Forever and ever 2. The adventure starts now.

Part 58.

Five days later, the time had come. I sat on the floor with a pile of clothes to my right, all waiting to be packed. But so far there were only a few sets of underwear, and not even those were folded. I just couldn't find the strength to take the next step. It felt too surreal.

The curtain of the window was blowing into the room, almost touching the edge of the bed. Cold snowy draughts spread through the room, bringing goosebumps all over my arms. I had originally opened it because I was too hot, overwhelmed by all the work that was waiting for me. With packing my suitcase, checking my passport, answering emails, and printing out papers, packing my suitcase was almost one of the least of my problems.

And that was just my work problems. Tom had taken Parker to his parents, and I had promised them I would be finished once they got back home. Now, a whole three hours later, I had made no progress and was on the verge of giving up.

The conversation about where Parker would live and who would look after him while Tom and I were away was one we already had a few weeks ago, right after Tom agreed that Dom and Nikki might be the right guardians for while Tom and I were filming.
Of course, Parker was horrified at first and could hardly stop crying, but eventually he understood and had already got a little used to the fact that a parent was often missing. The only reason his mood improved half an hour later was after he found out he would be seeing his Uncle Paddy even more often.

The two of them really had a special bond, almost like siblings. You never got bored watching them laugh and do their own little inside jokes. Even though I think they made Tom a little jealous sometimes. He never understood what was so funny that Parker laughed so much. What Paddy did differently from him. How was it that the two of them had so much fun even though Parker couldn't really talk yet? Or rather, he hadn't had the vocabulary to make jokes. The two understood each other purely from physical actions and Tom envied that a little. Understandable...

I rubbed the cold sweat off my forehead that had formed out of pure stress. I hadn't lifted a finger in the last ten minutes staring at the pile of laundry in front of me, and now I heard the front door unlock as I sat helplessly on the bedroom floor. Back slouched against the chest of drawers from which the one or other bra still hung.

Soon enough, Tom's heavy feet were trudging up the stairs and I knew if he saw the mess in the room I had made, disappointment would come over him.

I sighed and hid my face from him with my eyes fixed on the ground.
"Hey!" I heard him say before he appeared in the door frame and rested his shoulder against the steel. Right hand holding his left elbow as he scanned the room, narrowing his eyes.

Tears welled up at the sound of his voice, biting my lip so hard to keep the drop from rolling down my cheek. But my heart felt like someone was trying to squeeze the air out until not a single breath could pass through my lungs.

The too-long silence quickly revealed something was wrong, and I didn't only mean the mess in the room but also the sheer stress of the heavy lifting of my chest.
"Hey!" He said again, this time in a soft murmur, making his way towards me in two big strides. "What's wrong princess?"

Whether it was the way he reacted exactly the opposite of what I had thought, the way his voice flowed through my ears and melted me inside out, or the worry that immediately took over his facial expression's when he found the restlessness in me- the sniffle that I tried so hard to surpress escaped my lips with ease.

He knelt down in front of me, taking my hand in his. I didn't even notice a tear running down my cheek until Tom wiped it away with his thumb and quickly scanned my body for injuries in case that was the reason I was sitting on the floor, crying. But after a quick scan, and having made sure I was fine, his eyes landed on my face again.
"Are you okay?"
My back was hunched from the slump in my shoulder, head hung low, eyes avoided eye contact and my cheeks literally had dry and wet tears stuck together. Obviously I was not okay.
"I can't do this Tom." I sobbed, letting the tears run. "I can't be away from you for so long." I admitted, pout resting on my face.