I love you, Sam.
Only two more weeks.
Finally, after another few seconds, Ollie heard a quiet huff and then Sam clearing his throat.
“You’re so amazing, love. I’m so... so incredibly proud of you, and I just love you so much, Oll. I...” Sam let out a shuddering breath, and Ollie once again felt a strong rush of loveand gratitude as Sam continued. “I can’t wait to see you. I think about it all the time.”
Ollie laughed. “I’m thinking about it right now. I can almost feel your arms around me. It’s so...”
“. . . comforting?”
“Yeah, exactly. I can imagine that you’re here with me, that you’re holding me. And, and... god, I’m just ready for you to come home,” Ollie said.
“Y-yeah, yeah, I . . . same.”
There was a deep strain in Sam’s tone, a need and want, and Ollie could feel it. He swallowed hard. “Soon.”
“Very.”
Chapter 28
The airplane taxied in slowly and then had to wait for a gate. And of course Sam was near the back of the plane—one of the only seats that had been available when he’d booked the flight. So, he found himself having to wait, sitting in his seat with entirely too much impatience, his hands fidgeting and his knee bouncing up and down anxiously. He’d stretch up every so often to try to see how many rows were left before it would be his row’s turn to disembark.
This most recent glance had shown there were at least five or six more rows to go, and he closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled slowly to steady himself. His phone chimed in his hand, and he glanced down, thankful for the momentary distraction. Ollie’s name popped up on the screen, sending his heart racing again. He clicked probably much too eagerly, his smile growing.
Oliver (2:56 p.m.):<3 <3 <3 <3
Oliver (2:56 p.m.):I’m here. See you soon.
Soon. Just a few more minutes, really. And what was a few more minutes after eight weeks apart?
Eight weeks and one day, actually.
Sam closed his eyes as he remembered his phone call the night before with Ollie. A long couple of hours of chatting about nothing, really. But they’d kept talking, neither of them wanting to hang up just because it felt so good to hear each other’s voices. At least, that was why Sam hadn’t wanted to hang up.
And now, they were so close. Almost there.
Soon.
Sam looked up again and groaned inwardly. Three more rows. Had it always been this slow to get off a plane? He lowered his eyes to his phone and quickly tapped out a message to letOllie know he was still on the plane. Then he put his phone back in his pocket and... tried to be patient.
But his heart continued to race with anticipation. And when the other passengers in his row finally stood, Sam pushed himself up to his feet as well, silently wishing he hadn’t chosen the window seat so he might be just those few extra seconds faster. The minutes stretched on, even as everything seemed to blur around him. Somehow, he had the awareness to grab his duffle bag out of the overhead bin before he followed the line of passengers through the narrow aisleway. And when he was finally off the plane and off the jet bridge and then through the doorway, he stepped around the other passengers and picked up his pace, having to hold himself back from breaking into a jog.
Soon. So, so soon.
Sam continued through the airport, everything still a bit of a blur. In fact, he wasn’t even sure how he actually managed to get from point A to point B. But it didn’t matter. When he stepped through the last set of doors of the one-way corridor at the exit to the main terminal and finally, finally saw his boyfriend—standing back just a ways, waiting patiently—nothing else really mattered.
All that mattered was that Ollie was there—there and happy and incredibly handsome, and smiling that smile that seemed like it was meant only for Sam, perfectly bright and brilliant. God, he’d missed it so much. All the air left Sam’s lungs as their eyes locked, and all he heard was the wild, rushed beating of his own heart.
It didn’t seem possible, but Ollie’s smile somehow got even bigger and even brighter, and Sam found himself finally breaking into a jog, closing that last bit of distance.
Then Ollie was in his arms, and Ollie’s hands cupped his cheeks, pulling them together until their lips met in a kiss that was somehow both gentle and eager at the same time. Theykissed and then kissed again and again, and when they finally parted, Ollie still held them close, leaning in to rest his forehead against Sam’s.
“God, I—it’s so good to see you, love,” Sam said, and he tightened his arms around Ollie, pulling him closer. He brushed a kiss on Ollie’s cheek as Ollie’s arms wrapped up around his neck.
“I missed you so much.”
Sam’s heart clenched, and a wave of warmth coursed through him. Just hearing Ollie’s voicenotthrough a phone... “Me too, love. Me too.” He buried his head into Ollie’s shoulder then, his body shuddering as he let out a long breath.
