The pen tapped on the table softly as Avery’s eyes fixed on the title of the papers. There was a little smile on her face, one that looked painstakingly beautiful. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then muttered to herself.
“This is it. The contract and the promise, they all end here. This is what I’m supposed to do.”
She opened her eyes and gripped the pen tightly between her fingers before signing on the dotted line of the last paper of the document. She is finally divorced from her husband, Caden Wright.
Avery arranged the papers neatly before leaving them on the dining table and then got up from the seat as she kept the pen beside the documents. There was a pinch of pain in her chest and it was confusing her. This is what she is supposed to do, right?
She shook her head and walked to the door. The condominium was silent as usual and it brought her immense peace. But this was the last time she was going to feel that. She looked back at the wall with their large wedding photo and Avery really didn’t know why tears filled up in her eyes.
She chuckled to herself as she sucked in the pain she was feeling and then got out of the condo and closed the door behind her.
“Good luck to you, Caden.”
She whispered softly as she walked away.
--- Six months ago ---
The twenty-five-year-old female pilot, Avery Foster, was just back from a long flight that drained all the energy out of her. She had been flying almost every day with minimum sleep for a pilot for almost two weeks now.
It had not helped that her co-pilot and observer was new to the Passenger Department from the Freight department. Working in a cargo plane and a passenger plane were two different things and both those two colleagues were still processing that.
“A bottle of the best champagne you have.”
Avery placed her order at the bartender before leaning to the table and closing her eyes. Her head was aching like a bitch. Then she looked around at the simple yet elegant architecture of the pub and smiled to herself. “Palm Beach” was a small pub at the end of another insignificant street of the city.
The bartender placed a bottle of champagne and a glass in front of Avery before attending to other customers and Avery smiled at the bartender before immediately grabbing the bottle.
“I needed this.”
She said to herself as she poured the drink into the glass and took a sip. Her face scrunched up for the taste, even though she was used to it now. But what made her groan is when she remembered her conversation with her mother that she had over the phone half an hour ago.
“Hard day?”
Her peace was interrupted by the baritone voice of a stranger. She was not really in a state that she would like a conversation but when she turned to him, her breath got caught up in her throat.
He was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. Sharp features and intriguing eyes. Built body in a branded suit. And that smile… that smile which curved on his lips as if to play with her emotions intentionally.
“Well… to be fair, let me start. I had a shitty day.”
He said when she didn’t reply and then turned to the bartender. Now his pleasant smile was replaced with a professional one.
“The usual.”
He said to the man behind the counter and turned to Avery again and this time, she smiled.
“You come here often?”
She asked, looking around the place, this time with a different eye. The place was small and, though it was elegant, she thought it is really not the type of place this man here would be.
“Yeah. I drop by when I have time. This place makes me feel at ease…”
He said, pausing, and Avery just nodded. She knew that she only met this person now but how they are slowly building a comfortable conversation was both making her glad and scared at the same time.
“Caden Wright.”
The man extended his hand for a shake and Avery smiled as she shook it.
“Avery Foster. I’m a pilot and just after a long two weeks.”
She replied, thinking that she might be friendly as well as she could see the man was going to be her company tonight.
His eyes widened at the response, as surprise and appreciation crossed his face at the same time.
“A female pilot? Interesting… It’s rare to meet one.”
He nodded his head approving and Avery chuckled. Just then the bartender brought him the drinks and soon enough, both Avery and Caden were in a full-blown conversation.
They didn’t go into deep details of their life. Like Avery never went beyond introducing herself as a pilot and Caden never crossed beyond saying that he is a CEO. But both of them found each other interesting enough to behold a conversation for the night and it wasn’t a secret that they found each other comforting.
“So, what’s bothering you?”
Avery’s voice slurred as she spoke, the effect of alcohol finally hitting her. Maybe she regretted agreeing with Caden when he invited her to have the drinks with him but right now, she wasn’t really conscious to think about it.
“My family… they want me to… settle down.”
Caden’s voice wasn’t much different from hers. Both drunk and wasted.
“They want me to marry. They keep complaining that I’m too immersed in work.”
Caden sounded exhausted as both of them trippingly poured more drinks for each other and then he chuckled.
