For a while, neither of us moves. The engines rumble in the background, and the wind rustles through the tarmac. The world feels suspended between what’s coming and what’s being left behind.
Finally, I open the door. “If I don’t leave now, I never will.”
He steps out with me, grabbing my suitcase before I can touch it. Always taking care of me, even when he shouldn’t have to. We walk to the foot of the steps together.
The pilot is waiting at the top, pretending not to see us having our moment. I wrap my arms around Chris’s neck, holding on like I can memorize the feel of him. His hands slide around my waist, pulling me in tight enough that I can feel every beat of his heart against mine.
“You come back to me,” he murmurs against my temple.
“Always,” I whisper.
He kisses me again—harder this time, desperate—like he’s trying to brand the taste of me into his memory. I lose myself in it, breathing him in like oxygen with my fingers tangled in his hair.
When he finally lets go, my lips are swollen, and my heart is racing. I grab the railing, turning to climb the steps, my fingers trembling. Halfway up, I glance over my shoulder.
He’s still standing there, hands in his pockets, eyes locked on me. The wind catches his jacket, the morning light cutting across his face. And for a second, I swear I see every version of him at once—the soldier, the lover, and the man who waited ten years to marry me.
“Not goodbye,” I call softly.
His mouth lifts into that crooked smile that knocks the air out of me. “See you soon, baby.”
I smile back, swallowing hard as I step onto the plane.
The door closes with a quiet click, sealing the space between us.
As the engines roar to life, I press my palm to the window. He’s still there, watching, steady, and unmovable.
The jet starts to roll forward, and he lifts two fingers in a small salute. I stare out the window until he’s a blur against the runway, until the earth tilts and the clouds swallow the world beneath me.
Only then do I sit back, exhaling a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
The cabin hums softly. The sky outside burns with early morning light. I reach up, touching the chain around my neck—the gold locket he gave me on our wedding day, my father’s face smiling up at me from the tiny frame inside. The reminder that love doesn’t vanish with distance.
My phone buzzes in my lap.
Chris
Already counting down the hours. Be safe, Mrs. Hawkins.
I smile through tears, typing back
You too, Mr. Hawkins. See you soon.
And I mean it, because this isn’t like before.
This time, we’re not leaving each other behind. We’re just finding our way through the world again. Two lives—two missions—always circling back to the same place. To each other.
Not goodbye.
Never again.
Justsee you soon.
ABOUT ONE YEAR LATER
With the phone pressed against my ear, I listen to Reese’s soft voice tell me about her day before growing breathy and bratty as she teases me.
“Fuck, I miss you, baby,” I growl, my cock already hardening at the thought of her as I partially regret starting this call when I touched down in Seoul. And now continuing it from the hotel lobby. “How much does my pussy miss me?”
