Cadence gripped the arms of her seat and watched the ground disappear beneath her. Within what seemed like seconds of taking off, she could see the Pacific ocean beneath her. A bunch of teenagers and young kids cheered as the plane left the ground and sailed through the morning air.

It amazed her that she could so quickly be so far away from everything she had ever known. She’d been born and raised in Southern California, and now, as she sat with thirty of her senior classmates aboard a plane, she was headed into a future where everything was unfamiliar. The next eight days would be the last chance to be with the people she’d grown up with. She was thrilled and at the same time deeply saddened by the thought that this was an end of sorts. Cadence was headed for a week long vacation in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a senior trip that she and her classmates had planned for over a year. Graduation had been only three days ago, and yet as the plane ascended higher into the air, it seemed like life in high school was becoming a distant memory.

“Cadence, how many bathing suites did you bring?” One of her girlfriends asked as she turned around in her seat while popping her gum obnoxiously.

“Three,” Cadence replied with a small smile before glancing back down at the issue of CosmoGirl! she’d picked up in the airport before their flight left. She was a little disappointed that she wasn’t seated next to someone she knew, but the young guy she was next to seemed nice, and he hadn’t bothered her yet. He was busy reading a magazine the airline provided to pay her any notice.

“That interesting?” Cadence asked with a nervous laugh as she turned to the stranger hoping to get comfortable with sitting so close to him for the next five hours.

With the baseball hat that he wore pulled down low, she had a hard time seeing his face. She wasn’t quite sure whether he’d fallen asleep reading. That would explain his ignoring her question.

“Hello?” She whispered…

She heard him chuckle slightly before he raised his left hand and peeled away his sunglasses.

“Hi there,” he said with a warm smile that nearly took Cadence’s breath away.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that smile was recognizable, and she searched her brain to place him. Maybe he was from her school somehow, or maybe he was part of the tour group they had chosen to lead their group.

“I’m sorry I was rude, it’s just that I don’t usually sit next to strangers on planes, and well…there’s a lot of people on this plane…”

Cadence observed him with a smile, and even though his comments were somewhat odd, she chalked it up to nervousness and maybe a fear of flying? Who could really blame the guy in today’s world? She, herself, had been apprehensive about the flight.

“Oh, no problem, I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable there in the window seat, because if you need the leg room, I’d be happy to switch off with you cause I’ve got plenty of room here.” She said as she motioned to her aisle seat which left her lots of space to stretch her legs out straight and move around.

He gave her a warm smile that time and extended his hand to her.

“That’s really very nice of you, and I just might take you up on that. My name’s Ashley,” He said quietly, as if telling her an extremely important secret. He studied her reaction carefully and couldn’t help but chuckle at the expression of understanding that spread across her beautiful face.

“Ashley…” Cadence replied with another smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Yes, Ashley,” he said, not able to wipe the smug grin off his face.

“That’s funny, I’m a fan of this guy named Ashley. He is a singer in the group O-Town. Maybe you’ve heard of him,” Cadence said with a warm smile.

“Hmm…maybe I have. Are they any good?” Ashley replied while looking back at his magazine feigning disinterest.

“Eh, they’re reasonably talented.” Cadence said before lightly nudging him with her elbow.

Ashley laughed out loud at this, and immediately regretted the action when the three teenage girls sitting in front of them whipped their heads around to check out the situation.

“Who are you talking to Cadence?” One of them asked eagerly.

“Just a friendly stranger. I was telling him about grad night,” Cadence explained quickly, hoping her friends would lose interest immediately. She didn’t want Ashley swamped with fans, and she knew damn well that her female classmates were some of the most energetic O-Town fans around. They would be ecstatic to know that he was even on board let alone sitting in the midst of their class.

“So tell me Cadence, how is that you know all these people on board. I mean, it seems to me everyone knows everyone in here except me,” Ashley asked motioning to the main cabin where her classmates were all conversing, despite the rows of fellow passengers between them.

“Oh, well we’re on our way to Hawaii for our senior class trip. We graduated last Friday. It’s a trip that has become tradition. The senior class seven years prior started it. Now, every class goes.” Cadence explained.

“I see. So you graduated? Congratulations. That’s great. I bet you’re excited for this trip.” He answered.

“Definitely…” Cadence said quietly.

“Are you traveling for personal reasons?” She asked politely.

Ashley smiled at her and shook his head.

“No, the guys and I are all flying to Hawaii to tape a TV special that will air next fall when we’re ready to release the next album. The other four as well as our crew are all on the plane. Can you keep a secret?” He asked as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

Cadence giggled and couldn’t help but notice how wonderful he smelled. His warm breath fanned out over her neck as he spoke, and she forced herself to concentrate on what he was saying.

“Umm, yes. I can.” She answered.

“Ok, Jacob is four rows up on the far right. Dan is in the way back. Trevor is in first class because he won the bet with Eric and I’m sitting here with you. Personally, I think I got the best deal,” he said with a grin.

Cadence laughed with him and blushed slightly at his compliment.

“Now tell me Cadence, are you starting college in the fall?”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to it. Actually, I have mixed emotions over the whole thing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very excited about college, but I didn’t dislike high school. I’m just a little scared,” she explained, her voice turning into that of a whisper as she finished.

Ashley watched her carefully as she spoke. He found himself in awe of her beauty. She was a breathtaking sight. She wore simple jean shorts, and a white tank that hugged her chest perfectly. Her dark blonde hair was long and straight. But what really captivated him were her eyes. They were a mix of green and blue that he’d never seen before. He soon realized that he’d better stop staring at her or she was soon going to be searching for another seat.

“I don’t blame you one bit, Cadence. Leaving high school was traumatic for me too. It’s everything you’ve ever known, and regardless of whether it was a good experience of a bad one, it was something you knew. College, and the life that comes with it are very different.” Ashley replied.

“So many of my friends have been biting at the bit to get out of high school. They say they hated every minute of it, and I understood some of their frustration, but I never wanted to rush it. I wanted to make the most out of it. I think I was able to do that.” Cadence said, more to herself than to him.

Ashley listened attentively. He understood what she meant.

“Listen to me, I’m talking as though we’ve known each other for years and you’re interested in knowing the woes of my life.” Cadence said with a chuckle before resting a hand on his arm that laid on the armrest between them.

“Forgive me for talking your ear off. I’ll shut up now and watch the movie,” she said motioning to the big screen television screen which was now playing a movie.

Ashley smiled at her warmly.

“Don’t be silly. I’m enjoying talking to you. It’s not everyday I get to talk to someone like you,” he said with a sad smile.

“Someone like me?” Cadence said as she accepted the Sprite that the flight attendant handed her.

“Someone who cares,” he said with a warm smile.

Cadence couldn’t help but smile at him brightly. He was an amazing person, of that she was certain. Suddenly, she wanted this flight to last as long as possible. She didn’t want this man to simply get up and walk out of her life as easily as he’d come into it.

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