29
Xavier
I watch Lina, Nora, and Farrah laugh in the kitchen. The three of them made cookies together when Nora came home from work. The sight of the three of them together fills an unknown hole that I was unaware of. It’s funny how things work themselves out when you let them. How life can align when you stop forcing things. I watch as those three women giggle loudly in the kitchen. Their laughs defrost my cold and painful past, the past that filled me with so much hate for this world.
“Oh my gosh, Lina, these are un-freaking-believable!” Nora squeals as she shoves a cookie into her mouth. Lina smiles as she takes one too then glances my way. I want her forever. I never want to lose her again. She’s embedded into my soul now. Every bit of who she is entwined into my heart.
“Here, try some,” she says, walking towards me. I open my mouth as she lets me take a bite. Nodding my head in approval I then watch as she smiles back at Nora who has the biggest smirk on her face. Nora and I lock eyes and I know what she’s thinking. She’s having one of the biggest I told you so moments in history. She was right—about everything. I was too focused on protecting what fragile heart I had instead of going after someone that I knew I was meant to be with.
“So you leave tomorrow?” Farrah says putting away the dirty dishes. “Unfortunately,” Lina snaps back. She keeps from looking at me and I know why. I know she wants to stay and if I could I would fly her back myself and never leave her side again. But in reality, I have to let her go back home. We’ve already talked about making things work somehow—someway.
I could never ask her to leave her family and move here, and I know she would never ask me to leave Nora. Things have worked themselves out so far, so I’m trusting they will continue to do so.
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Farrah has left for the night and Nora has trotted off to her apartment that’s a few floors down. I love her dearly, but I thought it was in both of our best interests that she had a separate apartment. We’re in the same building at least which calms my anxious mind.
Lina rests her head on my shoulder as we lay on the couch. The Eiffel Tower flickers in the distance as we both gaze over at it. I feel her exhale softly. “You okay?” I ask. “No,” she says softly. “I don’t have any desire to go back home, does that make me a shitty person?” she asks and I shake my head. “No, not at all.” I pull her close as we continue to lay there. I know that I have to get her back to her hotel, but I’m dreading it. Dreading saying goodbye after just saying hello.
“I’m flying out at the end of the week,” I say, trying to uplift her spirits.
“I know and I already miss you. How is that even possible?” She turns and looks up at me.
“You ready?” I ask, already knowing the answer. She nods slightly and the two of us gather our things and make our way out of the apartment hand in hand.
We walk down the streets of Paris gloomily as our time together comes to an end for now. I try to smile but waves of sadness continue to rush through me with each step I take. Something is telling me to ask her to stay, but I know I can’t. I can’t force that on her right now.
“I’ll see you next week?” she says as she stops in front of her hotel. I smile down at her as I take her face with both of my hands. I bring my lips to hers and kiss her slow and deep. We kiss for a few minutes trying to make up for the time we’re going to be apart. I explore her mouth as our kissing intensifies. This is only the beginning of our story. We spent the past few months away from each other, surely we can manage seven days.
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I sit at my desk rereading the same sentence over and over again. Lina made it back to Chicago yesterday and we’ve been texting nonstop. I’ve never experienced anything like this. I always—always would get tired of talking to the same girl after a few days, but I could talk to her forever and it still wouldn’t be long enough. Every time my phone goes off, a giddy smile smears across my face because I know it’s her. She’s got me so wrapped around her fingers that it’s disgusting.