Mathieu had looked forward to this flight for weeks. He’d paid handsomely for a first-class ticket, imagining hours of quiet luxury, a glass of champagne, maybe even a little networking. He was dressed the part too—sleek blazer, leather carry-on, the kind of man who walked like the aisle belonged to him.
But then she arrived.
The woman who took the seat beside him didn’t match his mental image of what belonged in first class. She was full-figured, wearing a simple cardigan and jeans. As she sat and buckled her seatbelt, her elbow lightly grazed his. Mathieu recoiled.
He rolled his eyes. “Careful,” he muttered, just loud enough to be heard. She glanced at him, startled, and offered a quiet apology. That should’ve been the end of it.
As the plane taxied down the runway, Mathieu kept going.
First under his breath, then more boldly. “Forgive you?” he said when she asked the flight attendant to pass her bag. “Or forgive the thousand cupcakes you’ve eaten?” The woman looked down at her hands. Her smile vanished. Still, she didn’t respond.
Mathieu wasn’t finished. He made comments about her weight, her clothing, even her decision to order a diet soda. “Trying to turn things around midair?” he scoffed.
Some passengers turned their heads. One woman shot him a sharp glare. A man two rows back leaned forward, clearly listening. But the flight attendant, polite and professional, kept her distance. For now.
Mathieu, of course, assumed the silence around him was approval—or at least indifference. He was used to being the loudest voice in the room, and nobody had challenged him yet. He sat smugly, sipping his drink, unaware that his travel companion wasn’t just another anonymous passenger.
A little while later, the flight attendant returned—this time with a quiet smile and a glint of something mischievous in her eyes. She leaned toward the woman beside Mathieu.
“The captain would like to invite you to the cockpit,” she said. “He’s a big admirer.”
The woman stood gracefully, thanking her with a warm nod. Mathieu blinked. A cockpit visit? For her?
