The Royal Contract

As they flew in the air, Alex and Lance tried to entertain their passengers by giving them a tour of their surroundings. They pointed out interesting and important historical sites that they passed through on their way to the island.

"Hey, if you look over there on your right, that was where my ancestors were born and raised. He pointed on an old ruined castle located on an isolated land at the far edge of a cliff.

"Oh, it looks bigger than the one we visited." Dani looked at the one Alex was pointing at, quite interested to know more about his heritage. For her, his history was more interesting, intriguing, and colorful compared to hers. 

Her earlier fear of him piloting this machine dissipated eventually as he skillfully flew them in the air. Just like the way he handled the motorbike, he had shown mastery in his ability to operate this flying vehicle.

"Yes, it is twice the size of the one we went to, but this is twice as old as that one and quite very far from the other castles," Alex explained. 

"Are we still far?" Jacky interjected in the conversation, not particularly interested in the topic of the conversation. She wanted to know more about when they were going to land.

She could not even open her eyes to look outside. In truth, she felt like throwing up whenever she felt the chopper move from side to side.

"Just a few more minutes. Just relax. Remember, I would not let anything happen to you." Lance assured her, speaking softly over the headset to make sure to comfort her.

"Come on, Jacky. I'm right here." Dani also held her hand, wanting her friend to relax. "Open your eyes and enjoy the view." 

"Ok," She felt a bit better after hearing Lance's voice and feeling Dani's hand on hers. She slowly opened her eyes and peered at the window, seeing the clear blue sky and slight scattering of white clouds. She finally released the breath that she was holding and took in another fresh set of air.

"Feeling better," Lance spoke again on the headset, hearing her breath heavily on the mike.

"I think so. Thanks," Jacky said, but she still avoided looking at the ground. She was not still that confident that she could handle the height.

Marcus hated it every time Lance tried to reassure Jacky that everything would be ok and they were in good hands. He could not help but make faces, sitting quietly all alone at the back of the chopper. 

Watching Jacky squirmed in her seat in every twist and turn of the helicopter in the air made him think of wanting to hold her in his arms. He wanted to be the one to comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. 

That he was there for her, but he knew that she would only shut him down. But Alex's words finally made him realized what he did wrong. It felt like a brick hit him in the head and made him see the error of his ways.

Now, he wondered how he could make amends. Or, was he too late to make it up with Jacky, seeing how she was growing attached to Lance.

"Marcus, are you alright back there?" At first, he did not notice that Alex was already talking to him, with his mind busy thinking of what he did wrong with Jacky.

But after several calls of his name, he finally looked up and saw that Alex kept turning his head at him. "Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. What do you want?" 

He also noticed that Jacky had her head turned to her. For a moment, he knew that she saw a bit of concern on her face, but it was quickly replaced with indifference when she saw that he looked in her direction.

"Nothing, you were quiet, so I was wondering what was happening to you." But Alex knew that his friend found the situation a bit awkward, with Jacky and Lance in the same place.

"I'm good, just enjoying the view." He tried to make the situation light.

"What about the two of you? Are you enjoying our services?" Alex directed his question to Dani, who smiled at him.

"Of course, we are. I think you are an excellent pilot." Dani spoke up on the mike, and then she leaned forward until she could reach his shoulder, giving it a gentle tap.

Dani knew she was slightly flirting with him. It was something that she had never done for a long time. 

Dani was not even sure if she was doing it right. But she wanted him to know that she appreciated what he was doing for them. She even saw her friend Jacky slowly enjoying watching the scene below her. 

"Thanks, Dani." He liked this side of her. The one that was being bold and showing some form of affection. He just hoped that she continued to stay that way throughout their vacation. 

"I hope everyone enjoyed the flight because we are about to land soon. Make sure that all buckles are secured tightly." Lance told them as the helicopter started its slow descent.

When they landed, and Lance immediately helped Jacky with her belt, making her hugged him tightly. "Thanks for landing us safely back to the ground." 

"I hope next time, you won't feel so anxious about flying again," Lance said to her as he held her close enough.

"I think after that, I could fly anytime and anywhere," Jacky said, more confident this time after experiencing it for the first time, without anything untoward happening to them.

"Then, maybe I can show you around next time," Lance whispered for her ears only.

"Well, we will see," Jacky answered back.

She knew she liked Lance because he seemed very sweet and genuinely a good guy. But as she mentioned earlier, she wanted to take it easy with men. She did not want to rush into a relationship and only ended up broken. This time, she would like to enter a committed relationship where both were on the same page.