December 31st. Three years ago.

The incessant rumble of luggage rolling across the tile and banging into walls, coupled with the chatter of everyone around me on their cellphones was not the background noise I'd planned on hearing on New Year's Eve.

I should've been standing in a dazzling party dress on the top floor balcony of Beacon Tower, sipping champagne and enjoying a bird's eye view of the city's fireworks display. I should've been wrapped up in my new fiancé's sheets, ringing in the new year with a glittery new ring on my finger. I should've been calling up Haley, my best friend since college, and squealing about the exciting news, asking her to be my maid of honor.

Should've been.

Instead, I was fighting through the crowd, getting elbowed and having suitcases rolled over my feet as I tried to find the gate to wait on my flight.

Every television in the airport was tuned into a news station that was broadcasting whichever Grammy award winners were performing in Times Square and Las Vegas next. Pretty soon, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve would be entertaining tens of millions of people nationwide, and I would be drowning my sorrows in all the alcohol I could get from the flight attendants.

Gate 23 came into view and I dragged my luggage over, picking out the first seat I saw with an outlet beside it. I plopped down with a huff and put my feet up on my suitcase. If I had to spend my New Year's Eve in a stuffy airport, I was at least going to be comfortable. Well, as comfortable as one could be in one of those hard, beat up chairs.

I untangled my charger cord and plugged my phone in, checking the time. I still had about twenty minutes to wait until boarding would begin. I decided to pass the time with a call to Haley.

"Hey, Vanessa!" Her cheery, semi-drunken voice blasted into my ear after the third ring.

I could hear the bass beat thumping in the background. She was probably living it up with her new boyfriend, Scott, in a high class club downtown. I had yet to tell her about the crash-and-burn ending to my otherwise productive year, but that could wait until another day. I didn't want to put a damper on her night, too.

"Hey!" I faked a happy voice and hoped she was tipsy enough that she wouldn't see right through it. "I just wanted to let you know that Brad and I won't be able to meet up with you guys for lunch tomorrow. Some stuff came up. But you and Scott have a great time tonight, okay? I want to hear all about it this weekend!"

The background music faded to a dull roar as Haley moved to somewhere less noisy. "Is everything okay? Did something happen?"

I hated lying to my best friend, but I knew that if I told her about tonight's epic letdown, she'd end up ditching Scott to come get me and trying to cheer me up with a girls' night. Really, a girls' night did sound like an amazing way to spend New Year's Eve, but things had just started getting good with her new man and he was treating her to a glitzy night on the town. How could I let her give up a New Year's kiss with Scott, the handsome doctor?

"Nothing happened," I insisted while glaring at the promise ring I'd been sporting for six years.

I wished I'd had the wherewithal to take it off and throw it at Brad's head. I pulled the sparkly piece of jewelry off my finger for the first time since he'd given it to me, and I dropped it into my pocket, making a mental note to pawn it later. So much for promises.

"I believe that like I believe the earth is flat," Haley quipped, sounding soberer now. "Where are you? Do you need anything? I can come get you."

I shook my head as if she could see me. "No. No. I'm fine. Really. I'm heading home right now, actually. I'm sorry I interrupted your night. I only wanted to let you know about the lunch thing. Please go back to having fun, Haley, okay?"

I could picture her face right then. She was undoubtedly frowning and the three freckles on her forehead were lined up vertically the way they always came together when her brows furrowed. She was pursing her lips and running her fingers through her neon blue Smurf hair, trying to decide what to say next.

"Are you sure you're alright, Vanessa?"

I tried to laugh, but it came out sounding faker than the "I'm fine" I'd just rattled off.

"I will be," was the best I could do. "I will call you tomorrow, alright? And you can quiz me then. I promise. But right now, I want you to go enjoy yourself. Get drunk and get laid so I can hear an entertaining story later."

The elderly woman sitting across from me looked up from her magazine with a disapproving expression and I cringed, hoping like hell that she wouldn't end up sitting next to me on the plane.

"Well, now that you mentioned it, drunk sex does sound like a fantastic way to start the new year!" Haley giggled. "But I will hold you to it about calling tomorrow."

I was relieved that she wasn't insisting on coming to my rescue. Haley had had a fairly rough year, and if anyone deserved to end the year with a party and a hot guy, it was her.

"I have no doubt about that," I laughed for real this time and hung up.

I looked around to see that several more travelers had filtered into my waiting area while I was talking to Haley. I was sure the boarding agent would call zone one pretty soon. I estimated another ten minutes until boarding would begin, and pulled a small notepad out of my purse, filling the remainder of my wait with jotting down a list of goals for the new year.

