“Man, you sure do want to see me, huh?”
“Looks like it.”
“I can’t deny that the prospect of jamming with you again sounds nice. And touching you, holding you, spending time with you.” My fingers trembled. “If you really want to come, I’d love to spend spring break with you.”
“For real?” Sebastian beamed so hard his teeth could have taken a second job as light bulbs. “Because if you’re serious, I’ll call Mom first thing in the morning.”
“I am serious.”
“Fuck yeah! And don’t worry, I’ll phrase it exactly like I told you. I’m coming to study. It’s not even a lie since I’ll likely have to crack open my books at some point.”
We grinned at each other like the two stupid guys we were.
Our call ended pretty quickly after that because it was already after midnight, but we texted until my eyes were too heavy to stay open any longer.
The next day, Laura approached me after breakfast and told me about Sebastian’s plans.
“Since this is your home, too,” she said, clinging to her coffee mug, “I wanted to ask if that’s okay with you.”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” I replied, trying hard not to show that this wasn’t the first time I heard about this.
Her eyes settled on me, almost like she expected a different response.
”It’s a big house. There’s enough space for both of us,” I babbled on. “And we got along quite well during the reunion. It’ll be fine, I think.”
She studied me for another second, then nodded. “Great, I’ll tell him it’s okay, then.”
I rushed up to my room, my heart racing, and texted Sebastian immediately. Three minutes later, he called me.
“Hey,” I said, pressing the phone close to my ear. “We’re really doing this, huh?”
For a few seconds, I only heard breathing, until he finally spoke. “I’m already counting the days.”
Spring break wasmy favorite holiday when I was young. It was the one week of the year when I got to spend most of my time alone at home. There was no distracting noise, just my favorite records and the piano.
Once I started college to get a sound design degree, the week lost its specialness. Not only did I have to study, but my stepdadhad already moved in with us, and since he worked remotely and had brought two dogs, there was always something going on.
It only became the cozy, silent treat again when I moved in with the Drapers. Laura was a teacher in Ashbourne, so she got the week off, and Dany, being his own boss, could do whatever he wanted anyway. They always used the time to travel, leaving the house entirely in my care. I spent them completely alone, still doing my regular chores, but mostly making music at full blast because the opportunity was rare.
This spring, though, I was looking forward to it more than I ever had before.
The days until I’d see Sebastian again flew by, and before I knew it, the Friday of his arrival had already come. I wasn’t sure if he did it on purpose, but his plane arrived at an impossible time shortly after lunch. Both Dany and Laura were still at work, so I was the only one available to pick him up.
As I drove to the municipal airport near Ashbourne, the sun shone brightly. The roads were surprisingly busy that day, and when I arrived after a stressful thirty minutes, I was glad I had come early. It took me almost twenty-five minutes just to get into the parking lot and find a space. By the time I turned off the car, I already had a message from Seb on my phone.
We’ve landed, but I’m sitting in the last row.
The skull emoji that followed made me giggle. His message had arrived only a minute before I parked, which gave me a chance to make it to the gate on time. It was probably silly, but I was at the point where waiting even a minute longer felt like it would kill me.
I’ll pick you up inside!
I made my way through the parking lot, picking up the pace with each step.
The closer I got to the entrance, the noisier everything became. A plane took off right behind the building, and the sound made me clench my teeth. The large hall filled with hundreds of people didn’t help, either. Every small sound—from luggage rolling across the tiles to screaming children and footsteps echoing through the hall like gunshots—poured over me all at once. I put in my headphones and turned on a playlist I had made for especially overwhelming places, filled with heavy metal—nothing I regularly listened to, but perfect for this occasion.
I strolled past the stores and the lines of people waiting at the airline counters, all to the sound of a man screaming something in Swedish. After a full song, I arrived at the gate that had “Arrival—DO NOT ENTER—ALARM WILL SOUND” written in big letters above it.
A black, hip-high wall blocked off the area, as if the sign above the gate weren’t enough. I walked all the way down to where I had the best view of the door, rested my arms on the balustrade, and waited. Just as I pulled out my phone to check for updates, someone slapped the back of my shoulder, startling the hell out of me.
