Jarrod loosens his hold on me enough to duck his head down and capture my lips. The kiss is brief, and I immediately feel the loss of his touch deep in the pit of my stomach.
“I’m going to miss you, crazy lady,” he proclaims while his gaze searches mine, looking for an answer to some unspoken question. My eyes fill with unshed tears, and I try to swallow the lump in my throat.
“You too,” I barely manage to croak out before burying my head in his chest for the last time.
But he won’t let me hide as he gently reaches one hand down to tilt my face back up to his. “Madison, I promise we’ll see each other again soon.”
Finding a strength I didn’t know I could muster, I place a finger over his lips and whisper, “Please, no promises. It will hurt too much if they’re broken.” He nods and again takes my lips hostage with his.
Thirty minutes later, I’m staring out the car window on my way to the airport with Luke and Cassie. The scenery flashing by in a blur of snow, mountains, and trees as I let just a couple of tears run freely down my cheeks. I can’t stop the niggling feeling that my time apart from Jarrod will change everything. I’d be foolish to think that we could maintain some kind of a long-distance relationship, especially when we only met six days ago.
By the time Luke is pulling into the airport parking area to return the rental, I’ve pulled myself together at least a little. I’ve been silent the whole drive, and my best friends have let that be my choice. I’m so glad Cassie and Luke will be traveling with me all the way to Florida for a break with their families. With them, I don’t have to hide anything.
Now, as I lift my bag from the trunk, I make a conscious effort to engage again in happier thoughts.
“Hey, Cass, I bet you can’t wait to tell your parents the exciting baby news. It will be the best Christmas present ever for them.”
Cassie beams at me. “I know our moms are going to be so happy. I expect them to immediately pull out the needles and start knitting.”
I can’t wait to see the expression on Cassie’s mom’s face when she tells her that she’s going to be a grandmother again. And for Luke’s mom, it will be her first grandchild. Both moms have been dropping some heavy hints lately, but I really don’t think they were expecting them to be announcing a pregnancy this soon.
Cassie told me she’s past twelve weeks already, and the baby is due sometime around the beginning of June. They were originally going to make the announcement earlier, but then there were a few minor issues that had them wanting to wait till everything settled down. By that time, it was nearly Christmas, and it made sense to spring the surprise then. Honestly I don’t know how they managed to keep the secret for that many weeks.
Thoughts of the baby news are helping to bring a smile back to my face until Cassie pulls me into a hug and says, “Hun, you’ll see Jarrod again. You have to know that what you shared was special, and special lasts the test of time … At least that’s how it looked to us on the outside.” I know Cassie truly believes her words because years had passed before she and Luke got their second chance, and their love didn’t waver.
I want to believe that Jarrod and I are meant to be, but any hope I have keeps getting caught up in the facts. We’ve only known each other for six days, and for half of that time, we didn’t even like each other.
TWO WEEKS LATER
I lift the pile of books from my desk and place them in my bag. It’s the end of my first week back at school after the holidays, and already, I’m exhausted. My young class came back from the break all hyped up with stories of presents and parties. It’s an exciting time of year for young children, and now that the fun is over, it’s hard getting them to settle back down into their schoolwork.
Jarrod has kept his promise, and we’ve been texting every couple of days. He even called me a couple of times, which was totally surprising. Jarrod didn’t strike me as the type of person who likes to chat on the phone. It turns out he does.
The holiday romance was such a whirlwind. The texting and conversations have given us a chance to learn more about each other. We talk about our work, things in the news, our favorite foods, and our favorite places. And we share stories from our childhoods, although I do less of that than him.
I’m learning so much about him, just as he is with me, yet it’s not enough. I really like him, and I know he likes me, but what good is that when we live over one thousand miles apart? It’s not exactly a day trip, which is probably why the one thing we haven’t discussed in any detail is when we can next see each other.
I think the last time Jarrod mentioned anything like that was over a week ago, when we were trying to align our calendars to find a weekend we could both do. To be honest, it was mostly his calendar, as mine is relatively free. I’m worried that already, our long-distance promise is showing signs of strain. At least we still have the firm plan to meet for Blake and Bec’s wedding, and I’ve already planned to take a few extra days. Hopefully Jarrod will have some free time too.
With a heavy sigh, I place my laptop down the side of my bag, then hoist it onto my shoulder. Damn, this bag is heavy, and I make a mental note to look into getting one of those rolling carts. I leave my classroom and follow the short corridor to the main doors of the building, then step outside into what is a lovely Floridian winter’s afternoon. At least the weather is good and I’ll be able to take Ned for a long walk on the beach. I’m not sure that he has forgiven me yet for leaving him over Christmas.
Since I returned, any change in his routine has him jumping up and barking, as if he’s trying to tell me to not leave him behind again.
I skip down the three concrete steps at the front of the building, and from the corner of my eye, I notice for the first time somebody standing under a tree near the parking area. My heart skips a beat. It looks like … no it can’t be … oh my God it is. It’s him. He’s here. I run across the grass, then, dropping my bag at Jarrod’s feet, I throw my arms around him.
We are both laughing as he lifts me up, literally, so my feet are dangling in the air, and I don’t care, as it means I can pull his face to me and kiss him. Not just ahi, how are you?kind of kiss. No, this is a full open-mouthed devouringI want your body desperatelykind of kiss.
We stay like this for at least a few minutes, in our own little bubble of happiness and not caring who can see us. Oops, maybe I should care who can see us, as this is my workplace, and maybe there are still parents or staff around. I reluctantly retrieve my tongue from Jarrod’s mouth and remove my lips as well.
But I don’t let go of my hold on his head as I say, “Hey, you … This is a nice surprise. It’s really good to see you.” He throws his head back to laugh out loud, and I can’t help grinning at how much it suits him.
I tap him on the shoulder. “I think you can put me down now.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to do that,” he says, lowering me to the ground.
“Hey, don’t apologize, I like being swept off my feet. Literally.” I giggle a little uncontrollably. I’m so goddamn happy in this moment. Jarrod is here with me in Florida.
I have so many questions, and I don’t know where to begin. So instead I ask, “Do you want to come back to my place?”
