyone either looked exhausted, irritated, or suspiciously emotional.
The cabin lights dimmed to a soft amber glow.
Outside the windows, the sky was pure black.
Six hours left.
Sienna was already regretting every life decision that had led her onto this flight.
“This is actually psychological warfare,” Mila muttered from the seat beside her, curled beneath an airline blanket like a dramatic Victorian orphan. “My left leg has gone numb.”
“You’ve been sitting on it for three hours.”
“That feels medically irrelevant.”
Sienna huffed a laugh and adjusted her hoodie, leaning back against the stiff airplane seat.
The exhaustion was starting to settle in now.
Not normal tiredness.
The weird emotional kind.
The kind that came with realizing she was flying toward an entirely new version of her life and there was no turning around halfway across the country.
A flight attendant pushed the snack cart down the aisle with the enthusiasm of someone deeply underpaid.
“Pretzels or cookies?”
“Cookies,” Mila answered instantly.
“Pretzels,” Sienna said at the same time.
Mila looked horrified. “Who voluntarily chooses pretzels?”
“They’re less messy.”
“You say things that make me concerned for your humanity.”
Sienna accepted the tiny pretzel bag with a smile.
The flight attendant handed Mila cookies before moving farther down the aisle.
A few rows ahead, laughter erupted.
Deep male voices.
Athlete row.
Sienna didn’t look up immediately.
Mostly because she’d spent the last four hours aggressively pretending Rowan Vale did not exist.
Unfortunately, Mila had not.
“Airport boy’s still hot,” she whispered.
Sienna sighed. “Please stop tracking him like wildlife.”
“I’m just saying, if this plane crashes, I call dibs.”
“You are genuinely unbelievable.”
Mila grinned, opening her cookies. “You looked though.”
“I glanced.”
“You stared.”
“I observed.”
“Your honor,” Mila said to the invisible courtroom, “she’s in denial.”
Sienna rolled her eyes and finally looked toward the front of the cabin.
Mistake.
Huge mistake.
Because Rowan was standing in the aisle talking to one of his friends.
Black hoodie sleeves pushed up his forearms. Messy hair somehow still looked annoyingly good after hours on a plane. One hand braced casually against the overhead compartment while he laughed at something.
Then, like before, he looked over.
Straight at her.
Again.
Honestly, at this point it was beginning to feel targeted.
Sienna quickly focused on her pretzels with incredible concentration.
Mila made a tiny choking noise beside her.
“He caught you.”
“I literally looked up for half a second.”
“And he literally looked right back.”
“That means nothing.”
“Mm-hm.”
Sienna opened her mouth to argue further when movement appeared beside their row.
A shadow fell across her tray table.
“Well,” a low voice said, “pretzels over cookies is a controversial choice.”
Sienna looked up.
And there he was.
Rowan Vale in all his irritatingly attractive glory.
Up close, he looked even worse for her sanity.
Tired eyes. Sharp cheekbones. Faint scent of cologne and airplane air. Tall enough that he had to duck slightly into the aisle ceiling.
His gaze flicked briefly to her pretzel bag before returning to her face.
Calm. Amused.
Mila went completely silent beside her, which was honestly more alarming than turbulence.
Sienna lifted one eyebrow. “Are you policing airline snacks now?”
“One of my many talents.”
His mouth tilted slightly like he was trying not to smile.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
She noticed a tiny scar near his eyebrow.
And immediately hated herself for noticing.
“You’ve been staring at me since the airport,” he said casually.
Sienna nearly inhaled a pretzel.
“I have not.”
“Right,” he replied. “Must’ve been someone else glaring at me like I keyed their car.”
“I wasn’t glaring.”
“You definitely were.”
Mila abruptly shoved her blanket over her face to hide her laughter.
Traitor.
Sienna crossed her arms. “Do you always bother random girls on airplanes?”
“Only the judgmental ones.”
“You approached me.”
“And yet you still seem annoyed I exist.”
“That’s because you do.”
That finally earned a real laugh from him.
Warm. Unexpected.
It transformed his whole face for a second before he leaned slightly against the seat beside her.
“What’s your name?”
“Sienna.”
His expression shifted almost imperceptibly, like he was testing the sound of it in his head.
“Sienna,” he repeated.
Her stomach betrayed her with a tiny, traitorous flip.
Annoying.
Again.
“And you’re Rowan,” she replied.
One eyebrow lifted. “You remembered.”
“Your friend yelled it across the airport like you were in a war movie.”
“That’s fair.”
A voice farther up the aisle shouted, “Rowan, sit down before they think you’re hijacking the plane!”
