"Nia." Her name softly fell from his lips and she soaked in his sweet breath like a pancake to syrup. Her eyes were low and she was watching his chest rise and fall. She couldn't look at him just yet. She was frozen in place.
With just this brazen...
Malcolm was sure to get to Toronto Pearson Airport promptly for 6 AM. Nia's flight wasn't until 8:30, but he knew she was anxious about it. She kept fiddling with the binder that contained her work visa, passport, lease, and proof of employment. She had checked and reorganized its contents twice during the car ride but Nia couldn't help it — she was operating on lack of sleep.
Nia recounted the brash sound of her alarm going off only after four hours of rest. A rush of excitement propelled her out of bed and straight into the shower. By the time she was out, Malcolm had made his bed and she could hear him making breakfast in the kitchen. She dressed in a grey leggings set with a cropped hoodie and snatched her hair up in a bun before she circled his bedroom over and over, collecting her belongings and packing them in her suitcase and carry-on bag until she was about 99% sure she hadn't forgotten anything.
When she was done, she took one final look around Malcolm's bedroom as if to tell it farewell. For several reasons, it felt more painful to say goodbye to Malcolm's than her own. She didn't know the next time she'd be back here with him like this — if ever — and the blissfully romantic memories were tugging on her heartstrings. Pulling her like a resistance to stay, taunting her with a potential future that could have been if she gave up on her dreams. This leap of faith was daunting, and the 48 hour trial with Malcolm was almost too comforting to not buy into. But Nia knew that this was just how life went, and if she loved this something as much as she felt she did — she'd have to let it go. And trust that it would come back to her tenfold.
Nia wheeled her suitcase to the bottom of the steps and before she could lift it up onto the first step, Malcolm had met her with open arms. "Good morning, Ni." He said before kissing her on the forehead, snatching her bags from her, and carrying them up the stairs.
"Good morning." Nia replied, as she followed behind him. He was already dressed; wearing a matching grey sweatsuit as if the time they spent together over the short weekend merged their brains into one.
"I just made you a somethin' light - there's some bacon and some fruit. I'm gonna put these in my car and then we'll head out." Malcolm spoke softly and Nia couldn't help but reach into the hood resting on his head and run her hands behind his ear to his cheek.
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She could feel his sadness because she shared it too, and she knew she needed to take that moment to ground them amidst uncertainty because everything would soon be moving very quickly.
And it did.
It had been a nervous blur from the moment Nia crunched on a few pieces of bacon, a croissant and a bowl of fruit, to now, when Malcolm was putting his car in park just outside Terminal 3.
Malcolm unloaded her suitcase from the trunk while Nia carefully slung her carry-on over her shoulder and grabbed a large tote bag cosplaying as her travel purse from the floor filled with her ficus plant, bouquet of flowers and travel papers.
