Forked Roads Back

77 - TESSA

TWO WEEKS LATER

"BABY?"

I hear a faint voice above me, piercing through my dreams as a soft pair of lips kiss my cheek.

I hum contentedly as his hands smooth over the skin of my arms and then over my stomach as he leans down to kiss my other cheek.

"What time is it?" I moan, trying to keep my eyes closed, not wanting to wake up.

"It's still early, Pup. But I couldn't leave for my flight without saying goodbye..."

My eyes fly open, suddenly realising that today was the day he is flying off to Australia.

As I do open my eyes, I grin behind the tears. He looks so handsome.

He's got a light brown pair of chinos on, the Crew t-shirt I bought him for his birthday, along with his standard black and white vans trainers. He's shaved and showered and he smells amazing. He smells like home.

"Don't go yet," I say, pulling him down on top of me before rolling over so I have him pinned so he can't go anywhere.

He chuckles, wrapping his arms around me as I bury my face in his neck, gliding over my bare legs and over my bum, his fingers sliding into the fabric as I grind forward.

"Tess," he groans, moving his hands up. "Don't make it harder to leave than it already is." He wraps his arms tightly around me again and pushes his face into my neck, kissing the skin there before he rolls me back over, freeing himself.

I sit up as he does, leaning forward to kiss him soundly, holding his cheek, gliding my thumb over the soft stubble on his chin that I love so much.

"I'm going to miss you."

He leans away and smiles.

Moving in with him had been best the decision I'd ever made. Since being here these last two weeks, the distance between us has been filled. I see him more, we actually spend evenings together, and I'm happier in his flat than I had expected myself to be.

When I had stayed here before, I always felt like a guest. Even though he always told me to make myself at home, I was never quite comfortable enough to just kick my shoes off and stick the TV on. Now, as soon as I come in the door, the jeans are unbuttoned, I make a mess in the kitchen, pull on a pair of Jamie's shorts and t-shirt and plonk down in front of trashy TV, waiting for him to get home.

But today he was headed away.

He's headed to Australia on an open-ended business trip - until a case he's working on is finished - and could be gone from anything between three weeks to two months. Even though I'm heading away as well, I will miss this closeness we've shared in these last two weeks, and it will feel weird without him. We've been in a bubble since the cake tasting, and I really don't want him to leave.

"Don't miss me too much," he laughs, but I can see a pained expression in his eyes, as he know where I'll be heading to in a week.

"Okay, maybe miss me a little," he corrects himself, quickly kissing me.

"I'll miss you every day. I'll be sending you so many pictures that you'll be asking me to leave you alone," I giggle.

"You better. Maybe some rude ones too, yeah?"

I swat him and he chuckles.

"Just to remember what they look like," he clarifies, shrugging. "You look like, sorry," he corrects himself.

I shake my head. "I don't like that it's open-ended."

"It's six weeks, babe."

My heart lifts slightly at there being a timestamp on it, but six weeks is still a long time. "That's so long I can't do the maths."