Starting Tonight

Chapter 13

"What time are you leaving the house tomorrow?" Cory asked me as I put my phone on speaker and tossed it on my bed.

"I'll leave here at four. After stops for food and gas, it should be around four in the afternoon when I get there," I told him.

"You're giving two hours' worth of stop time?" Cory questioned me.

"Yes," I said with a laugh, "I'm going to get tired. I'm going to have to get out and stretch my legs. I can make regular stops at rest areas to do that and I'll stop for food when I need to, but I do have snacks packed, so I may not need to."

"Just promise me you will eat. You have a habit of not eating right unless someone makes you," Cory said with his voice full of concern.

"I promise I'll eat. You can even call me to make sure I am," I smiled knowing the concern he had was sincere.

"I'll FaceTime you," Cory laughed, "And I'll watch you eat!"

"That's just creepy, hon," I said as I threw the last few items into my suitcase, "Is there anything you need or want me to bring with me?"

"Not that I know of," Cory said as I grabbed my suitcase to take it to the car, "I'm pretty sure I have everything."

"Okay. Are we driving home that next day or what?" I asked him curiously.

"I thought we could spend a few days in the city and drive home later in the week. You've never been there and I really haven't been able to enjoy it while I have been. It's not like we have anything stopping us," Cory said, but I could feel he had already made plans for us.

"A few days in New York City with the love of my life? I'm sold," I smiled like an idiot, even though he couldn't see me.

"I hear that smile," Cory said.

"You hear my smile? What kind of drugs are you on?" I questioned him sarcastically.

"There's this sound in your voice when you smile. It's just different," Cory said, "I get to find all those little things about you since I'm gone so much. There's so many of them. So many little quirks I've picked up on."

"What little quirks?" I asked curiously as I plopped down on the couch.

"Well, there's the change in your voice when you smile, how you bite your nails when you get on the phone and aren't doing anything. Like you're doing right now," Cory laughed, "There's how you roll your eyes at me every time I call you out on something and you think I don't know. But the one that sticks out the most is the way you say 'I love you' when we're getting off the phone."

"Do I really do that stuff?" I asked him.

"All the time," He said, "I'm going to let you go so you can sleep. Call me when you leave in the morning."

"Okay, I love you," I told him.

"I love you too, baby," Cory told me, "I will see you tomorrow. And Call me when you head out."

"I will," I laughed, "I love you."

"I love you," he replied.

With that I was off the phone. There was nothing for me to do until morning so I decided the best thing would be for me to go to bed. I walked upstairs, put my phone on charge, and crawled into bed. Last thing I did before I turned out the light was look at a picture of Cory and I that was made right before I moved to Nashville.

"God, I love that man," I said to myself as I turned the light out.

I laid in bed for what seemed like hours before I fell asleep. I replayed all of those special moments I've had with him in my mind, just as I did every night when he was gone. No matter what had happened that day, week, or month, one particular night stuck out in my mind. It was last summer when Cory had come to visit for a week and my niece, Evie, was celebrating her first birthday.