My entire adult life had been in Dallas. I'd moved there with Brad right after graduation, despite my parents telling me it was a bad idea. We'd been high school sweethearts and there was no such thing as talking two stubborn eighteen-year-olds out of doing something we wanted.

We'd picked out a fancy, modern apartment on a high floor that had a panoramic view of the skyline. Brad could afford it since his dad had given him a cushy, high-paying job at his Fortune 500 tech company. He was expected to acquire a master's degree in business management and then take over the company. Meanwhile, I'd worked as an assistant at an accounting firm to pay my way through college at the University of Texas.

While I sat waiting on my plane, I thought about everything I'd done with my life since moving to Texas. I'd come with a plan and big goals, excited to grab my future by the horns and make a name for myself, but things hadn't really worked out that way. I wondered if I would miss any of my life with Brad. I'd never fit in at his family's extravagant events, nor did I care so much about living in an Escala-like apartment. I hadn't come from money, so I didn't think it would be difficult to walk away from it.

The shuffle of passengers rushing to get on the plane startled me out of my daze, and I realized that the boarding agent had already called zones one and two. My zone was now filtering into the aircraft.

I hurried to unplug my phone and stuff my notepad and charger back in my suitcase. The woman at the podium scanned my boarding pass and faked a grin, telling me "happy new year!"

To my relief, Grumpy Granny who had been sitting across from me was in first class. She scowled at me again as I passed her on the way to the middle of the plane. I made quick work of finding my seat, stowing my luggage, and throwing my tired body into the middle seat.

Watching everyone else make their way onto the plane, I found myself feeling a little less shitty when no one sat next to me. I didn't want to be stuck between two people. Middle seats were the worst. Actually, I didn't want to be stuck next to one person, even. I would be perfectly happy sitting alone, reading Harry Potter on my Kindle until we landed, and by the looks of it, I was going to get my wish.

The plane was only half full, but it looked like everyone was finished boarding. The two flight attendants were flirting with the copilot and fixing their hair, preparing to give the usual safety speech. I sighed happily and pulled my Kindle out, waiting for us to get in the air so I could turn it on. I'd gone back to scribbling on my goal list when I heard someone walking down the aisle.

"Excuse me, ma'am," came a deep, velvety voice to my right.

I looked up at the man standing there and was nearly awestricken. He had the face of a movie star and no doubt, the body of a Calvin Klein model, judging by the way his suit hugged his tall, well-built frame. If Haley had been there, she would've added "super-sexy porn star" to the list of people he looked like. I instantly wondered if he was famous. He had to be a celebrity with those looks and that voice. His voice could melt the panties right off of me if he kept talking – and I wouldn't mind it one bit!

"Uh... hi," I said and immediately wished I could take my words back. "I mean, hey. How are you?"

Smooth, Vanessa. Real smooth.

The man smiled at my blunder and I felt a sudden rush of lightheadedness. Damn, was he one of those few remarkable gods of a man who could make women faint, too?

"I'm great. Thanks," Sexy Stranger said, still sporting that gorgeous grin. "Um... if you don't mind, I have the window seat."

He looked sorry, like he felt bad for inconveniencing me, but I didn't mind at all. I was perfectly content with the idea of spending the flight sitting beside a handsome stranger. Harry Potter could wait until later. I'd already reread it six times anyway.

"Oh, no. You're fine. Go ahead." I returned his smile and tried to recoil into the seat as best I could rather than awkwardly trying to slip passed him into the aisle.

"Thanks," he said again, but as he uncomfortably moved passed me to reach his seat, I ended up wishing I'd stepped out of the row – especially when his belt buckle was right in front of my face.

"I'm sorry," the man said once he'd sat down and fastened his seatbelt. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I was late getting to the airport... almost missed my flight."

I shook my head and waved my hand. "Oh, no, it's totally fine. You didn't bother me at all."

He smiled again, but before either of us could say another word, one of the flight attendants started going through the safety spiel. I paid no attention, having heard it so many times that I could probably recite it in my sleep, and I waited until we were speeding down the runway to try striking up a conversation with the man whose cologne I was about to start drooling over.

I glanced to my left to see him looking out the window at the city we were rising above – the city I was saying goodbye to.

"I'm Vanessa." I broke the silence, extending my hand to him.

The handsome stranger turned in his seat to face me and shook my hand. He had a firm, corporate-executive-like handshake. A handshake that sent tingles up my arm and a warmth to my core. I blushed instantly.

"Nice to meet you, Vanessa." He flashed that knee-weakening smile again. "I'm Jesse. Jesse Reese."