Her official start date was in a few weeks, and Tristan would start heavily training for a few months before heading to camp, so Tristan had explained that he wanted to take one more opportunity to do something special with her.
“Can’t tell you,” he says flatly as the vehicle comes to a stop and he opens the door.
She follows behind him and gasps when she sees the private jet they had used a few times over the past few months, and then her eyes land on the multiple suitcases behind pulled from the back of the SUV.
“We’re going somewhere far away?” she asks over the loud engine of the plane, shielding her eyes from the dipping sun. It was around 5 pm, and the sun was starting to take on that golden hue that Tristan loved so much. He always said it made Tessa look even more ethereal than she already way.
“Kind of,” he says with a shrug, taking her hand in his and walking towards the plain.
“Tristan, come on!” she whines, but willingly follows him up the steps and into the luxurious cabin on the plane. “You’re really not going to tell me until we get there? I’ll just make the flight attendant tell me.”
“They’ve all been sworn to secrecy,” Tristan says with a grunt as his very large body settles into the small seat, pulling Tessa into his lap. “And you’ll be put right back into a car you can’t see out of when we get there. I’m not letting the surprise come out until we’re at our final destination.”
“So we’re staying in the States?” she asks, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Mmhm, and that’s all you’re getting out of me.”
About 2 hours later, the plane finally descends and lands, and Tessa tries to sneakily look out the airplane window but is only met with the darkness of nighttime and faint city lights. She grunts in frustration and looks up at Tristan who is stretching his aching legs from sitting in a cramped seat.
Even having his own private jet doesn’t make any difference with having to stuff his massive 6’6 frame into the seats.
“Are you going to tell me now?” She asks, crossing her arms defiantly and tapping an impatient foot. In her attempt to intimidate Tristan, he only laughs and places a warm kiss on her lips, finding her little pout to be incredibly endearing.
“You gonna make me blindfold you, Smith?” he asks with a cocked eyebrow, and a giggle escapes from her frowning face.
“Come on,” he urges as he begins to walk off the plane. “For someone so eager to find out where we are you sure are prolonging this.”
“Ugh!” sshe huffs and throws her hands up, following him off the plane.
Her eyes dart around as she walks down the stairs, but again, it’s too dark around and all she can see are city lights and a few planes out in the distance. The car they’re taking is even parked in a way where she can’t see the license plate.
She climbs into the car behind Tristan and settles into his side and rolls her eyes at him as he pulls shades down around the windows so she can’t see out.
“This is quite the operation you’ve got going,” she says with a laugh, and he only gives her a warm smile in return.
“You’re worth all the bells and whistles, sweetheart.”
Tristan keeps Tessa tucked under his arm during the short car ride, a comfortable silence enveloping the car. The energy around them is heavy and charged – but in a good way. Tessa can feel deep in her bones that wherever Tristan is taking her will be a special moment between the two of them – something pivotal that they will remember for the rest of their lives, and she welcomes the contemplative look on his face as the car continues to gently sway along the roads to wherever they’re going.
When the car finally comes to a stop, Tessa looks up into Tristan’s eyes and sees something she’s not sure she’s ever seen before – nerves. As she has come to find out over the time they’ve spent together, both past and present, there is not amoment that is ever too big for Tristan. He has always walked through life with confidence and joy, and even in some of the most stressful and strenuous situation, always was eager to face a challenge head on.
So the fact that he suddenly looked like a little boy on the first day of school made her heart skip, and before she knew it, it was full on pounding against her rib cage.
“You ready?” he asks, his voice shaking but his smile warm and genuine, and she can only nod eagerly at him.
He takes a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out, allowing her to follow behind him. Once her feet hit the pavement, her eyes glance upward, and a small gasp escapes her lips.
Before her, illuminated in the quiet, dark night, is the stadium she once knew so well, the words Vanderbilt University shining like a beacon in the night.
Suddenly, all of her senses heighten, and she can smell the unmistakable scent of the Oak trees lining the streets, the overwhelming chirp of crickets and tree frogs, and the breeze that whips through the air, slightly chilly and humid from recent rain.
Tessa hasn’t been back here in 10 years.
It feels like home.
“Oh my God,” she whispers, grasping Tristan’s hand as he starts to pull her forward.
“Is it just like you remembered it?” he asks, and she nods tearfully.
