Our flight left the next morning at 6:55. It was the only nonstop, and it took less than an hour. Once we landed at the Nashville airport, we called an Uber and headed home. Ash fell asleep on the drive, his head in my lap. I was content to sit there, classical music playing softly from the car speakers, and run my fingers through his hair.
I still couldn’t believe what had happened. I was sure I’d dreamed the whole thing this morning when I got up. The whole night was a blur. But when I turned over and Ash was there, snoring a little. And when he’d woken up, he thought it was a dream too. The conversation came back to me, making me smile.
His eyes had opened, and he’d blinked a couple of times before looking down at me. I looked back at him and smiled.
“Did that actually happen? Or was the whole night a dream?” he asked, lightly kissing my forehead.
“Honestly, I’m not too sure myself. It feels like it was a dream, but if it was it’s a very cruel one.” I replied, wrapping my arms around him and curling into his chest.
Chuckling again, he curled around me.
“I love you.” He whispered, and I smiled against his chest.
Pulling away from him, I stroked his cheek and leaned up.
“I love you too, Mr. Purdy.” I whispered back, kissing him lightly.
He deepened the kiss, laying me back on the bed.
I broke out of the flashback as we pulled up in front of my house.
“Hey, babe. Come on. We’re here.” I said softly, poking him in the forehead.
He grunted and groaned and whined. Always a grumpy waker. Good thing we were home and had a coffeepot. In both of our houses. Reluctantly, he got off of me and started pulling bags from the trunk. Granted, most of them were his. I had two, total. My suitcase with my clothes and my backpack with my laptop and camera equipment in it.
We carried everything up the driveway and I keyed in the gate code. It rumbled open, and we dragged everything inside. I flipped through my mail, which my neighbor had collected for me. Bills, bills, something from work. I opened the bills first. Cable and internet. Easily dealt with. I’d pay them later. The thing from work was interesting, sort of. It was my schedule for the rest of this week.
“What’s all this?” Ash asked from behind me, making me jump.
“A couple of bills and my work schedule for the week. My neighbor picks up my mail when I’m not home.” I told him, taking the schedule into the kitchen and putting it on the counter. I had a large whiteboard calendar above a small desk. Uncapping a marker, I wrote all of my work stuff in red. Personal appointments were blue.
“Do I get a color?” he asked, watching me from next to the fridge.
“Why would you need a color? You practically live here already.” I laughed, opening the fridge to find something for breakfast.
“Date nights don’t need a color?” he inquired back, going to the coffee pot and getting some started.
I hadn’t thought about that. The whole situation was still really new in my mind.
