Dance Me To The Moon [Sebastian Vettel]

17. Burbujas de Amor

Stella's cheeks warmed as if it was summer sun hitting her directly.

~~/~~

December was approaching fast and, with it, the realisation of a dream: Stella nailed her exams and successfully finished her ATPL Theory course. After earning her private pilot certificate a few years before, she was now the proud holder of a license to fly commercial aircrafts.

It was the reward of not just a year of hard work and massive commitment, but of personal investment that changed her forever. The license, while a goal in itself, was only another step for a career and it would remain frozen until she reached 1.500 flight hours. Hour building would come with any small jobs she could find with her additional qualifications but, mainly, by becoming a certified flight instructor. The experience that came with it would be invaluable, too, and could make all the difference once she had conditions to apply for a job with an airline. The course itself, due to start in January and for which she had enrolled at the same time as the ATPL, was demanding but it wouldn't take more than a couple of months to finish since she already possessed the other requirements.

She'd started browsing for jobs to send applications, too. She would be happy to remain in the UK - secretly, she was hoping one of her instructors would recommend her to a school - but moving to the United States or anywhere else in the world was a no brainer if the opportunity arose.

She hadn't yet managed to do a proper end of course celebration, as it was recent news, but Stella was so ready to get smashed and the trip to Thailand would be the perfect setting. The days leading up to the wedding, acclimatising and finishing preparations for the big event, would be a well deserved mini-holiday with friends. She was looking forward to leaving rainy London behind to enjoy fine white sand beaches surrounded by palm trees and explore noisy, open-air markets by day - and lose herself in the lively, legendary party scene by night.

The grooms were dear friends that she was proud to have in her life.

Ryan, a short brunet with a sturdy physique and kind eyes, was one of the very first people Stella befriended after moving to London several years before, the two meeting at the gym where he was a dance instructor; his partner Noah, a lanky blond, was a senior consultant for an international firm based in Hong Kong. Their paths had crossed one New Year's Eve in a party and the rest, as they say, was history.

The guest list was short. Noah's family did not take it well when he came out as gay and they'd been estranged ever since; there were only a couple of cousins attending. Ryan, on the other hand, had a supportive family and so his parents and sisters were present, as well as brothers-in-law and nephews, together with other relatives. Close friends of the couple, including a few that frequented the studio that Ryan had recently opened, had flown in; others were unable to make it. In total, there were about thirty guests.

When she confirmed her attendance a couple of months before, never in her wildest dreams could Stella have imagined bringing a plus one. Ryan in particular had been thrilled when she brought it up and they insisted on sending Sebastian an invitation.

Sebastian, who was currently in Abu Dhabi to wrap up the season, would only be able to fly over in a couple of days, after the race, but he'd be there for the wedding. She was beside herself with happiness.

As they left the plane after landing in Phuket, Stella waved goodbye to the captain, with whom she had the chance to chat after a trip to the toilets during the red-eye flight, while most passengers were catching some sleep.

She shot an envious glance at what she considered the best office in the world - the flight deck of a Boeing 777.

~~/~~