The Moment I Knew

Back on the Bus

"Welcome to Orlando International Airport!"

I looked up at the blonde who was smiling wide at me.

"Have a wonderful day!"

I redirected my gaze to the person the ground in front of me, my heart was pounding, stomach in knots, throat closing with impending tears.

I stepped off the plane and into the terminal, trying to get ask far away from the people I had just spent the last four and a half hours with. Shaking I tried to use the signs to navigate my way through the building that was seemingly entirely made out of glass. The Florida sun shining through in an attempt to brighten everyone's day, but making me feel ever more anxious.

Darting through people stopping at kiosks and to admire the palm trees that were inside the airport, I tried to make my way to baggage claim. Where ever the hell that was.

I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and calm myself down. I bought a bottle of water from a little Starbucks stand and continued on my journey, pressing the cool bottle to my forehead not caring what anyone thought.

I found the escalator stairs that lead down to the baggage claim and stood on one, holding my carryon and my purse close to me. I looked around, trying to figure out which carrousel would soon contain the luggage from my plane. It was then that something caught my eye. A few inches over the sea of people, I could make out Austin, standing with his back against a wall looking down at his phone.

Every doubt, worry, and anxious thought I had ever had suddenly melted from my mind. Austin was here. He had actually come to pick me up. I had been stupid to think he wouldn't.

The stairs reached the bottom and I suddenly found myself running, pushing people out of my way. Austin glanced up and smiled as he saw me and let me throw myself on him, holding me tight against his body. Tears racked my body as I stood there breathing him in, and clinging to his Guns n' Roses tank top.

"You actually came..." I kept mumbling, never wanting to be apart from him again.

"Rae, why wouldn't I have come?" He questioned pulling me back so he could look at me. Using each of his thumbs he brushed the tears away from my eyes and placed a kiss on my lips. "Let's get your stuff, come on."

&&&&&&&&

My eyes snapped open, and it was a moment before I realized where I was again. The gentle swaying of the bus and the back of the seat in front of my face brought it all back. I sat up slowly, repositioning myself. I was in the back lounge, the TV muted, the door shut. My favorite Hello Kitty blanket fell to the ground as I swung my legs off the couch and sat up straight, taking a sip from my water that was on the table.

I stood, slowly opening the door and made my way into the bathroom to go pee quick. As I left the bathroom I noticed the unmistakable form of Austin, standing by the kitchen sink shoving Alan's Funyun's in his mouth.

"Hey..." I whispered, making my way towards him.

He turned to look at me munching away, knowing he was caught. "I was hungry..."

"I don't care if you eat his food. He might though." I said once I had made it past all the bunks and into the front lounge.

Austin shrugged finishing off the bag and throwing it away. Going for a box of Tino's Cheez-its.

"Sorry I left you in the back lounge." He said sitting down across from me. "I knew you had a rough few days and I figured you needed sleep."

"Thank you." I said nodding my head and looking around the bus. "Thank you for everything, Austin."

"Rae, stop it. You don't have to thank me. We're a team. Whatever happens with you happens with me."

Smiling I stood up and crossed the front lounge, he moved making room for me to sit on his lap. "I don't know what I would do without you..." I admitted kissing his forehead as he munched happily along on his snacks. "Austin...those blatantly have Tino's name written all over the box..."

As if he knew I was going to say something, he reached over to the table and grabbed a Sharpie. Opening it with his teeth he crossed Tino's name off and wrote his own in big bold letters.

"Oh my god..." I said with a giggle. "No wonder they kicked you out of the band for a year."

"I resent that!" He said playfully shoving me off his lap, before pulling me back towards him and
giving me a salty kiss. "You should go back to sleep, babe. I'll wake you up in the morning."

I gave him one last kiss before making my way back to the back lounge, curling up in a ball, and falling quickly back to sleep.