I collected my luggage and headed outside, looking for a cab.
"Good evening, ma'am. I'll take that for you", a guy said. He put my suitcase and bag in the trunk and opened the door for me. "Thank you", I said getting in. "Where to?", he asked. I handed him a note with the address written on it. "It'll be around 25 minutes", he said. I nodded. "That's great."
He drove off and turned up the radio. "Do you mind?", he asked. I shook my head. "Not at all!" He smiled and nodded. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked a few things before I got to my destination.
"We're here", the driver said. I looked up from my phone and looked around me. I got out of the car and grabbed my bags from the trunk. "Thank you", I said handing him some cash. "Keep the change." "Thank you, miss. Enjoy your day", he said. "You too."
He got in his cab and drove off. I looked around me. The neighborhood was sketchy. Some houses were badly damaged and there were a couple of stores that didn't look familiar to me.
I spotted a bar, the one I was here for.
I grabbed my bags and suitcase and stepped inside. I spotted a free table near the bar, and the girl I was here for.
She made eye contact with me and headed my way. For a second she was quiet but smiled. I smiled back at her. She took a deep breath before taking a step towards me.
"I can't make a scene here, but the second I saw you, I knew who you were", she said calmly. "Well, what if I told you I'm gonna head outside to smoke a cigarette, and I'll be back in like 5 minutes." She smiled. "I'd say you should take your time, we'll watch your stuff." I nodded. "Meet me around the corner", she said before heading back to the bar.
I walked out the door and lit up a cigarette before walking around the corner. I took a puff from my cigarette when I heard a door shut. "Ella?", I heard. I turned around and before I knew, two arms swung around my neck and she jumped into mine. I dropped my cigarette before catching her.
"I can't believe you're here!", she said in excitement. I smiled. "I couldn't wait anymore." "But how? Why now?", she asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "We've always been saying we were gonna meet as soon as possible, but that's been going on for like 7 years now and nothing ever happened. So I decided to just go for it, and surprise you." She hugged me again. "I'm so happy you came." She checked the time on her watch. "I just started my shift tho.. I won't be off for another 6 hours", she said. I nodded. "That's okay. I need to find a hotel anyways. Is it okay if I grab a bite to eat inside?", I said. "Wait, you don't have a room?" I shook my head. "Well, don't worry about that. My boyfriend can get you a room at his job. He works at a hotel in the city", she said. "No, that's okay. I'd rather not bother you with my problem. I'll be fine." She nodded. "I should head back inside. Are you coming?"
I looked down to the ground and decided not to stay. "No, I changed my mind. I should find a hotel room first. I'll text you as soon as I find one, okay?" She sighed. "Sure. Text me if you need anything. I'll try and get off work as soon as I can." I nodded. "I'll see you later", I said. Before I could head back inside to get my things, she hugged me again. "I'm sorry, I'm just so happy to see you." She kissed my cheek before pulling away and disappeared around the corner. I touched the spot she had just kissed and sighed.
I walked around the city, trying every hotel that looked decent. After 4 times, I finally got myself a room. I picked up my room key and stepped into the elevator.
"I'm in the Four Seasons. Room 613", I texted to Sophie before opening the door to my room.
My room was bright. It had big windows and the sun was shining right through them. I dropped my bags next to the bed and sat down.
Not too long after, there was a knock on the door.
I got up to and answered the door, only to find Sophie standing there. I smiled when I saw her. "Off work already?", I asked. She nodded before crashing her lips onto mine. My heart started racing and my body started to heat up. She pulled away, still having her eyes closed.
"I expected that to be less awkward..", she said. I chuckled. "That bad?", I asked. She smiled. "The kiss? Not at all. The moment? Awkward as hell. It looks so romantic in movies, but it just feels weird. I'm sorry." I chuckled and stepped aside for her to come in. "Sorry for what?" "For just, overwhelming you with this", she said. I shook my head. "No, no, it's okay. I'm sorry it was weird tho. I wasn't expecting it", I said.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and watched her walk around the room.
"Well, what if we just do it again? We'd both be expecting it. Maybe it'd be less weird?", she asked. I laughed. "Really?" She looked at me. "Is that weird?" I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I'm just laughing at the part where you want to kiss me again. Why is that?"
She sat beside me.
"You know how long I've been dreaming of this?", she asked. "I always said that I wasn't in love with you anymore", she said. I nodded. "That was sort of a lie. I mean, I felt differently about you but I never fell out of love with you. Do you know I mean?" "I guess?", I said confused. "I always knew you were the one for me but after 3 years of being in a long distance relationship, and not meeting each other.. it changed my point of view."
She sighed.
"I'm not saying I'm not in love with the guy I'm dating now, but I'm saying that the moment I saw you, I saw everything I ever wanted. I feel like I fell in love with you again the moment you walked into the bar, only twenty times harder. You might be thinking I'm on drugs or something but I don't know how else to explain this", she said. "I think I get it", I said. She nodded. "That's good, because I'm out of words." I chuckled and put my hand on her cheek.
"I'm going to kiss you now. Please, don't make it awkward again."
She smiled and her body relaxed a little.
I leaned in and pressed my lips on hers. For a second it felt perfect, but then it felt completely different from the way I expected it to be.
"Still weird", we both said as we pulled away. "We'll work on that", she said smiling.
