Always You - A Second Chance Romance

Chapter 31

Friday. It was finally here.

I woke up filled with dread. Nick would be home tonight. I marinated in bed longer than I normally would, answering work emails from my phone. I noticed Luke had texted me late last night and I didn't have the heart to read it. Instead I just as reluctantly opened the text from Nick with his flight info. His flight was scheduled to land late which gave me the whole day to mentally prepare.

After well over an extra hour in bed I forced myself up. I got dressed into some workout clothes and turned on my computer, working from the kitchen counter while I made breakfast. I didn't have that much to do, even with all the delays on my regular work because of the booth build. My team really held the fort down for me this time, and I definitely owed them.

After eating breakfast I did a quick clean on the apartment. It definitely didn't need a full scrub like it normally would - it was amazing how clean things stayed when Nick was gone. I wiped down the counters and cleaned the sinks and the toilet. I picked up the few articles of clothing I had forgotten to throw down before stripping the bed.

As I pulled the blankets off the bed, a grey T-shirt fell to the floor. My stomach flipped inside me as I realized it was Luke's shirt. I never gave it back to him. Momentary panic filled me as I couldn't think of how I would give it back. What if Nick found it?

I snatched it from the floor, gripping it tightly as anxiety filled me. The scent of his cologne wafted off the shirt and I breathed heavily, feeling myself calm just from the smell of him. I sighed, my grip loosening on the t-shirt and I pulled it to my nose, inhaling the scent of Luke. I loved the smell of him. It was so comforting, even all these years later.

As I lowered the shirt from my face I felt tears pricking my eyes. I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. I didn't say goodbye to him before I left yesterday. I wouldn't get to say goodbye before he left.... Whenever he was leaving. It wasn't the last time we should see each other, but that's what I thought when he left before I broke up with him.

I chewed the inside of my cheek, hoping the tears would go away, as I thought about what to do with his shirt. I didn't want to get rid of it, but I knew I couldn't keep it either. With my luck, Nick would find it. I glanced in the closet, debating if there was somewhere he wouldn't look, somewhere safe I could keep it, and decided to slip it into my suitcase.

I slipped the tshirt into my suitcase then zipped it back up, placing it back on the top shelf of the closet. The hiding spot would at least work for now. I had to get rid of the shirt someday, but I wasn't ready yet - at least not while it smelled like Luke. I let out a large sigh and returned to stripping the bed before putting fresh sheets on and starting laundry.

Before I knew it I was getting ready to head to the airport and pick up Nick. I slipped on a cozy tracksuit and some sneakers before heading out the door. The drive to the airport felt like I was travelling light speed. Before I knew it I was parking the car in the cell phone lot to wait for his flight to land. I texted him to let me know when he got his bag from bag claim and I'd circle around and get him.

I bounced around between social media apps for awhile, trying to distract myself from the urge to open Luke's text. I hated unread messages and pending notifications. The little red notification icons filled me with anxiety. No matter how hard I tried I kept going back to the text and staring at the preview.

L - Emily, I hope you...

That was all the preview showed me without opening the text. The idea of what the message might say sent me spiraling with dread through a hundred different scenarios - would he say he could never see me again? Would he say he regretted what happened between us? Would he backtrack on the wonderful, kind things he said to me this week?