Just One Kiss

Chapter 4

"Indiana?" Maya asked as she sat on her boyfriend's blue king sized bed. She watched him as he paced around his grey bedroom, ensuring he had packed everything he needed for his trip. "So when am I going to see you again?"

"I'll be gone for a week, then I'm around for about a month until the next event" Nicholas said in Spanish as he zipped his suitcase closed.

"That tricky" she shook her head, "I'm around this week but I'll be gone from next week for my shoot in New York until end of next month."

Maya worked as a catalogue model for a firm based in Barcelona. That's how she met Nico; two years ago at a fashion event held by one of his former partners. From the moment he saw her walk down the runway, he was smitten. She fell just as hard as he asked her on a date backstage only 30 minutes later. From then on, they had been the mysterious "it" couple of the Spanish and European tabloids.

"So it's another long time isn't it?" Nicolas sighed. It seemed like work kept them apart and busy more than they were actually together.

"Another long time." she replied, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as he reached to the bedside table to grab his phone and confirm his travel details.

He held her hand as they both walked down to the lobby of his apartment building, exchanging a last kiss goodbye and "I love you" outside the revolving doors of the building as the begun to hear the clicks of distant flashing cameras. They kissed one more before he jumped into his car headed to the airport, leaving her waving goodbye as she entered her own car headed the opposite way.

"I never thought of that I would say that I'm going to Indiana" China laughed as she spoke to Charles over the phone. She has barely been in her apartment in Madrid for a week before she had to pack up to fly to the States. In all the excitement, she still hadn't packed.

"Babe, this is what you've always wanted to do" her boyfriend coaxed her over the phone's loudspeaker. "You've been working so hard to become an international journalist, and now you have your own project where you get to travel to write about the things you love."

"But that doesn't mean I don't miss you" she said as she held the phone screen up, lying down on her plush white duvet that was still covered in clothes.

This is not the longest Charles and China had been separated. Up until six months ago, Charles had been a right wing for South Africa's national rugby team, the Springboks. For months on end, he would tour around the world with the team as China stayed in Cape Town, only occasionally flying out for a few games a year.They had been used to this routine since they started dating in university, over four years ago, until Charles decided it was time to hang up his cleats for good.

"I miss you too but you can't be mad when you're flying first class" he said, making her laugh. "Then, when we get back, we move in together."

The timing felt right for them; they had always planned to settle into the suburbs and start a life together once Charles retired. Despite their timing coming to sooner than she had expected, plus the unexpected move to Madrid adding another complication, it still seemed like the best way forward for the both of them.

"I can't wait" she said as she got up and off the bed and pushed the remainder of the clothes in the black leather suitcase.

"I'm running through the details with the realtor tomorrow morning. Now go, before you miss your flight." After a quick "I love you", the call clicked as she sighed and looked outside at the skyline view from her floor length windows. 

The two bedroom apartment was the most beautiful thing she had laid her eyes on, the forest green walls of her bedroom being her favourite part. That and the state of the art kitchen, though she hadn't gotten the chance to use it much. China didn't know whether to thank Juliana or Carla for placing her in such a beautiful penthouse, but she wasn't complaining.

China sighed and made her way to the car that was waiting to take her to the airport, envisioning how the next few months were going to look and how it could lead to the success she had been waiting for.