Aki had never been on a plane alone before.

  In fact, she’d never even left Japan.

  So when she held the printed ticket in her hands — Tokyo to London Heathrow — it didn’t feel real.

  She stared at it, heart pounding in that strange space between fear and exhilaration.

  Her first trip abroad.

  Her first time chasing someone across continents.

  Her first time believing that love could stretch this far.

  The next few weeks were a blur of preparations.

  She applied for her passport — something she’d always meant to do but never had a reason for.

  She researched everything from currency exchange to “how not to get lost in London’s Tube.”

  Her search history became a mix of “best cafés in London” and “what gifts do British people like?”

  Every time she felt a wave of anxiety — about airports, about whether Evan would still look at her the same way after months apart — she’d reach up and touch the tiny silver airplane charm resting against her collarbone.

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  It grounded her.

  Reminded her why she was doing this.

  For them.

  For the promises they made under Tokyo’s sky.

  Mika, her older sister, watched the whirlwind of activity with a mix of amusement and concern.

  “Are you sure about this?” Mika asked one night as Aki packed and repacked her suitcase for the third time.

  Aki paused, holding up two scarves. “Which one feels more ‘I’m-cool-but-not-trying-too-hard’?”

  Mika raised an eyebrow. “You’re avoiding the question.”

  Aki sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed.

  “I know it sounds crazy,” she admitted. “But… when I’m talking to him, when I’m thinking about seeing him again — it doesn’t feel crazy. It feels right.”

  Mika softened, sitting beside her.

  “I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

  Aki smiled, a little wistfully. “I’d be hurting more if I didn’t try.”

  Mika nodded, pulling her into a quick hug. “Then go get him.”

  The night before her flight, Aki couldn’t sleep.

  She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, her suitcase zipped and ready by the door.

  Her phone buzzed on the pillow beside her.

  Evan: I can’t believe this is happening. You’ll be here tomorrow.

  Aki: I’m nervous.

  A pause. Then:

  Evan: Me too. But mostly, I’m counting down the seconds.

  She smiled in the dark, her heart racing in a way that was equal parts excitement and terror.

  Aki: What if I get lost? What if immigration doesn’t let me in? What if—

  Evan: What if we finally get to be in the same place again? What if I’m standing there at arrivals, and you run into my arms, and none of this distance matters anymore?

  Aki felt her throat tighten, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

  Aki: Okay… that sounds better.

  Evan: Sleep, Aki. Tomorrow’s the start of a new chapter.

  The next morning, standing in Narita Airport with her boarding pass in hand, it still felt surreal.

  She sent Evan a quick selfie — her holding up her passport with a determined grin.

  Aki: On my way to you.

  His reply was instant.

  Evan: I’ll be waiting.

  And with that, she took a deep breath and stepped toward the gate.

  For the first time in her life, she wasn’t just reading about adventures in books.

  She was living one.

  And at the end of this flight — after twelve hours of nerves, anticipation, and replaying every memory of him in her mind — Evan would be there.

  No screens. No time zones.

  Just him.

  And her.

  And the city where they’d write their next story.