Without looking away from her, Rowan answered, “Relax, Bennett.”
Then his attention returned to Sienna.
“You heading to Westwood?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “How do you know that?”
“The dance team tag on your bag.”
Sienna glanced down.
Right.
Great detective work, Sherlock.
“You play football,” she replied.
“What gave it away?”
“The giant WESTWOOD FOOTBALL hoodie was subtle.”
A smirk tugged at his mouth again.
God, she wanted to find that expression annoying.
Unfortunately, it was doing catastrophic things to her nervous system.
“Well, Sienna,” Rowan said, slowly stepping backward into the aisle, “try not to spend the next six hours glaring at me too hard.”
She held his gaze. “No promises.”
Something flickered in his expression then.
Interest.
Actual interest.
Like this was suddenly a game he intended to win.
And somehow, impossibly, Sienna already had the feeling she’d just made a terrible mistake.
~~~
An hour later, the plane had gone almost completely quiet.
Most people were asleep now.
Dim cabin lights glowed overhead, soft and golden, while the steady drone of the engine filled the silence like white noise. A movie played soundlessly on the screen in front of Sienna, though she hadn’t absorbed a single second of it.
Mostly because Mila had spent the last forty minutes providing deeply unnecessary commentary.
“You two have tension.”
“We do not.”
“You argued about pretzels like divorced parents.”
Sienna rubbed her temples. “Please sleep.”
“I can’t. I’m invested now.”
“You get invested in squirrels crossing roads.”
“And yet I’m still right.”
Sienna ignored her and unbuckled her seatbelt.
“I’m going to the bathroom.”
Mila gasped dramatically. “Are you hoping to run into your boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Yet.”
Sienna gave her a flat look before stepping into the aisle.
The plane rocked gently beneath her feet as she made her way toward the back of the cabin, passing sleeping passengers and glowing screens.
And because the universe clearly hated her personally, there was already a line for the bathroom.
Three people.
Including Rowan Vale.
Of course.
He stood near the galley with his hands shoved into gray sweatpants pockets, leaning lazily against the wall beside the restroom door.
Black hoodie.
Messy hair.
Half-asleep expression.
Still unfairly attractive.
Sienna slowed slightly before mentally yelling at herself to act normal.
Mila appeared beside her with entirely too much excitement for someone running on pretzels and chaos.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Fate is obsessed with you two.”
“Lower your voice.”
“No.”
Rowan looked up at the sound of their approach.
And smirked immediately.
Like he’d been expecting this.
“Well,” he said softly, eyes landing on Sienna, “there’s the glare again.”
“I’m in line,” she replied.
“You seem upset about it.”
“I’m upset that airplane bathrooms are the size of coffins.”
“That’s fair.”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Sienna hated how quickly she noticed every tiny expression he made.
The guy in front of Rowan disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Rowan next in line.
Mila, traitor that she was, suddenly perked up.
“You know what?” she announced. “I actually don’t need the bathroom anymore.”
Sienna’s eyes widened slightly.
“Mila.”
“I’m gonna go back to our seats.”
“Mila.”
“Have fun!”
And then she walked away.
Actually walked away.
Abandoned her.
Sienna stared after her in disbelief.
“I like your friend,” Rowan said.
“She’s dead to me.”
He laughed quietly.
God. That laugh again.
It was lower now. Sleep-roughened. Warm enough to melt common sense directly out of her bloodstream.
The line moved forward slightly until Sienna stood beside him near the wall.
Close.
Too close.
She became painfully aware of everything all at once:
the smell of clean colognethe faint scrape of his hoodie sleeve against her arm whenever the plane shiftedhow tall he actually was up close
A dangerous amount of tall.
“You always this friendly?” he asked.
“You asked me that already.”
“And you still haven’t answered.”
Sienna crossed her arms loosely. “Maybe I just don’t like football players.”
“Ouch.”
“I’m serious.”
“What’d we do?”
“Exist loudly.”
He let out another soft laugh.
“You think I’m loud?”
“I watched your friends throw gummy bears at each other for twenty minutes.”
“In our defense, Bennett started it.”
“That does not help your case.”
The bathroom door opened.
A sleepy businessman stepped out.
Rowan glanced toward the door, then back at her.
“You can go first.”
Sienna blinked.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“You were here first.”
“And I’m feeling generous.”
“That’s suspicious.”
“Maybe I’m trying to improve your opinion of football players.”
“That would require a miracle.”
He leaned slightly closer then, lowering his voice just enough that it sent a ridiculous little shiver down her spine.
“Good thing I’m very committed.”
Their eyes locked.
And suddenly the tiny airplane hallway felt way too small.
