That Day - (Complete).

Chapter Ten

I felt like crap. The flight from England to Australia always did it to me. I was glad that I had a change of clothes, toothbrush and hairbrush in my backpack. After getting off and finding the first bathroom I could, I dashed inside and managed to make myself feel human, it wasn't a miracle cure and I knew I still looked ropey, but it would do until I got home. Tonight was time for resting, tomorrow I was hunting down Dillon and hoping he still wanted anything to do with me.

I stepped out of the bathroom, still clipping my backpack shut. As I looked up everything inside me collided together.

Dillon was there, and it wasn't my imagination. He was staring straight at me. Frozen to the spot, all I could do was watch as he took the five steps – I counted – toward me.

"You left me." He stated. His voice even, flat. It felt all wrong on him.

"I did." I replied.

"You're back?" He questioned.

"Forever." I whispered.

Everything came tumbling down inside me as he reached forward and pulled me into his arms, I collapsed, but he held me up.

The tears finally came, an overflow of everything in my life, good and bad, this man brought it out in me.

I cried for a long time. I had no doubt people were watching me, curious, but Dillon didn't seem to care.

"I'm sorry." I pulled back. "For the tears...for leaving."

"You told me you were going, don't try and kid yourself that you were lying to me Ani, I know you like to make yourself out as the devil. I worked you out in only a day. I knew you needed to get things straight, on your own terms."

I nodded at his words, it was like he could read my mind.

"I also know that I might not have wanted to let you go, so you had to be strong. I wished I could have spoken to you, but I get that too."

I nodded again, my head seemingly having a mind of its own. "I needed a clean slate, I couldn't explain that to anyone, it's something I was sure of in here." I told him touching my heart.

"You're here and you still want to be with me?" He asked, there was no waiver in his voice, he knew my answer before I could even reply.

"I want to be with you...you waited for me." I said in awe.

"I said anything special, anything against the ordinary was worth waiting for, and I may be a lot of things, but I'm no fool Ani." His soft smile elicited a calm in me.

"How did you find me?" I questioned quietly.

"I got your records from the hotel." He smirked. "I went to your house and met Carole. She was wary at first, but I kept going round, I wore her down. I explained that I was willing to give you your time, but could she let me know that you were okay. She told me when you were coming back. I walked in a few minutes after your flight landed, realised it was early and thought I'd missed you. I swore, a lot. When you walked out of that bathroom all my Christmases came at once."

I loved him. I knew it was stupid and crazy, I'd spent only one day with him. But that day had changed everything, that day had given me Dillon, that day had made me stronger. Now my future was standing in front of me, and I knew, no matter how new we were, that we'd survive, we'd been missing pieces, experiencing life, but without the other we were floating, we were purposeless. He gave me a hand to hold onto.

"You want to go make roots?" Dillon asked me.

"Absolutely." I replied.