Right Place, Wrong Time

50. A Way Back Home

Lauren immediately felt better now she had plans to see Joey again, but her room looked like a tornado had swept through it by the time she was done hurriedly packing a bag. Thankfully, Julia had the day off and was a nice enough friend to drive her to the airport at short notice.

"Girl, you are gonna go broke on plane tickets," she said, as they climbed into her car.

"This is the last one for a while," Lauren promised, double checking she had her phone charger and her ID. "I'll convince him to visit us next time."

"You mean to visit you," Julia rolled her eyes.

Lauren ignored her and looked out the window, the high rises receding as Julia merged into the traffic out of the city.

"So the date was a bad idea," she said, after several songs had passed on the radio.

"Terrible," Julia replied, a smirk on her face.

"You knew it would be."

"I know."

"So why didn't you stop me?"

Julia took her eyes off the road for a second to look at Lauren. "You have to learn from your own mistakes sometimes."

"Thanks, mom," Lauren said, rolling her own eyes. "Lesson learned."

"So..."

"So what?"

"So what's next?"

"I'm done with dating right now," Lauren said, like it was self explanatory. Trying to find someone else to distract herself from Joey had been a huge fail, so now it was about learning how to be okay on her own. She most definitely did not need a man.

"Seriously?" Julia said, eyebrow raised.

"What?" Lauren asked, confused. "It's clearly not working out for me."

"Okay, fine," Julia said, instantly brusque. "I hope your trip with Joey is nice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lauren said.

But Julia just turned the radio up and kept driving until they arrived at departures. Lauren was beginning to think she had done something to make her mad, but when Julia shifted into park she leaned over and hugged her.

"You know I love you," she said.

"I love you too."

"Text me when you're on your way back, I'll pick you up."

"Now you're being, like, suspiciously nice," Lauren said.

"Get out of here," Julia laughed.

Lauren grinned, getting out of the car and waving before heading into the terminal. Once she was through security, she pulled out her phone to text Joey.

'All on schedule, see you soon'

He replied back with only a string of emojis, making her laugh out loud and quickly turn it into a cough so she didn't draw attention in the otherwise quiet departure lounge. At least it looked like there wouldn't be any screaming babies on her flight.

All she could imagine the entire time was the moment when she saw him again, and she still wasn't ready for him standing right there when she got off the plane, smile stretching wide as soon as he saw her. All inhibitions gone, she ran straight to him, letting him fold her into his embrace. Being in his arms like this was the most natural thing in the world, and she couldn't believe she thought distancing herself from him had been the way to go. It would hurt like hell when she did have to go home again, but right now all of the pain and loneliness she had felt was erased, rewritten with this hug.

"I didn't think you'd be here," she said.

"I had to give you the proper welcome."

"It's good to be home," she murmured. Home, in Michigan, but in a deeper sense of the word too, because New York never quite got there. Not without him.

They didn't waste any time heading out of the airport, Joey leading her to the car he'd borrowed. As they drove across town to campus, they kept trading glances at each other and smiling like they'd forgotten how to act normally around one another.

"Oh," he said suddenly. "Do you think you can get my phone out of my pocket?"

"While you're driving?" she said.

"It's the front pocket," he said.

She still seemed sceptical, but gently slid it out, careful not to touch him too intimately because she was sure neither of them needed that at this moment.

"Now you can order takeout," he said.

"What do you want?" she asked, entering the password she already knew.

"Get whatever you want."

"You don't have a preference?"

He smiled without looking at her this time. "My preference is whatever you want."

She rolled her eyes and opened up an app. "Tacos it is."

"Sounds perfect to me."

He'd had the right idea, because they only had to wait a few minutes once they got in before the doorbell rang with their food. They took it right up to his room and sat cross legged on his bed facing each other as they ate.

"This was an excellent choice," Joey said, mouthful of food.

"What can I say, I have great taste."

He set the container down on his bedside table and stretched out his legs. "So, I told you I had nothing going on."

"Oh no," she said, setting down her own food.

"That was mostly the truth. But there is a party here tomorrow night. And we can stay up here if you want-"

"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "It'll be fun." Maybe she would have been more happy to spend another night in his room, just the two of them, but she'd still have a good time.

"Okay," he said.

"But in that case, I should make sure I get enough sleep tonight."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're trying to keep up with the young crowd now," he teased.

"Watch your mouth," she said, pointing a finger at him as he got up.

"You look better than all of us," he said, smile turning soft.

"And don't you forget it." Though — and she wouldn't admit it to him — he had managed to retain the cuteness while getting really, really hot in the months she'd been away.

After Joey cleared away the takeout containers, they got ready for bed, laying down beside one another at a distance that didn't make Lauren's heart race. But she loved being even this close to him.

"You okay?" he asked, lightly stroking her arm. "I know it's been a rough few months."

"Yeah," she sighed. Then she smiled softly. "But I'm okay. Everything's better when I'm with you."

He squeezed her arm gently. "I'm glad you came."

"Me too." Leaving was a problem she could face another day.