Chapter 16
“Well, sweetheart, this is it,” Sue says as she hugs me, her eyes glassy. “I have so enjoyed having you live here with me. You have a place here whenever you need it, but you are going to blossom in Charleston. Please let me know when you get there safely.”
I hug her back as tight as I can. “Thank you, Sue, for everything. I’ll text you from Charleston.”
Zander pops his head in as we separate. He gives Sue a big hug and makes her promise to visit soon. “Ready?” He asks me.
I take a deep breath and nod. Charleston, here I come.
Navigating the airport is exhausting. I flew only once before, a few years prior to the accident and before my touch aversion.
Now, trying to avoid being touched in a busy airport is very difficult, but Zander protects me as best he can.
I'm bumped while we wait to pay for my extra luggage and yelp, so Zander stands behind me to block anyone from coming too close.
Security chooses me for extra screening, but I opt quickly for a scan instead of a pat down.
Boarding the plane is difficult, too. Zander stands behind me in line, quickly moving ahead when we board, protecting me from people settling and stowing luggage.
Luckily, he purchased me a window seat beside him at the front of the plane.
He does his best not to touch me, but it honestly doesn’t bother me too much when it happens by accident.
During the flight, I share my snacks that Sue baked while we watch a show he puts on his laptop. Honestly, I have no idea what the show is, but it helps pass the time. We arrive in Charleston after only a few hours in the air. Enough time for my frazzled nerves to settle a bit.
Zander suggests waiting for everyone else to exit the plane before we get off.
It works well, and there's no panic-inducing incidents.
His security lead, Troy, is meeting us at the luggage carousel, so we take our time winding through the airport, avoiding any crowds. I stop to pee and stow my winter coat.
When we get to baggage claim, Troy is already standing there with a trolley full of our luggage. He and Zander do that half-handshake, half-hug thing I’ve seen guys do before.
Troy is close to the same height as Zander, maybe just over 6 feet, and you can see his muscles through his t-shirt.
He's wearing some type of dark green uniform. The color is so dark, you could probably mistake it for black under low light conditions. His black hair seems shorter than it was in the video a few days ago, and he has a scar on the right side of his neck from just below his ear, descending under his shirt that I didn’t notice on the phone.
“Hello Summer. It’s nice to officially meet you,” he says. “Welcome to Charleston.” He has a friendly smile with a chipped front tooth I missed on the video call, too. He doesn’t approach me or offer his hand to shake, so I guess Zander told him about my aversion to touch.
“Hi Troy. Nice to meet you, too. Um, how did you know which luggage was mine?”
“Z sent me a picture before you left the airport. Come on, you two. The SUV isn’t far.
” We walk towards the automatic doors, and I notice they’ve each taken a side and put me in the middle.
Zander is on the right and Troy has the trolley on the left, so no one can get close to me. Very nice of them both.
When we step outside, I have to stop for a minute to take my hoodie off and try to inhale a breath. It feels like summer down here, but oh, the humidity. That will take some getting used to. It feels like wading through soup, and I can’t seem to get enough oxygen into my lungs.
Zander must notice my heavy breathing because he stops a step ahead. “You’ll get used to the humidity. Sorry, I should have warned you before we got outside.”
Troy laughs. “Wait until summer hits. The humidity fluctuates daily here, but when it’s in the high 90s and near 100% humidity, it’s gross.”
It gets worse? I can’t wait, I think to myself.
It takes only a few minutes to walk to the vehicle from here. It’s another black SUV, but this one has dark tinted windows. Zander opens the door to the passenger seat for me while Troy loads up the trunk area with our luggage.
“Here, let me grab your hoodie and backpack. I’ll set them in the back with me,” Zander offers. I hand them over and get in. He slips into the backseat while Troy returns the trolley. “Doing okay, Summer?”
“Yeah. Happy to escape from everyone. Thanks for protecting me.”
Zander smiles as Troy hops into the driver’s seat and does a double take when he sees me in the passenger seat. He looks in the rearview mirror. “Who are you and what happened to Z?” He demands.
“Shut up, Troy, and drive,” Zander responds, rolling his eyes. I look back and forth between them, trying to figure out what’s happening.
