The Stop-Over

by Mike Grooby · February 4, 2026

They sat together on the couch, their carry-ons tucked beside the wall, surrounded by soft quiet. The glow from the floor lamp bathed the space in golden half-light — enough to feel close, safe, even after the longest day. At first, the conversation stayed light — airline horror stories, lost luggage, mishandled layovers — but gradually it softened. The topics deepened: how travel changes you, what solitude feels like thirty thousand feet above the world, the strange beauty of never staying still. Gray found herself watching the way the light caught Gigi’s uniform — how composed she looked, still poised and graceful after everything. Even relaxed, her professionalism seemed to carry a kind of quiet magnetism.