“I know this sounds too simple and people have more problems in their life… but it is mentally draining me. I don’t know how to explain but I’m not ready yet. Plus, I haven’t met any person I want to tie the knot with.”
“Nooo… I get it. We have the same problem.”
“Really?”
Caden’s eyes lit in happiness, probably because he found someone in the same wavelength as him and this time Avery nodded, almost falling to the ground. But before she could hit the ground, Caden’s strong arms wrapped around her body and secured her.
He was struggling to stand himself but managed to prevent them from falling. But the result of the struggle brought their faces only a few inches away from each other. They could feel the heat of each other’s body due to the proximity and both of them found it so foreign.
Seconds pass as both of them stare into each other’s eyes and, as if a moth is drawn to a flame, Caden instinctively places his lips on hers. They close their eyes as their lips touch each other and devour the taste. When they pull away, they are both panting heavily.
“My mother… is against me becoming a pilot.”
Avery’s voice hitches as she says and Caden’s hand wraps around her waist protectively.
“She believes it is not suitable for a woman.”
“That’s not true. Females are as talented as men in that and they deserve any job as long as they are dedicated and know what they are doing.”
Caden interjects defensively and that makes Avery laugh softly before she wraps her hands around his neck and raises her eyebrow suggestively.
“Yeah? But my mom doesn’t think so. She wants me to quit. Marry a man and have kids to settle down in life. According to her, that is the biggest accomplishment for a woman.”
“That’s not true…”
Caden says under his breath as holds his breath when her face leans in closer once again.
“Exactly. So, I told my mom that it is not the accomplishment I want and we had this big brawl over the phone. Things turned ugly…”
Caden couldn’t wait and the anticipation was killing him so once again, he took the initiative and kissed her lips hastily. This time, he could feel his stomach somersaulting and he could feel how Avery’s body needily reacted to him.
“By the way…”
He said in a raspy voice as they broke the kiss and Avery looked at him, blinking several times as if she was innocent.
“Wanna take this somewhere else?”
He asked and she smirked with cloudy eyes that were trapped by the effect of alcohol.
“Thought you would never ask.”
She replied.
Avery woke up when the sun bathed her. She was feeling more refreshed and relaxed than she had ever felt in years and that made her smile to herself. But… who is sleeping beside her?Her eyes shot open to find a man sleeping with her on a bed and she panicked as she looked around. They were in a fancy hotel room and the sun was shining through the large windows, which gave an amazing view of the city below.Then it dawned on her. Meeting Caden at “Palm Beach” and the conversation she had with him, how he made her feel comfortable, and how she opened up to him so easily… and the kiss… and… everything after that.Avery facepalmed. No wonder she felt so relaxed after a while. She suddenly had a one-night stand and shared her personal feeling with a total stranger who didn’t judge her a bit. Unlike what she faced every day. And it is very rare for her to drop the conventions and be unhinged like yesterday.“Hey. Get up.”She shook the man beside her to wake him up and Caden groaned as he
--- Four months later ---“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain, Avery Foster, speaking. Thank you for taking Serene 7897. We will soon arrive at Serene Airport.” A little pause and Avery continued.“Heavy showers await. The ground temperature at Serene is 11 degrees Celsius. Thank you for your co-operation on our flight from Australia to New Zealand. Welcome to New Zealand!”“Avery, you’ve been flying for the last fifteen days. Aren’t you tired at all?”Her co-pilot, James asked, looking at her and just then her observer interrupted.“Have you ever seen her being tired? Like ever?”The four pilots, including Avery, broke into laughter as Avery shook her head and looked at James. “This is what I love, James. I’ve always wanted to be a pilot since I was a kid and now that I have the dream in my hands, why would I be tired of going through it?”“I wish I had the courage like you to go to my dreams. I’ve wanted to become an engineer but my family wanted me to becom
“Good morning, sir.” Janet Phoebe, the well-known secretary of the CEO of Aurora Airlines, greeted her boss. She is a very attractive, 24-year-old woman who has been the secretary of Caden Wright for nearly five years. “Good morning, Janet. What’s my schedule for the day?” Caden asked as his hawk eyes scanned the whole area as soon as he entered the building and all the employees who expected that made sure they were in order. “In another fifteen minutes, you have a meeting with the executive board, sir. It is to discuss the issue of shareholders that have complained about the negligence of the board. After that, there will be a meeting with Mrs. Caroline…” Janet’s soft and professional voice read out the schedule that was on the tab as she hurried behind the CEO, who was heading to the office. Ever since Caden took over the company from his uncle’s reins when he was just 18, the company underwent many changes. At 27, Caden wasn’t just a CEO, but the CEO of the country's most suc
