Quietly hauling the suitcase up the steps as I walk up to the porch, I can’t contain my excitement as I hurry to rap my knuckles against the wooden front door. My heart pounds in my chest as I bounce on my heels, waiting for the door to swing open so I can see his face. The face I’ve missed so much over the past week and a half.
The door cracks open then, slowly, and Tate’s confused expression meets me on the other side. His eyebrows are pulled together tightly until his dark eyes take me in, and after a few seconds, the realization kicks in, and his entire body relaxes. His shoulders sag and the breath he was holding releases from his chest in a relieved exhale.
“Maeve?” he rasps out, his eyelashes fluttering faintly as he struggles to keep the water in his eyes to a minimum.
“Hi,” I say in a whisper.
“What’re you doing…” He shakes his head like he still can’t believe it. “How are you here right now?”
“I’m here to finish our road trip.”
“Our…” He trails off, his eyes softening down at me as another realization washes over him. “You flew out here to ridehomewith me?”
I nod gently as I wrap my arms around myself, the chill getting to me finally, and he notices too because he’s immediately grabbing onto me and pulling me inside. He steps out onto the porch and rolls my luggage in behind us, closing the door once we’re finally all settled in the warm Airbnb. My body shudders as it adjusts to the heat, just as he engulfs me in a hug.
“I missed you so much,” he mumbles into my hair as he squeezes me so tight that I’m letting out breathless giggles.
“I know,” I tease, “that’s why I’m here.”
When he pulls back, he kisses my forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment. “But what about class? I don’t want you missing your classes, too.”
“It’s only three days,” I assure him softly. “That’s one day missing from one class, and two classes missed from two others. It’s okay. That’s doable.”
His hands reach up to cup my cheeks. “You’re sure? The last thing I want is you falling behind. I know how important it is for you to go to medical school and?—”
The words leaving his lips are interrupted as I push up on my tippy toes and slam my mouth against his. His hold on my face weakens just a fraction as his mind struggles to keep up with what’s going on, but when it clicks, he’s kissing me like his life depends on it. One hand cups the back of my neck in a desperategrip while the other wraps around my waist to pull me closer against his body.
His lips taste better than I remember, and I relish it as his mouth moves with a fervor over mine.
He groans, breaking the kiss just barely as he says, “God, I missed you, Maeve.”
“It’s only been a week and a half.”
“A week and a half too long,” he mumbles against me, kissing my lips again. “Oneminuteis too long without you.”
I giggle into his mouth. “Oh, the dramatics.”
“You act like,” he pauses to pepper tiny kisses along my jawline, “you didn’t miss me, too.”
The truth is, I missed him more than I think I’ve ever missed anything before. Probably more than I missed my family for the entire year I didn’t see them. As soon as I got on the plane that day to go back to Pennsylvania, it was like a massive weight sitting on my chest. This unbearable weight that only got heavier every second that I thought of him. The first week of classes wasn’t nearly as exciting as it would’ve been if he’d been there. Experiencing a whole new semester with Tate now was something I’d looked forward to, so it had been a bummer to have to do all of it without him. I don’t know how I ever did before.
“Trust me, Clark,” I sigh as his lips trail down my neck now, “I’ve definitely missed you too.”
Loosening his grip on me, he unzips my winter jacket as his kisses find their way to my collarbone, and then he shoves the coat from my shoulders until it’s free from my arms and on the floor. “Hmm, I don’t know. I think you should show me how much you missed me. Just so I can really get the full picture here.”
“Right,” I nod, pursing my lips in a playful manner as he presses his lips along my collarbone, “because me flying all theway back over here to accompany you on the road trip home isn’t proof enough.”
“You could be just doing it out of the goodness of your heart,” he counters, kissing against my chest as he tugs down the collar of my sweater.
I snort. “Thegoodnessof my heart. Oh my god, Tatu?—”
His lips against mine cut me off from the rest of my sentence, but I welcome it as I envelop my arms around his neck. My body melts into his hold as he kisses me sweetly, hanging from him like my legs can’t support my weight anymore, as his arms wrap around me. A soft sigh leaves my mouth as he kisses me, swallowing the sound down with ease.
God, even his smell. I hadn’t realized I’d missed it this much.
My head spins as I get drunk on him, but then he’s pulling away, leaving me pouting weakly up at him. His hands stay on my waist, holding me steady as I give him a tiny glare up through my lashes.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” he murmurs down at me, his features stoic as he speaks, except for the small pinch between his brows before he wipes that away. “You don’t know just how much I was dreading making that drive all by myself.”
