CASUAL AFFAIR; brendon urie

Chapter Thirty-Nine

I couldn't sit still, as I was waiting for her in the arrivals lounge, sitting in one of those metal chairs. No matter how many times I would be waiting for a flight, and no matter where, these things never got any comfier. My eyes kept going over to the big board, no matter how many times I repeated to myself 'a watched clock never ticks', and one knee kept jiggling up and down with anticipation.

It wasn't like time had really dragged on from when I last saw Florrie. Nah. More like that final hour that her flight was scheduled to arrive. In fact, the month had passed relatively fast. I'd practically moved in to the studio full time, and probably would have if not for Bogart, writing like mad, the final tracklisting set for the fourth album. Most of those had been recorded. The only hiccup was agreeing on the last song, and the title - both of which Spencer, Dallon and I had different opinions. Ian simply watched us argue, saying he was down for whatever, but we all knew that he was keeping quiet because the time was coming where he'd ... Go. We never really mentioned it - not that it was too painful, but more we knew that when it happened we'd be sad enough, so why be sad now?

But all in all, I was a busy trooper, and made sure it stayed that way for twenty nine days straight.

I ran my hands through my hair just for something to do. I found myself tugging at it in an effort to make it stick right up, mad scientist stylee, and getting frustrated at it when it just flopped back down, roughly into place. I was that lost in trying to control something that so clearly wasn't willing to cooperate with me, that I almost missed the board changing and the woman announcing overhead 'Flight 103 has landed, and passengers are now un-boarding.'

I jumped to my feet, the nervous excitement at seeing Florrie again making my heart speed up, my palms sweat, and my brain go silly. Within the next ten minutes, she was gonna walk through the arrival gates, and that was enough to make me smile like an idiot. And I knew exactly what caused this kind of reaction. I like Florrie - I like her a whole lot. I like her in more than a friend's way, and I like her in more than a sex way, too. I like her in a I wanna make her breakfast in the mornings, and hold her hand way. I like her in a I want to make her popcorn in a pan and burn it but we eat it anyway whilst watching Rocky Horror and belting the songs out at the top of our lungs, and afterwards, make-out on the couch way. I like her in a I want to listen to her have more half-jokey rants, like the one she had about the Maybelline advert, only I like her in a next time I want to laugh and kiss her to shush her up way.

I really like her.

The first trickle of people came through, soon followed by the rush of unboarders, lugging cases, some looking excited and happy to be here, others looking weary and jet lagged, some looking something like melancholy and the rest a mixture of two or the three. I scanned each face in the crowd, even pushing myself up on my toes to get a better look.

Then I saw her. Pulling along her suitcase, clutching a Jamba Juice cup, the straw of which was dangling between her lips. My heart kicked inside my chest, beating like a tribal drum.

Gosh darn it, I used to think there was a limit on how pretty a girl can be, but then I met Florrie.

She was in a plaid peach colored sleeveless shirt, denim shorts that hugged the curve of her hips, her legs bare and tanned golden, and in peach pink vans. Her hair was in a loose plait that hung over one shoulder, its usual dark brown waves, save for the ends which were now a light honey brown. And she was wearing a pair of sunglasses, blue framed, the novelty kind from Florida that had two palm trees on either side sticking out.

It didn't take her all that long to notice me, too, and she stopped in her tracks for a moment, nearly dropping her drink, and causing the person behind to collide into her - much to their snap of 'watch it!' and her apology. I gave her a little wave, and after a second her face broke out into a slightly surprised grin, and she made her way over to me.