“What? You never let anyone sit in the passenger seat when you’re in the vehicle.” Troy turns to me. “You should feel very privileged sitting there Summer. He refuses to sit in the backseat with the rest of us.”
I direct my attention towards Zander. He winks at me and pushes the back of Troy’s seat. “Let’s get going.”
Troy shakes his head in disappointment at Zander. “I thought you loved me man.” These two seem very close with the way they banter. It will keep things interesting and lighthearted when they’re together.
He backs out of the parking spot, and we head out of the airport.
Troy discusses something related to work, so I tune out and grab my cell from my back pocket, turning it back on.
I send a text to Sue and Sarah, letting them know I’m in Charleston and heading to Zander’s house. A text from Sue comes in immediately.
Sue: Glad you arrived safely, sweetheart.
I shift my attention to the window and the passing scenery.
It’s so different here from Virginia. We’re only a few states apart, but I see pops of color here already, instead of snow.
As Troy turns left onto another road, I notice the water.
It’s sparkling in the sunshine. It’s even brighter than when the snow glitters under the sun.
We rise into the air over the land, and I lean forward to get a better look.
We’re on a very long, very massive bridge as we drive over water, a sad-looking little island, and more water.
The bridge rises tall on both sides of us.
It’s a bit intimidating, so I lean back in my seat and stare ahead.
Soon we’re descending over land again, and the road returns to normal. Some of the tension I didn’t realize I was holding leaves my shoulders. I look over to see Troy smiling at me. “That was Drum Island and the Cooper River. Pretty cool, right?”
“I’ve never seen a bridge like that before. It was massive,” I respond. I glance back to see Zander. “There are a lot of big bridges in the area, right? I saw a map online the other day, and there seemed to be a lot of them.”
“Yes, there are several, but that’s the largest one we have around here,” he smiles warmly.
“It can be overwhelming the first time you go across, but I honestly don’t notice it unless I’ve been away for a while.
We’re in Mt. Pleasant right now. I, sorry, we live in Mt. Pleasant. It’s not far from here.”
Nodding, I turn back so I can keep looking around.
There are houses and shops everywhere, and I see a school nearby as well.
Different store names than I’m used to pass by, but with the same functions: pharmacies, grocery stores, offices.
Soon we’re meandering through residential neighborhoods.
There are enormous houses close together, interspersed with larger lots with older homes on them.
A few minutes after we’ve turned off the main road, Troy turns right onto a gravel driveway.
A one-story house with a large porch greets us.
The porch appears new, with a hanging swing on the left and rocking chairs on the right surrounding the green front door.
There are shrubs lining the porch, with some starting to bloom in a hot pink color.
Azaleas I think. The siding looks like wood and could use a coat of paint.
To the right, there is a new two-car garage with white siding and wooden-looking garage doors.
Several acres seem to surround the house, with a live oak tree in the front yard to the right of the garage.
I can’t see any of the neighbors through all the trees.
Trees that are blooming already with mostly green grass below.
Troy parks in front of the garage and hops out, going to the trunk. Zander steps out and opens my door. “Welcome home, Summer,” he smiles, excited to be back.
I step onto the driveway as Zander hands me my hoodie and backpack. I think it’s even more humid here than at the airport. Grabbing a hair tie from my backpack, I pull my hair into a messy bun, breathing deeply to get enough oxygen.
Troy walks back over to the SUV while I’m looking around. “I stacked the luggage on the porch. I’m heading back to work. Nice to meet you, Summer,” he smiles. “Z, talk soon.” He waves and hops back into the driver’s seat and heads down the drive.
I follow Zander up the steps onto the front porch. “So this is it,” he says, waving around. “The guys and I rebuilt the porch last year. I still need to paint the house and replace the front windows,” he says as he rubs the back of his neck. Is he nervous, too?
“It’s nice, Zander. You do construction too? I thought you did security and transport?”
“Construction is something I like to do. This was my grandparents’ house.
I spent many summers here as a kid, and my grandpa owned a construction company.
He taught me everything he knew. They left me the house when they passed, but it sat empty until I got out of the military, so it needed a lot of work.
I’m still working on it,” he shrugs. “Let’s grab the luggage and get inside. ”