Being a third wheel is a test in endurance. How long can you stand tagging along with a pair of lovers before wanting to jump off a cliff? In the story below, I spin the wheel. I say a prayer. I show up to a French couple mid-snuggle.

Will fortune favor the brave?

(AKA other moments of courage—big and small)

• Flying into the unknown: I don’t speak French or aviation, so I braced myself for impact when I decided to spend a weekend in Bordeaux with Ludo’s family of pilots. But they welcomed me with such kind, open arms—and croissants, the universal language—that none of that mattered.

• Piloting a plane: Ludo didn’t just take me for a spin. He let me steer the plane. As someone with a genuinely debilitating fear of heights, doing aerobatics and flying an aircraft were two huge leaps forward.

• Owning my single status: Do you know how rare it is to see a young love so pure? So secure? So unashamed? I was so touched by what I recently witnessed that I had to write about it—but that also required getting real about my own love life. Being so open still feels weird yet wildly freeing.

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  Tatiana Gallardo tells stories for work and play. She loves flying solo, visiting her cousins in France, and every now and then: spinning the wheel.