Dear Bailey

Part 36

Bailey

What a difference a year makes. As I stood up to gather my things from the overhead compartment, the lady in front of me quickly grabbed her slim laptop from beneath her seat and hurried off the plane. I almost laughed at how efficiently we all managed to get off that plane when I wasn't in any hurry. I'd have to remember to tell Lucas about it as soon as I got a chance.

For some reason, being in Florida again had made me miss him more. The summer seemed to crawl by until it was time to fly back home. I think maybe it reminded me of last summer and how desperate we were to meet up. It seemed strange now that we could probably make it happen (although he couldn't just leave when he wanted and I couldn't really afford a plane ticket on my budget). I knew in my heart we would make it happen someday.

I threw my backpack over my shoulder and cinched the straps a little tighter so that I could have my hands free to grab my bag from the luggage claim. I slid my glasses up my nose and brushed my longer bangs from my eyes. I still had the same pair I wore when I met him. I wasn't sure when I'd be able to trade them in for new ones. He loved them—so I did too.

My mom wasn't home to pick me up from the airport so the plan was for me to grab a cab back to our place. Getting off the plane in California was a lot different than rushing to find Lucas in Texas. I don't think I'd ever get over how shitty that had turned out.

I moved past a woman waving at a friend and reached for my phone in my back pocket. I turned it back on and stopped at a little coffee shop to grab a cup before I went down the escalator. It was late and I probably should have passed on the caffeine to make sure I could sleep later, but it just smelled too enticing.

I checked my mail as the line moved slowly ahead of me. "I promised I'd make it up to you, Bailey Athena." I felt a tingle run down my spine as his words slipped over my shoulder. It couldn't be. I spun around and there he was--my handsome Marine.

"Lucas!" My arms wrapped around his neck and I pulled him into the tightest embrace I could manage. "Oh, my God. How did you do this?" My heart was pounding so ferociously in my chest. My knees felt weak and my lungs were tight as I breathed in his scent.

His arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me off of my feet. "I promised you I'd make it up to you. This time I gave us a bigger window." He set me down again and I noticed he was carrying a bag too.

"Are you leaving? I thought you flew out of here yesterday." I pushed my glasses up once more and watched the way his lips curled. His stare made me melt inside.

"I had to lie so I could surprise you. I wouldn't risk what happened to us last time. If something went wrong, I didn't want you to know I was even here." His face fell and I knew he was still as disappointed about our last encounter as I was.

"How did you even know when I'd be here?" I only remember telling him the date.

"I looked at all the flights coming in from Florida. You told me no layovers this time so it left only four options." He smiled again, reaching out to brush the hair from my eyes again. We both laughed a little and I tried hard to calm the rush of fluttering in my stomach. He must have been here all day.

"How long did you wait?"

His cheeks turned a little pink and he looked down to the ground for a second before looking back up at me. "I've been here since early this morning. Of course, your flight was the last of the four coming through here today."

I sprung up onto my toes again and wrapped my arms around his neck. His head tucked into the soft spot between my neck and shoulder, his lips pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin there. I was so happy. It had been too long since I'd seen him. "When do you have to leave?" I asked.

"That's the part that's going to sting," he said pressing one last kiss to my neck before moving back so he could look into my eyes. My arms fell to my sides as I my heart clenched in fear. If he waited all day for me, there wasn't much of the day left. He was leaving soon. "We have about a half hour. It seems like the universe is only giving us what we were cheated last time. I'm pushing it as it is. I bought the last flight out that would allow me to get back to base in time. I was hoping you'd be on one of the earlier flights."

I shook my head. "What's with us and these ill fated meetings?"

His chuckle was deeper than it had been last time and I felt sad for the year that had past without us seeing each other. We were both growing up. "I guess we're just going to have to fight harder than other people to make something work. Let's get some coffee and catch up. I've waited all day to sit across from you."

We grabbed our drinks and moved to a small table just outside the little shop. He pulled out my seat for me and I held onto my cup with both hands as I waited for him to sit down. I was nervous, but not because it felt new, because it felt so important. "How was the training?" I moved a hand so I could rest my chin on it.

"It was fun. Something different. They want us to be ready on the sandy terrain and also with sea to beach landings." He reached out as if it was the most natural thing and gently tugged on my wrist until he could put his hand in mine.

"I missed you," I admitted. It seemed silly that you could miss someone you never really saw, but I knew him. I probably knew more about him that I'd ever known about another person outside my family.

"I missed you, too." His eyes looked straight into mine and I felt my breath catch in my chest. His thumb rubbed the back of my hand and I felt the tingles in every part of my body. His hand released mine and moved across my cheek and his long fingers found their way into my hair as he leaned forward. I watched until the last second, closing my eyes has his lips met mine.

The breath I was holding slowly released as his lips, warm from the coffee, moved against mine. His face was still smooth, but his lips were firm and strong. My hand moved up to hold his wrist. I never wanted him to let me go. When my lips parted, he took the invitation immediately and deepened the kiss. How could I be in love with him? It was different than any love before it because it wasn't just built on a physical attraction. Don't get me wrong, he was the hottest guy I'd ever seen, but there was so much more. My love for Lucas was nurtured through hundreds of letters. It was woven together with small moments he'd shared and thousands of tiny thoughts in print. I loved him because it wasn't just my heart—it was my head. He had accomplished what he'd set out to do that first meeting. I was in love with Lucas—and he was leaving, again. 

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