"Don't speak Melanie, not yet."
He picked her up in both arms and then carried her out into first class where the passengers watched them. She was so confused she couldn't tell if they were all smiling and laughing or glaring in anger. She looked around and the dividing curtains between first class and the rest of the plane were aside.
She saw her mother in the front row, beaming with joy.
"Alex, what's going on?"
"Shh," he said, "It's still not time for you to speak."
She looked around some more and saw Mr. and Mrs. Drummond, also smiling, then noticed her friends from the various departments at Drummond Airlines. She was too stunned to think.
Alex set her down in the middle of the plane and then steadied her with his strong, comforting hands.
He went down on one knee and reached inside his jacket to take out a small box. Melanie's heart almost stopped.
"Alex, no--"
He put his fingers to her lips. "Still not yet."
He opened the box carefully and the sparkle of diamonds glinted. Melanie began to choke up.
"Melanie Hutchinson, you and I met at 10,000 feet, our current cruising altitude, and I knew it was love--" now it was Alex's turn to choke up. "I knew it was love at first sight."
There were sighs and murmurs of contentment from the assembled passengers, most of whom were now on their feet, holding cameras, video recorders, and mobile phones to capture the moment. Everywhere Melanie looked, she recognized another familiar friendly face wishing her goodwill.
"Melanie Hutchinson, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Melanie blinked her eyes and swallowed hard. It had to be a dream. No matter how hard she blinked, every time she opened her eyes it was still there. Alex Drummond, her lover and hero on bended knee before her. Friends and family were everywhere she looked, all surrounding her with love.
"Melanie, dear." She heard her mother say. "Go on and say something. Don't leave this poor young man hanging."
"Melanie." Alex said. "Now I need to hear you speak."
"I think we all do." Mrs. Drummond said. The atmosphere changed from elation to fraught tension. Suddenly a pocket of turbulence caused the plane to bank sharply and there was a gasp of shock from the crowd. When the plane leveled out, Melanie was in Alex's arms, gazing up into his eyes.
"Yes." She whispered.
"Speak up honey." Her mother said. "We can't hear you."
Tears flooded her eyes and Alex watched her anxiously.
"Yes." She shouted out into the crowd. "I've loved this man since the first moment I met him."