Love Anchored

Chapter 7 - Taliah - Now or Never

**Over 4 years later**

The ding of the elevator brings me back to reality. The doors screeches open to lifeless faces. I Shuffle my way in and press the button to the fifth floor, I just had enough space to fish my phone out of my bag and glance at the screen to check if I had any notifications. Sliding my phone back into my bag before the doors open, I step out to the dimly lit hallway with soft whispers echoing from the kitchen. I roll my eyes at the crowd hovering over the coffee machine, itching for their morning hit. The morning rush of zombie-like colleagues with dull faces and mugs in their hands always makes me chuckle.

I make a beeline for my desk in the far corner of the floor I keep my head down to not attract attention, but it was too late. "Taliah." I take a deep breath in before turning my head to glance at where the voice was coming from. "Good morning Brenda. Let me turn on my computer and I'll be right with you." I  was full steam towards my office with a little more vigour, trying to avoid more comments from Brenda, but the pitter-patter of fast tiptoeing in heels chased after me. " Taliah, I require the accounts from last week." Something about her voice irritated me so viscerally but I still played nice. Look over my shoulder as I enter my office. 

The one thing everyone knows about my office is that I have the' vampire policy', you can not enter unless invited, as I find it so hard to concentrate when I have people barging in unnecessarily and starting up conversations. I watched as Brenda stopped at the threshold of my door. 

I sat in my chair switching on my computer. " Brenda, Give me five and it will be in your inbox. "I firmly said. I did my best to bite my tongue to have her huff and roll her eyes before heading back to her desk. Starring into the abyss  I try to hype myself up, reminding myself as I placed my phone on my desk and tucked my bag underneath, it was only three more days. 

It's been over six months since Peter started this deployment. Being in a military relationship can tear hearts up, not knowing where they are, if they are safe, or how long they will truly be away. Being in a long-distance relationship is even harder, as time zones make communicating near to impossible, and not having the support of others in the same situation. One simple message can take hours or days to get a reply and the worry you experience when your partner enters black-out without warning. 

Long-term long-distance relationships aren't for everyone. It makes your heart hurt in ways you never thought were possible. From the moment he left to return back to the States, we decided to wait for each other, and as time went on we made our relationship official. I've never felt so loved, cared for and secure about myself and the relationship. I've had past loves who poured every moment in their lives into me, to men who demanded the impossible. But Peter was different, he remembered every detail, every holiday and every anniversary. With Peter things just worked even though he was so far away and was always on deployment or training. 

I have been saving every possible dollar since he left. Tickets have been booked for months and the day is drawing closer. My suitcase is packed with the essentials. I'm still narrowing down the rest for the two weeks of being away from home, but being with Peter.

I felt like my morning passed so fast that I was only brought back to the real world after hearing a gentle knock at my door "Earth to Taliah! I've been sending you messages all morning. It's lunchtime." I peeked my head over my screens to see James waltzing into my office and taking  a seat in the armchair, he is the only person in the office that the Vampire rule doesn't apply to. I look at the time. " Oh, Where has my day gone?" Pressing save on my documents before locking my computer and grabbing my bag. 

James hooked our arms together as we headed out of the building to our usual lunch spot. " So, have you heard from him?" he asked gently. I check my phone swiping away all of James's previous messages. " Nothing." I sign placing my phone into my bag. "I'm still so excited. I wish I was coming with you. Oh, to be a little fly on the wall as the lovers reunite." James wanted this more than I did. He's always been a big romantic and will do anything to make every moment special. He was the one that gave me the idea of going to surprise Peter. 'A big romantic gesture' he calls it. He loves the pageantry of a good love story, I think he's been reading too many Fabio romances.