She stepped closer and took his hand. "We don't have to pretend it didn't happen," she said. "We just don't have to carry it in front of us like an extra suitcase." Daniel smiled at the image. He thought about the months of testimony, interviews, training sessions, and quiet conversations that had followed the first trip. They had carried the experience in so many forms that it was strange to imagine setting any part of it down.
Their new boarding call came on time. The agent welcomed them in the priority line, checked their documents, and wished them a pleasant flight without pausing to study their clothing or expression. Daniel felt the small relief of an uneventful interaction. Alana understood from the way his hand relaxed around hers that he had felt the same thing. They walked along the jet bridge toward the aircraft, slower than the passengers ahead but not because they were reluctant to arrive.
At the door, a young flight attendant named Anthony Bennett greeted them with the effortless courtesy that should have made the encounter unremarkable. He checked their seat assignments, smiled, and showed them toward the premium cabin. There was no second look at their faces, no question about whether they understood the service, and no suggestion that they needed to prove how they had paid. Alana thanked him, and he moved on to welcome the passengers behind them with the same warmth. That consistency mattered more than any special welcome could have.
Their seats were beside one another in a cabin softly lit for an overnight Atlantic flight. Daniel helped Alana place her bag in the overhead compartment, then settled in and opened the window shade a few inches. She smoothed the armrest and looked at the space around her, recognizing that it was simply a comfortable seat on an airplane and wishing it had never become a symbol of something else. Daniel watched her for a moment before asking whether she was all right. She answered with a nod, though her eyes had grown bright.
Anthony returned carrying a tray of beverages. "Mr. and Dr. Harris, welcome aboard," he said.
"Would you care for something before departure?" Daniel looked toward Alana, waiting for her answer. She smiled and said they would have two glasses of champagne because they were finally celebrating an anniversary they had been trying to celebrate for six months. Anthony congratulated them and brought the glasses without asking any additional questions about why they belonged in the cabin.
Alana lifted her glass but did not drink immediately. "Is it silly that I want to remember this?" she asked. Daniel held his glass near hers. "What part?" "That he just brought champagne," she said. "That nobody needed us to explain ourselves."
"That it was as simple as it should have been the first time."