Who You Say I Am (A Jai Courtney Fanfic)

Chapter 48-Meg

Meg

After dinner Jai asks to walk the beach with me again.  This is my last night here.  He holds my hand as we stroll down the beach together.  I carry my shoes in my other hand.  He's been quiet.  So have I. 
"You're leaving tomorrow," he says softly. 
"Yeah," I reply. 
We walk a bit further in silence. 
"What's your plan?" he asks. 
"I don't know," I shrug.  "My parents are picking me up at the airport and we're driving home.  If Alexandra leaves Riverview, I'll take the position. According to Pastor Ben, she's looking for houses. That's the only thing delaying her giving notice. She has the job."
"So it's set then," he confirms nodding. I feel him hold my hand more firmly.
"Yeah," I tell him.
He stops and embraces me. I've never felt him hold me so tightly. I drop my shoes and hold him back gently. I feel a kiss to the top of my head, my cheek. "I don't know what I'll do without you," he says barely audibly.
"What's your plan?" I ask him.
"I don't have a plan," he admits.
"You should decide what your next step is," I advise him. "What do you usually do?" I ask letting go of him. It takes a moment for him to release me.
I pick up my shoes and we keep walking.
He sighs. "Yeah," he agrees. "I should do something."
We keep walking in silence. The sun sets and we turn around to head back to the hotel. He takes me back to my room and hovers around the door for a bit. "What time are you leaving?" he asks me meeting my eyes.
"We'll leave at eight. The flight from the airport is at nine, so an early breakfast," I tell him.
He nods.
He embraces me again and kisses my cheek... this time right near my mouth. I turn my head away from him and hug him. "Goodnight, Jai," I tell him letting him go.
"Goodnight, love," he replies to me.
I step in and close my door. I hear a thud outside in the hallway and I turn away. I'm shaking, my heart hammering in my chest. I distract myself by getting ready for bed.  I make sure to pack all of my things up except what I need for the morning.  I decide to dial my mom just before I go to sleep.

"Honey, why aren't you in bed yet?"

"I was just packing my bags."

"You need a good night's rest for all those changeovers."

"Alright. I'll go to sleep soon. I just wanted to call you first. How's everything?"

"We're good. It's cold, though."

"Yeah."

"We miss you. We're looking forward to picking you up tomorrow night. Can you believe it? This time tomorrow you should be home."

"Yeah. I miss you mom."

"I miss you, too, sweetheart."

"How's everything else?"

"Everything is good. Come back home and we'll talk about other things."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you soon, honey. I love you."

"I love you, too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I hang up and sigh shakily. I don't know why but I start to cry. I climb in bed and cry myself to sleep.

*****

The morning is a mad rush. Shower, pack the rest, get down to breakfast. I set my suitcase and carryon in the heap and get a plate of breakfast sitting beside Gale.
"How's it going?" she asks.
"Good. I hear it's cold back home," I tell her eating my ackee and salt fish.
"I'm not looking forward to that," she cringes.
"It's not so bad. I kind of like the four seasons," I tell her. "This was nice, though."
"Yeah, I could do this every year," she agrees. "The best time of my life." I see her staring at Floyd as he walks in. His eyes meet hers and they smile. The sight makes my heart clench in joy for them. I eat most of my breakfast by the time Jai steps into the dining hall. For a moment there, I thought I imagined the whole thing. But he's really here. He gets his food and sits beside me.
"I've had a thought," he says to me.
I give him my full attention.
"Where's your changeover? There are no direct flights to DTW," he says.
"No there's not. We'll fly to Kingston, then Miami, then Detroit," I tell him.
"That's a lot of changeovers," he comments.
I nod.
"How about I come with you?" he suggests.
I laugh. "You want to come to Ohio?" I ask disbelievingly.
"I've never been," he tells me with a shrug.
"And you'll never come again," Gale mumbles.
I chuckle at that.
"There's not much to do there," I admit.
"So. It's all new to me," he says.
"Gale?" I turn to her. "What kind of sightseeing do we have?"
"Ghettos and gangs," she shrugs.
"Empty cornfields and soybean fields," I add.
"Oh, we have Cedar Point!" she interjects.
"Not in the winter," I point out.
"Yeah, they closed up after Holloweekends," she nods. "There's that indoor water park."
"I've never been there," I tell her. "Do you want to visit a mediocre water park?" I ask him.
"If you'll be there, yeah," he says.
"Aww," Gale coos.
"I hear it's cold," I shrug. "There might still be snow so we could cross country ski. There might be ice fishing..."
"Where is this place? Alaska?" he teases.
"I think there's more to do in Alaska," Gale points out.
"I agree," I nod.
"Why do you live there?" he asks.
"Family," Gale and I say at the same time.
"Jinx," I tell her. She closes her lips.
"I still think I'd like to go," he tells me.
"The airline will ruin your guitar," I advise him.
He purses his lips. "I've got my aeroplane coming and I can switch over at Miami," he suggests. "I'll pay extra for my baggage."
I blink in surprise. "You really want to see Ohio?" I question disbelievingly.
"I really want to see where you live," he says.
"Aww," Gale says again. I feel her nudging me.
"I can take you to Miami," he offers. I blink in surprise. "You want to come with me and pack up?"
"Take it, take it," Gale says shoving me teasingly. "Our plane is rickety and scary as heck. I was praying in tongues the whole time."
I laugh hysterically at that.
"Alright," I agree. What am I doing?