I Am Morgan

Chapter 41: Until Your Feet Leave The Ground

"So, uh, is it Dawson's birthday or something?" Kelly asks as he helps me pack my bag for my weekend away with Gabby and Leslie.

"No, no, it's just a girls weekend." I tell him. "You're cool with that, right?"

"Yeah, of course." He nods.

"Does this jacket make me look fat?" I ask as I look into the mirror with a new coat on.

"What? No! No, I like it." He looks up at me and smirks.

"What?" I ask self-consciously.

"Nothing," he says and then see's my non-convinced expression. "Nothing!" He reiterates.

"I do look fat don't I?" I pout my lip and he shakes his head.

"I promise you, you don't look fat. You're beautiful."

"I'm going to miss you," I say, and put my arms around him.

"Yeah, I'll miss you too." He replies and leans down, pressing his warm, sensual lips against mine.

I sink into the kiss and put my arms around his neck, pulling him closer when we hear a horn beeping outside. I breathe out. "That's Shay."

I pick up my bag and carry it to the door. "I love you." says Kelly.

"I love you too."

I carry the bag outside and put it into the trunk of Shay's car before climbing in and greeting both her and Dawson. We crank up the music and sing our hearts out while we drive to a secluded lodge where we've booked to stay.

The place is completely white with snow and the wooden hits remind me Santa's Grotto.

"Where are the seven dwarfs, right?" Shay laughs at herself.

"Yeah, it's awesome." replies Dawson but she seems a bit down.

"Mmm. Do you smell that? It's like one of those pine-scented air thingies you get at the carwash." says Shay.

"Welcome to paradise at Baileys Harbor." A women says, clinging onto her husbands arm. "You must be Leslie." She shakes her hand.

"Hi, yeah. This is my friend Gabby and Jess."

She shakes our hands as well. "Hi, I'm Margie Cavanaugh. This is my husband, Thomas."

He does the same thing. "Pleasure to meet you. Anything you need, just ask. We're right next door." He points to the cabin next to ours and hands us our key. "Enjoy that fireplace."

We chuckle slightly as we're freezing and close the trunk after we've gotten our bags out. And head inside.

"Ah. This is gonna be great." Shay says and we looks around at the classic wood and cabin decor. "Yeah, so after reading the website, I guess they worked the board of trade in Chicago for 15 years, then cashed out, bought this place."

"Awesome." Dawson says again with no excitement in her voice.

"Yeah. That's gonna be you and Casey and Jess and Kelly in 20 years matching sweaters, perfect little kids running around playing lacrosse." She laughs.

"You okay?" I ask as she looks out the window with her hands deep in her pockets. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replies as a single tear drops down her cheek.

"You and Casey?" asks Shay and she nods. "What the hell's going on?"

We sit down at the table and she explains how just before she left Casey's place this morning he told her that maybe they should stop looking for apartments together and that it's not meant to be.