there was something you always loved about car rides with jae. maybe it was the rides where you'd sing loudly to the songs on the radio. possibly it was the quiet, thoughtful rides when jae had his hand in yours. the ones late at night where only the sound of your soft conversation or lofi drifting through the speakers filled the car.
the drive to the airport was like the latter. lofi was playing softly and jae couldn't keep the big, dopey grin off of his face but you didn't mind in the slightest. your hands were connected over the divider and every now and then, he'd squeeze your hand and run his thumb over the back of it.
once you arrived, jae practically jumped out of the car and you laughed. he grabbed all of your luggage from the trunk and slammed it shut before turning to you. a dazzling smile covered his face and he held out his hand to take yours.
you walked into the airport hand in hand, jae keeping a steady stream of jokes going and would occasionally stop mid joke to laugh. it just made you fall in love with him even more.
the check-in process went as expected: you first got your bags checked and tagged, leaving you only to your backpacks. jae successfully pissed off every TSA agent in the 60 mile radius by dancing while they tried to do a body scan and your laugh only spurred him on.
as you approached the gate, jae drags you over to the window that overlooks the runway. he pulled you close to his side, arm over you shoulder. you snuggle into his side, smiling when you feel a kiss on the top of your head.
you stand like that, arms around each other, until you see the plane pull in. jae turns you around in his arms and brushes your hair back, hand lingering on your cheek. he always said you looked beautiful without your hair covering up your face and you made note to wear it down more often just to annoy him. mostly, you wore it down because he'd tie your hair back for you if he saw it in your face and kiss your forehead with a smile.
he connected your hands again and led you to the growing line to board the plane. the sun had long departed the sky and made room for the millions of stars shimmering in the sky, the occasional plane diving in and out of the starry night. jae squeezes your hand again and you felt the giddiness practically radiating off of him as you neared the check-in desk.
after scanning your boarding passes, you walk the long hall to the plane. he leans down to give you a quick kiss before you find a seat, you near the window (you guys had been standing in the aisle fighting playfully over the window seat until the flight attendant came and told you to sit down) and jae in the middle. he was pouting over being stuck in the middle seat but he slipped his hand into yours nonetheless.
