reed
. . .
The arrivals board keeps flickering between flight numbers and delays, but I really don’t notice it anymore.
My hands are shoved in my jacket pockets, the hum of rolling luggage and chatter blend into static.
I’ve been standing at baggage claim C for nearly an hour, pretending to scroll through my phone when all I’m really doing is replaying her text in my head.
“Yeah! I’ll be there tonight.”
I told myself I was being a decent man by picking her up, so she wouldn’t have to ride alone so late.
But decent men don’t count the literal minutes or hours until sunshine walks back into their lives.
I’ve been standing here long enough for my coffee to go cold, as my boots are planted on the polished floor, tapping away in a nervous rhythm.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
My phone buzzes in my pocket as I grab it quickly, reading the message flashing across the screen.
Layla
Finally off the plane, headed to baggage claim
I exhale as my thumb hovers over the screen.
Reed
I’m by baggage claim C.
Before I can lock the screen, I spot her.
She’s weaving through the crowd as she grips her purse, and her other hand is clutching her phone.
The hood of her bright yellow hoodie is half up, her hair spilling around her face. She’s analyzing the crowd, her eyes scanning everywhere until they land on me.
And she smiles.
Her damn smile. She’s so goddamn radiant, and she doesn’t even realize how much of an effect she has on me.
When she reaches me, her words spill out, a cue that she’s nervous.
“Hi—oh my god, hey—sorry, I’m talking too fast. I didn’t sleep on the flight, and they ran out of pretzels—criminal, right? And some guy sneezed on my laptop, so now I think I have the plague?—”
“Layla.”
Her mouth snaps shut. “Yeah?”
“You’re here,” I say quietly, a ghost of a smile dances across my lips.
She laughs nervously. “Yeah. I’m here.”
The noise around us briefly softens.
I notice the faint circles under her eyes and the exhaustion in her sagging shoulders, but she keeps trying to hide it, filling the silence with a bright smile.
She quickly adjusts her hoodie, pulling the fabric down, and in that movement, her features become more defined.