The air felt warmer somehow.
Thicker.
Sienna swallowed once before stepping backward toward the bathroom door.
“You’re flirting with me,” she accused quietly.
His expression stayed perfectly calm.
“Maybe.”
The honesty of it caught her completely off guard.
No embarrassment.
No awkwardness.
Just direct.
Steady.
Like he already knew exactly what effect he had on people.
Which was annoying.
Very annoying.
Sienna grabbed the bathroom handle before he could see the way her pulse had started racing.
“You’re arrogant.”
“And you’re still talking to me.”
Then he smiled.
Crooked. Sleepy. Dangerous.
And Sienna shut the bathroom door a little harder than necessary because her heart was suddenly behaving like it had completely lost adult supervision.
Sienna stared at herself in the tiny airplane mirror for exactly three seconds.
Then pointed accusingly at her reflection.
“This is not a thing,” she whispered.
Her reflection looked unconvinced.
She groaned softly and unlocked the bathroom door.
The second she stepped back into the aisle, the plane violently dropped.
A sharp gasp ripped through the cabin as turbulence slammed through the aircraft without warning.
Sienna lost her footing instantly.
And collided straight into Rowan.
Hard.
One second she was upright.
The next she was pressed against his chest while the plane jolted again beneath them.
Strong hands caught her automatically.
One at her waist.
The other braced against the wall behind her head to steady both of them.
For half a second, everything blurred.
The turbulence.
The noise.
The cabin lights.
All Sienna could focus on was the fact that Rowan Vale was suddenly everywhere.
Warm hoodie beneath her hands.
The sharp scent of cologne.
His chest solid against hers.
Way too close.
Another rough shake hit the plane.
Rowan tightened his grip instinctively to keep her from falling again.
“You okay?” he asked immediately.
His voice was lower now.
Closer.
Sienna looked up.
Huge mistake.
Because his face was inches from hers.
Actually inches.
Messy dark hair falling forward slightly. Sleep-heavy eyes fixed on her. His jaw tense from trying to steady them both while the plane rattled around them.
And somehow, impossibly, he still looked calm.
Meanwhile Sienna’s heart had fully entered cardiac event territory.
“I’m fine,” she managed.
The plane jerked again.
Her fingers instinctively grabbed the front of his hoodie.
Rowan glanced down at the movement before slowly looking back at her.
There it was again.
That tiny flicker in his expression.
Interest.
But different now.
Less teasing.
More aware.
The overhead seatbelt sign dinged sharply.
A flight attendant’s voice crackled over the speaker:“Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats immediately.”
Neither of them moved right away.
Mostly because Sienna had suddenly become extremely conscious of the hand still resting against her waist.
And judging by the way Rowan’s thumb shifted slightly against her side, he was aware too.
The narrow airplane hallway suddenly felt dangerously intimate.
Like the rest of the plane had disappeared.
“You almost took me out,” Rowan said quietly.
Sienna blinked. “You crashed into me.”
“You fell into me.”
“The plane threw me.”
“That sounds like an excuse.”
Despite herself, a laugh escaped her.
Soft.
Real.
His expression changed instantly at the sound.
Like he hadn’t expected it.
Like maybe he’d been waiting for it.
And that realization did deeply unfortunate things to her nervous system.
Another smaller wave of turbulence rattled the cabin.
This time Rowan guided her gently toward the wall beside him before either of them could lose balance again.
Protective.
Effortless.
Annoyingly natural.
“You good?” he asked once more.
Sienna nodded, though her pulse was still sprinting.
“Yeah.”
His gaze lingered on her for one dangerous second too long.
Then:“Would’ve been embarrassing if your first impression of California was dying on a plane with me.”
She folded her arms. “You assume this isn’t already my worst experience.”
“That hurt.”
“You’ll survive.”
“Barely.”
God.
Why was talking to him weirdly easy?
That felt unfair.
The plane steadied slightly.
Rowan finally stepped back enough to let her breathe normally again, though one corner of his mouth still curved upward faintly.
“You should probably get back to your seat before your friend comes looking for me with a camera,” he said.
Sienna groaned immediately. “Mila would absolutely document my death.”
“She seems supportive.”
“She’s a parasite.”
He laughed again.
Warm. Low. Tired.
Sienna hated how much she was starting to recognize the sound already.
As she turned to head back down the aisle, Rowan called softly after her:
“Try not to fall for me again, Sienna.”
She stopped.
Slowly looked back over her shoulder.
His smirk deepened just slightly.
Cocky quarterback.
Infuriating human being.
Sienna narrowed her eyes.
Then replied:
“No promises.”
