He launched out of bed like it was a fire drill. Showered. Shaved. Threw on her favorite shirt.
Wallet. Keys. Phone. Flowers.
He said it like a mantra, patting each pocket with shaking hands.
And then he was gone—out the door, behind the wheel, headed toward Wilmington like his whole life was waiting at Gate 14.
The airport was buzzing, but Jaxon moved through it like he was the only one there. Everything else blurred. The only thing that mattered was the digital screen that read: Flight 142 from Atlanta – On Time – 11:05 AM.
He watched the sky like a man searching for God.
But 11:05 came and went, and still—no sign of her.
He checked the screen again. No update. Checked his phone. Nothing.
“She’s still on the plane,” he muttered, gripping his coffee tighter. “She has to be.”
Minutes bled together. Thirty-five of them passed like they were trying to kill him.
Finally, a glimpse—a plane pulling in.
He nearly dropped his coffee as he pressed to the window.
Please. Please let that be hers.
An announcement came over the intercom. His heart leapt. “Now deboarding, Flight 142 from Atlanta.”
He stood at the edge of the gate, craning his neck, eyes scanning every face that came through the terminal.
And with each passing second, that hope began to rot inside him.
Passenger after passenger. Smile after smile. Not her.
He waited. Bent. Stood on his toes. Looked past every shoulder.
But she wasn’t there.
And just like that, the air felt thinner. His chest, tighter.
“She wouldn’t do this,” he whispered. “She wouldn’t just… not come.”
But as the crowd thinned to a trickle and the last few stragglers exited the tunnel, reality began to creep in. Something cold. Something heavy.
Until he heard it.
“Wait—there’s one more!” a flight attendant called out from behind the gate.
Jaxon’s body locked. One more. Just one more.
His heart was in his throat, barely beating. His fists clenched, breath caught halfway in.
Then…
A rolling carry-on appeared.
And behind it—a second flight attendant. Older. Smiling politely. Apologizing for the delay.
That was it.
