Always You - A Second Chance Romance

Chapter 3

I zipped up my suitcase and set it on the floor before wheeling it to the front door.

"All packed?" Nick asked, looking up from his laptop. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just about ready to go," I replied before heading back into our bedroom. I double checked my carryon backpack to make sure I had my laptop, charger and notebook as well as a few other things for the plane. Once everything looked good, I headed to the bathroom and cleaned myself up a little before we left.

"Text me before you take off, and when you land," Nick said as we drove to the airport. I nodded.

"I always do," I said. Silence fell around us as we drove.

"I'm going to miss you," he said suddenly. I looked over at him as he drove, his face illuminated by the orange street lights.

"I'll miss you too," I said softly. I thought I meant what I said, but the sinking in my stomach made me feel like I was lying.

"When you come back, let's sit down and talk about everything," Nick said. He blindly reached for my hand on my lap and grabbed it gently, squeezing it with his own.

"What do you mean?" I asked as anxiety bubbled inside me as I thought about what Alexandria had said on Friday.

"I mean," Nick started. He took a deep breath and sighed loudly. "We've been arguing so much, and I just want us to get back to a good place."

I nodded slowly. This wasn't a conversation I wanted to have before I left.

"I just want us to get back to a good place," he repeated as if he was trying to convince himself. Nick looked at me quickly and gave me a soft smile. I barely forced a half smile before looking away from him.

"Where did you go on Thursday?" I asked him. The length of his silence before his reply was deafening.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice soft.

"Alexandria said you cancelled dinner on Thursday," I said. "Where did you go on Thursday?"

"I got dinner with David," he said. My stomach sank at his answer; even though I wanted to believe what he said I couldn't.

"Then why did she say that you cancelled?"

"I told David you weren't feeling well and he suggested we do a guy's night instead," he said. "You could call him and check if you want to."

"I'm not going to call David and check," I said softly, my voice defeated. The car fell silent again.

"Are you happy with me?" I asked Nick after a few moments.

"Yes, I am," he said, sounding like he was trying to convince both of us with his answer.

"Are you sure?" I asked, biting back tears.

"I am," he said quickly. "We just have....problems and we need to sort them out." I nodded. Nick let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm sorry too," I replied, wiping my eyes dry as we pulled into the airport drop off. We got out of the car and Nick unloaded my suitcase for me. He pulled me in for a tight hug and held me close for a while. I sighed, wrapping my arms around him. My heart was heavy leaving for this trip.

"I love you, and we'll fix this," he said, kissing my temple. I nodded into his chest.

"I love you too," I said, my voice cracking as I tried not to cry.

"I'm sorry I brought this up before your flight. But we'll talk more when you're home," he said, slowly unwrapping me from his embrace.

"Okay," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too, have a safe flight," he replied. Nick quickly kissed me before getting back into the car. As he drove away I wiped the tears from my face and followed the tired late night crowd into the airport for my red eye flight.

I settled into my seat on the plane and pulled out my book I was currently reading, or re-reading really. As I flipped through the pages of my deteriorating copy of Anna Karenina, the lines I had underlined and highlighted flickered until I found the page I was on, marked with an old photo of Nick and I from when we were first dating. I had used the Polaroid for the past few years as a book mark, and it had definitely seen better days.

I smiled softly at the photo, looking at our beaming faces from almost 8 years ago. We looked so much younger, so much happier. I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned my eyes to the pages of my book, burying myself into the classic that I loved so much. Even though I knew the ending of this story, I always found myself engrossed in the words every time.

I read through takeoff and for over an hour on the flight. Once my eyes began to get blurry, I knew it was time to get some rest. I tucked my book away under my arm as I tried to fall asleep. My mind swirled with Nick and everything that had happened between us over the last year. The arguments, the avoidance, him working late more and more, our intimacy falling short. It didn't make sense how we went from being happy and excited to getting married, to the place where we are now once we got married.

Eventually I fell into a restless sleep. Between trying to sleep on a plane, stressful dreams, and anxiousness for what awaited me at home, I got little to no rest. The Uber ride to the hotel was quiet and my head bobbed as I tried not to fall asleep.

It took everything in me to not throw myself onto the bed in my hotel room and go to sleep instantly. I dragged my feet to the bathroom and attempted to pull myself together for my meeting. As I brushed my brown hair out of my face and into a sleek ponytail, my phone buzzed from the bedroom. I quickly retrieved it and answered it.

"Hey, did you get to the hotel safely?" Nick asked when I picked up.

"Yeah I'm getting changed now," I said. I glanced at the time on my phone. "I'm surprised you're up so early."

"I wanted to check on you," Nick said. He was never out of bed before 8 am and with the time change it was 6:30 am back home in California.

"Yeah the flight was fine, thank you for checking on me," I said. I smoothed a few fly away hairs down with some hairspray and applied some light makeup.

"Well I'm glad you're safe, good luck on your presentation," he said. We hung up the call and I quickly grabbed my things before dashing downstairs to catch an Uber to the office.