comfort {complete}

epilogue

I scan the crowded airport, searching for Noah. His flight comes in at 4:30, so I'm not sure why I'm looking for him an hour before that, but I am. I slip my earbuds into my ears and tap my feet to The 1975. I could read, but I'm too nervous, or I could pull out my laptop and write, but I'm still too nervous. Instead, I curl up in one of the black leather chairs near the boarding area and stare tiredly down at my sandals.

I haven't seen him in a month, and I feel like something's changed. We talk every other day, sure, but it's boring stuff (assignments we failed, annoying teachers, annoying classmates, the weather, etc.) and nothing like my expectations of our conversations. I don't know if it's just the distance or if we're actually growing apart, but either way—I'm freaked, to say the least.

I'd feel a lot better if his flight would land and I could hug him. Or kiss him, whatever works; I just need to reassure myself that we're still us.

Roughly forty-five minutes later, a weary blonde comes staggering out of the--entrance portal? I don't know what they call the airplane exits—and I sit up straight in my seat. Noah is one of the last people off, after a stocky, muscular, body-building type man, and when his eyes fall on mine, he grins happily.

Just like that, every ounce of worry is gone and I'm rising from my chair to rush towards him. He drops his bags once we're close enough, then steps forward and wraps me in a hug. He lays his face in my neck and grips my waist, completely encasing me in his arms.

"Hi," he says into my neck, and I almost cry. "I've missed you s'much, Steph."

"I've missed you, too," I manage, my voice muffled by his shirt. "I officially hate your university."

He laughs and lifts his head to kiss me, cupping my cheeks in his hands as I clutch his shirt in my fists. His lips glide over mine and then his tongue until we're full-on Frenching in the middle of the airport. He tangles his hand in my hair and pulls me closer, groaning a little into my mouth.

"We should stop," I breathe a few minutes later, "People are staring."

He nods and softens the kiss before he pulls away. I can still feel his breath on my lips, hot and wonderful, but we're just grinning at each other now. He looks so adorable like this; beaming down at me, eyes scrolling over my face the way they are now, like he's trying to memorize me. He lifts a hand, runs it down my cheek.

"Mmm, I really missed you," he says, and I almost kiss him again, but then he's slipping his hand into mine, retrieving his bags, and sauntering to the exit.

He tells me about all the cool people he's been meeting as we climb into the car, but I'm barely listening because I'm just so glad he's here. Without him, I was painfully aware of everything, from boys to sympathetic looks; but when he's here, all I can think about is him. It's blissful.

"My playlist or yours?" he asks, reaching for the cord that hooks our phones up to the stereo system in the car.

"Mine," I say.

He nods, slides one of his hands into mine, and drives us home.

a/n: i was gonna do this in noah's pov, but i couldn't get into the right mindset, so this'll have to do. thank you to anyone reading, i hope you enjoyed. 

s/o to Irwin_Infinityx for being my favorite person and SorryThatIsIncorrect for commenting and voting consistently.