In This Town

June 9, 2022

Jamison•

I have my two favorite girls at my sides. We walk through the New York Airport, and it's as if we were in a movie. People look left and right at us, stoping in their tracks, just see see us.

Well, I assume it's more looking at Alexa, because she's fucking gorgeous. And Evie shares the same beauty.

"Dad," Evie whispers in my ear, while Alexa looks over at something.

"Hm?" I softly say back, continuing to walk.

"Do you love mom?" She asks.

"What would you say if I told you I did?" I say, just as Alexa looks back over at us.

"What are we talking about?" She questions.

"Nothing!" Evie shouts, it echos through the hall.

I pull Alexa closer to me by her hip, and she doesn't fight it. After everything that happened, she isn't pushing me away. It gives me hope that someday, she and I really can be normal.

•••

We walk into the hotel room. It overlooks the city, which Alexa will not stop looking at. Evie swoons over the view as well, all the way until she falls asleep.

I step out of the bathroom, and catch Alexa looking out of the window. I sit down beside her, just enjoying it with her. She doesn't move, or flinch, as I join her.

We watch the twinkling lights, not saying anything. Just the quiet humming of the air conditioner.

"Thank you, Jamison." She softly says, looking over at me. I can barely see her face, but I can identify all of my favorite features.

Her beautiful brown eyes, her slightly rosy cheeks, her smile. It takes everything not to brush a piece of hair off of her face.

"For what?" I ask her, as she adjusts in the way she's sitting. She moves closer to me, leaning her head on my shoulder, her arm wrapped around mine.

"For all of this." She points around. "For making Evie feel so loved, and for taking her and I on this trip. You didn't have to, but you did." She softly says, looking up into my eyes. Our lips so close.

"You guys deserve it," I tell her.

She lets go of my arm, and sits up straight.

"I missed you, so much, for all of those years." She claims.

"I missed you too," I confess. She looks over at me, and gently places a hand on my shoulder, and pushes me onto my back, as she climbs onto me, and smiles. My heart pounds against my chest, fighting to not kiss her.

"I um," She kind of chuckles, looking away from me. I admire her smile, her perfect white teeth.

"It's okay." I smile. Her hand sits just under my shirt, and on the top of my pants.

"Can I?" She questions, slowly lifting up my shirt. I just nod my head.

She slips it off of me, a small smile on her face.

Alexa traces over my tattoos. A small heart, just beside my left hip. The rose on my arm again. Then she stops, and smiles at me, just shaking her head.

"When did you get this one?" She traces the letters. 'A L E X A' .

"A week before you moved. I was going to show it to you, the day we broke up, actually. I say, embarrassed.

"I like it. It looks nice." She claims, running her finger, just across my right side.

"I thought about getting it covered, or laser removed or something,"

"Why would you do that?" She asks me, tracing the letters over and over again.

"In all honesty Alexa, I didn't think you were going to come back. I mean we went seven years without even talking. It seemed a little weird to have my ex- girlfriends name tattooed on my chest." I confess.

"What would you have covered it with?" She asks.

"A board. A pink one." I wink at her, even though it's true.

"Why pink?"

"Why so many questions?"

"Because you have a fucking tattoo of my name on your chest," She laughs. "So Id say i'm allowed to have questions." Alexa ruffles her hand through my hair. I didn't realize that I was grasping her hips until now.

"Well, pink because it felt right. There wasn't really any reason beside that." I tell her. She smiles, slowly fiddling with the buttons of my pants.

We stay quiet for a while, she gently unbuttons my pants, and nothing more.

In a moment of her weakness, I switch our positions, rolling her onto her back, her legs still straddling me. It must be a weird sight to see.

"You, Jamison Lee, are one hell of a tease." She smiles at me, a deep red flushing her cheeks.

"Come on, you know you missed it." I gently tuck her hair behind her ear.

"I never said I didn't ," Alexa looks over, and out of the window.

"Lex,"

"Hm?"

"Can I kiss you?" The words slip.

"Fuck I have been waiting for you to kiss me for like, ten minutes. I was about to do it myself." She laughs, as I lean in to kiss her.

Her soft lips against mine, our breaths in sync with one another; everything about the situation feels perfect.

She pulls away, slowly. I savor ever second of this moment.

"God how did we get here?" She giggles, and it makes me smile.

It takes me a second to realize what she's talking about. I'm sitting on top of her, my body between her legs. I got so lost in the moment, I forgot that we've been sitting like this, for probably five minutes.

I roll off of her, and lay down on my back, as she looks over at me. All I can do is smile.

"Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you hadn't left?" I ask her, as she shifts onto her side, her hand in my hair.

"Almost every day. Ya know, I thought I was going to marry you someday." She shyly says. "I had the whole thing planned out."

"Would you believe me if I told you that I did too?" I question. She smiles, and shakes her head.

"I would," She lightly kisses my cheek.

"I always imagined you in a stunning white gown, walking down the isle. We would be on the beach, and the sun would be setting, our pictures would turn out perfect," I start, until I realize that she's leaning her head against my chest.

"Jamison, I had that same thing in my imagination ever night," She mumbles, her hot breath against my skin.

"I still love you Alexa. Maybe even more now, than I did then," I confess, running my hand through her hair, and rubbing her back.

"Do you trust me?" She questions, looking up at me.

"I'm trying."