41. I’m Coming Home – Dakota
41
I’M COMING HOME
DAKOTA
T he car feels suffocating as I pull up to Lauren's house. My hands shake slightly as I turn off the engine, and I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I've been rehearsing what to say for weeks, but now that I'm here, all the words seem to evaporate.
The porch light casts a warm glow on the familiar front door. How many times have I walked through it, feeling like I was coming home? Now, I'm not sure if I still have that right.
I check my reflection in the rearview mirror. My hair's a bit longer, and my face leaner after months of trading booze for workouts. I look better, I know. But will it be enough?
Before I can talk myself out of it, I'm out of the car and knocking on the door. The sound seems too loud in the quiet neighborhood.
For a moment, there's silence. Then, footsteps.
The door opens, and there she is.
Lauren.
My breath catches in my throat. She looks... tired. Beautiful, always beautiful, but exhausted. There are dark circles under her eyes, and her hair is piled messily on top of her head. She's wearing pajama shorts and an old T-shirt that I recognize as one I used to sleep in.
But it's her eyes that captivate me. They're wide with surprise, and beneath the fatigue, there's a spark. A glimmer of... hope? Happiness?
For a long moment, we just stare at each other. I drink in the sight of her, noticing small changes. New highlights in her hair. A small scrape on her knee, probably from chasing after Roman. She looks like she's carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, but somehow, impossibly, she also looks happy to see me.
I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. What can I say? I'm sorry? I've missed you? I love you?
Before I can figure it out, Lauren moves. In an instant, we're in each other's arms.
I pull her close, breathing in her scent. She smells like home - a hint of floral shampoo, the faint sweetness of wine on her breath. I can feel her heartbeat against my chest, quick and strong.
We stand there, holding each other, for what feels like forever. I pour every emotion into this hug. I feel a lump form in my throat, and I have to blink back tears.
Lauren's fingers curl into my shirt, and I tighten my arms around her. I want to memorize this moment, the feeling of her in my arms again.
There's so much to talk about. But as I hold her, I make a silent promise to her, to myself, to us. Whatever comes next, whatever challenges we face, I'm all in.
Because this - Lauren in my arms, the possibility of a future together - this is worth fighting for.