Chapter 11

(Sara)

He'd given me somewhat of an ultimatum I suppose. I could whether or not to take him to the airport or not this morning. Things last night had been weird; so weird in fact that I felt inspired to write a song about it. He'd brought me home, dropped me off, giving me a goodnight kiss at the door, and I made my way inside & down to my home studio. I wrote the song in all of 15 minutes, & had a demo of it recorded within a couple of hours of being home.

Now here I was, holding a CD in my hand, & waiting outside his front door. I'd written this for him & I intended for him to hear it. I'd never been great with expressing how I felt in words, but in a song I could tell you everything. I'd written a letter & tucked it into the CD case. I knocked gently on his front door, waiting for him to answer. I thought for sure I'd missed him, but after a few minutes of standing there I heard him messing with the door locks. The door opened to reveal him in nothing but a towel. I found my voice caught in my throat & I guess I was staring because he started chuckling. "Like what you see, Ms. Thomas?" He asked me.

I shook the thoughts out of my head & tried my best to form words. "Uh....hi...I thought I missed you..." I told him. He ushered me inside, shutting the door once I was in.

"Oh no, I'm just getting dressed & leaving here in a minute. So you decided to go with me to the airport, I assume?" He asked me. I hadn't been in his house yet. It was extravagant to say the least, much moreso than mine.

I took a seat on one of the two plush couches that adorned his living area. I shook my head. "No, actually..."

He nodded. I could see the disappointment on his face. "Oh. Then why are you here?"

"I still wanted to see you before you left. I just... I couldn't bare to say goodbye to you at the airport like that. It's so ... I don't know..."

He nodded. "I understand. Let me go get dressed and then we'll talk for a minute." I nodded & watched as he headed upstairs. He was only up there about 15 minutes before he came back down carrying his suitcase. "So...."

I stood up. "I kinda sorta wrote you a song last night." I handed him the CD. "I wanted you to know exactly how I felt about this whole situation with us. It's just much easier to put it into song."

"Thanks. I'll, uh, listen to it on the plane." He put it in his carryon bag. "Look, Sara, I don't want things to be weird with us because of what I said last night & clearly they are."

I sighed & nodded. "Nick, I guess I'm just surprised is all... I never pictured you being the 'I love you' type - crazy as that may seem." I paused. "And I guess I've never had a guy tell me that and truly mean it before."

"Billy never said it?" He asked, speaking of my one & only former boyfriend.

"He never meant it. I was a relationship of convienience for him. With you, I feel it's so much more, but I don't want to rush things & mess it up. It's only been a few months, Nick, & here we are facing months apart already. I just want to make sure I can handle it before I get myself in too deep."

He walked up to me & put his arms around me, pulling me close to his body. I loved being in his embrace, it made me feel safe. "Sara, I have no doubt in my mind that you can handle it, but I respect your decision & I will be counting the days until I see you again." He leaned down & kissed me gently.

"Thank you, Nick. You really are the most amazing man I've ever met." He smiled.

"I hate this, but I really need to get to the airport & check in. I'll call you when I land in LA, okay?" He told me, as I followed behind him as we walked out his front door. He locked up & turned to me.

"You better." I told him.. He leaned down & kissed me again, deeper this time. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, babe." He told me as he turned and headed towards his car. I watched as he got in & then watched as he drove off. This was going to be the longest 3 months of my life. I only hoped that after this he'd still be coming back to me.

****

(Nick)

I boarded the plane & made myself comfortable. Once we were in the air & able to use our electronic devices I booted up my laptop & put in the CD that Sara had recorded for me. I put in my headphones & pressed play. I then read the note she'd enclosed with it. Everything I wish I could've said last night but didn't. xo, Sara. The music began to play & soon her angelic voice filled my ears. I leaned back & closed my eyes, listening closely to the lyrics.

Lyin' here with you so close to me
It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe
Caught up in this moment
Caught up in your smile

As soon as the song ended I pulled out my cell phone & sent her a text. Sara, just listened to the song, & it's amazing. I miss you so much already & I can't wait to kiss you goodnight again. Call you when I land. xx, Nick.

****