Avery had spent the whole day communicating with her lawyer and submitting her resignation letter to Serene Airlines through him. She had also sent an official email and finally got herself free from that company. Then James and a few other colleagues called suddenly hearing about her resignation and later that evening, Violet had called her to cheer her up. She wasn’t particularly close with any of her colleagues but she has been friendly to everyone as she worked there and just for that fact, everyone loved her. Avery quitting Serene was the biggest talk among the members of the company these days and since they had especially heard about her reason for quitting, the assistant CEO was quite in the spotlight. It not only brought the management of the company a bad name but also ruined its reputation. “So, is it true that you applied for Aurora Airlines?” One of her colleagues had asked her and she remembered how she chuckled. She had only mentioned it to James and Violet but words
Avery could feel her temper rising as she read the email and after thinking so highly of Aurora Airlines and after hearing they were taking steps for woman empowerment; she could only laugh while reading it.Avery didn’t know why she felt so overwhelmed and, assuming it is because of her emotions that have been at the edge for the past few weeks, she decided it is best to get some fresh air.She got up and grabbed her coat before heading out while slamming the door behind. Avery informed the guard of the condo complex she was going to be late and, without thinking much about anything else, she walked down the pavement.Despite being late at night, the roads were filled with vehicles. The pavements were lit from yellow lights that complimented the darkness of the night so well. And when the cold breeze hugged her body, she finally relaxed.She walked up to the street with night food stalls, which was not far from where she lived, and then started to wander in it. She stopped by an ice
Avery really didn’t feel like getting up from the bed that morning. She pulled the duvet over her head and groaned. No matter how much she slept, she felt like she wasn’t getting enough rest at all and it was annoying her.Being a pilot was her favorite thing. She went against her mother’s wishes and fought with her madly just because of how much she loved the profession. The training she got as a new pilot was hard and she felt like giving up so many times. But her dream was much stronger.Avery literally gave her everything to the job and believed she would be happy in it. But right now, it is what’s bothering her and making her upset the most. After the rejection she got from Aurora Airlines, she had been feeling even more discouraged.“It’s alright, Avery. You’ve got plenty of companies to apply. To hell with Serene and Aurora!”She muttered to herself before she kicked the duvet and stood on her bed with her hands on her hip. She had never been that proper and classy girl. But in
Andy clenched his fists as he read Avery’s email the following day in his office room. Avery had clearly mentioned how she applied, then got accepted and then rejected out of the blue.She had also expressed her disappointment about Aurora Airlines for being negligible about female pilots when they have proclaimed to lift them up. And hadn’t stopped from there. She had also attached the email that was sent to her by the Human Resources Department of Aurora Airlines.Andy couldn’t believe how unprofessional the department head had been and it was obvious Serene had pulled some strings on him.“Well... if that’s the case, about time he got fired.”Andy muttered to himself as he read the email once again, his keen eyes going through every little detail. The more he read it, the more anger seeped through him.He only got to know about this because Avery met him randomly and told him about it. This is something that happened to Avery, someone he knew. He wondered how many times this type o
Avery had to admit she was dumbfounded when she received a reply email from Aurora the day after she sent hers. She was shocked that it was from the assistant CEO himself but she guessed Andy really went all lengths to help her out.Of course, the first thing she did was to call Andy and thank him. Andy had laughed and said it was nothing. He had even urged her to contact him if anything came up because apparently, even if she was divorced from Caden, it was still his job as Caden’s best friend.Avery got up that morning, feeling refreshed as ever. She was back in her habitat as a pilot and she couldn’t wait to experience the new journey. Serene was an amazing company, but nothing could beat Aurora.When Avery reached the building with large block letters that read “AURORA AIRLINES”, she felt her heart bloom. It was really happening.She walked in with a big smile, greeting almost all the co-workers who she was yet to know. She walked toward the reception and leaned to the counter.“I