35. Frankie
THIRTY-FIVE
Frankie
My foot tapped incessantly against the marble-tiled floor.
We’d had to wait on the tarmac for over an hour, and I’d almost suffocated being stuck inside that hot plane. The moment I’d gotten off my flight, I’d made a beeline for the ticketing counter. Apparently, everyone going to Atlanta had some dire need to speak with a customer service representative, because the line was still ten people deep.
I’d tried calling Oliver, but it had gone straight to voicemail. I anxiously scanned my phone. There was only one more flight back to Key Ridge tonight, and I had to be on it. I didn’t even care that my luggage would still be routed to Atlanta; I’d get it later. All I knew was that Oliver was supposed to leave in the morning, and I couldn’t let that happen without baring my soul to him. I hoped it was enough.
I had to tell him I was in love with him.
Maybe not taking this job was about to be the craziest, most irresponsible move I’d ever made. Maybe chasing a guy was completely delusional. The only thing I was certain of was that ever since I’d come to this decision, I hadn’t stopped smiling. Joy radiated from me, the kind that I’d expected but had never appeared when I’d accepted that so-called dream job.
I felt free—free to run into his arms. Now I had to hope they’d still be open for me. Part of me was nervous. This was Oliver, after all. Allergic to commitment, hater of deep conversations, carefree Oliver. But underneath my nerves, I knew how he felt about me.
I’d be yours if I could.
Oliver had never said he hadn’t wanted me for keeps. He just wasn’t meant for the life I thought I’d wanted to live. A life I had now realized I didn’t want either. It couldn’t bring me the happiness I’d found in Key Ridge. I could confidently return to him now, excited to start the next chapter, whatever that may be. I had absolutely none of it figured out, but I didn’t care. He was all I wanted. We’d figure the rest out together.
The line remained stalled as I anxiously checked the time on my phone. I couldn’t miss this flight back to Key Ridge. I thought about calling Oliver again, but I wanted the big grand gesture. His face when he saw me knocking at his apartment door? It was too good to pass up.
I was barely aware of someone yelling something in the distance as I peeked around to watch in agony as the elderly woman at the front of the line fished around for something in her purse.
Then I heard it. The faint sound of my name. It couldn’t be though…
I jerked my head around and nearly choked on a laugh.
Oliver was sprinting down the moving walkway, dodging people and waving frantically with a huge grin on his face. “Frankie!” he called again .
The entire terminal was staring at him at this point, but he didn’t seem to care. Of course he didn’t.
His hair hung in his face and his eyes were brighter than I’d seen them in days.
I gasped and brought a hand to my mouth, leaving the line and jogging toward him. He caught me in his arms as I wrapped my hands around his neck. He kissed me and I wanted to sob with relief.
“What are you doing here?” I asked when we broke free.
“Getting the girl,” he said, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
His words nearly caused my heart to explode.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I said, brushing my fingertips along his jawline.
“Well,” he said, squeezing his arm even tighter around my waist, “it was brought to my attention that you might be in love with me, and I thought it would be a shame to let you get on this flight without telling you that I’m in love with you too.”
“Y-you are?” I blinked the tears from my eyes.
“Very much.” His dark eyes searched mine.
I kissed him again, still not believing this was real life. Maybe Mattie had been right all along. Life could be a fairy tale, and this was mine.
When we finally parted, he raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.
“What?” My forehead crinkled.
“Don’t you have something to say to me?” he probed.
Thoughts whizzed through my mind. I had about a million things I wanted to say to him, but where to start?
He gave a dramatic sigh. “I know that you told Mattie you were in love with me and all. And, of course, she told me. But—now this is just me personally— I think it would mean a hell of a lot more coming from your mouth. You know what I mean?”
I giggled, my cheeks tight from smiling. “I love you, Oliver.”
“Ugh,” he groaned, dipping his head to kiss me again. “That sounds so fucking good coming out of your mouth.”
“I wanted to tell you, but I thought I was being selfish,” I admitted.
“Never hold back from me again, okay?” he said, forcing a stern voice that didn’t sound at all natural coming from his lips. “That was my thing, and you broke me of it. No more secrets, got it?”
“Got it.” I nodded.
His arms were the only thing keeping me tethered to the ground.
He took a piece of my hair and tangled it in his fingers. “I’m sorry I let you go. I thought that I couldn’t be the kind of guy you need, but I realized, the kind of guy you need is someone who’s going to show up. Someone who will put you first. I thought I didn’t have it in me, but you made me realize that I do. I don’t care if it’s New York or the middle of fucking nowhere. I want to be around you always. Adventure will come no matter what, but it’s not going to be worth living if you aren’t there.”
His words were even more than I had been hoping to hear. He was thinking about coming with me to New York? Even though I had already mentally turned away from that path, just the fact that he was willing to follow me there meant the world.
“I’m not going to New York,” I said, smiling.
His eyebrows drew together. “What are you talking about?”
I pointed to the line behind me. “I was waiting to get a flight back to Key Ridge. To tell you that my dreams have changed. I think they did a while ago, but I was too scared to admit it to myself.”
He looked at the line and then back at me, comprehension spreading across his face.
“That job isn’t important to me. You showed me what living could really be like. And I want that. With you. I don’t care what we do—stay in Key Ridge, try something else. Whatever it is, it sounds like the most exciting thing in the world, and I can’t wait to experience it with you.”
“Are you joking?” he said, shaking his head slowly.
“Nope.”
“You have no idea how happy that just made me,” he said before his mouth covered mine again.
After a minute, when we came up for air, I started laughing.
“Look what you did,” I said. “You did exactly what you said you would—showed me how fun life could be. You got to me.”
“Yeah, I did,” he said proudly.
I shook my head, still smiling. “You even left me without a plan. And even after all these weeks, I never did manage to help you find any of your own.”
Oliver’s gaze stayed fixed on me, as if I were the only person in existence. “ You’re my plan, Frankie. You’re all my plans.”