Door’s unlocked. Hurry.
I throwclothes into my bag. Not just for tomorrow. For multiple days. Work clothes. Casual clothes. Toothbrush. Face wash. My laptop.
My next month’s packet of birth control pills.
I grab them from the bathroom cabinet and stare at the little pink compact. We used condoms in Toronto. But I’ve been on birth control since I was eighteen and we talked about it this morning. About what it would mean to not use condoms anymore.
I put them in my bag.
The drive is both heaven and hell. At every red light I use the time to question everything. This is too fast. We just got back. I should give us space. Every green light feels like the universe is giving me permission for this to happen.
I text him from the lobby.
I’m here.
Romeo
Tenth floor. Run.
The elevator is too slow. When the doors slide open he’s already there, leaning against the wall in low-slung sweats and that faded Puckaneers tee, hair a disaster, eyes bright like I just handed him the Stanley Cup.
“You came,” he says, soft, like he wasn’t sure I would.
“You asked,” I reply, like it’s that simple. Like all he has to do is tell me to come and I will.
He pulls me inside, kicks the door shut, and just… holds me. Arms tight around my shoulders, face buried in my hair, breathing me in like he’s been underwater for hours.
I press my face into his chest.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he says against my hair. “Kept reaching for you and you weren’t there.”
“Me too. My apartment echoed.”
“Because you’re supposed to be here. With me.”
He’s right. I am. And I feel relief, happiness, and something else. Something bigger.
“That’s not an overnight bag, JuJu,” he says.
“It’s a few nights bag,” I correct, cheeks hot. “If you’re… cool with that.”
“I’m cool with that for approximately the next fifty years. Give or take.” He kisses my forehead. “Stay as long as you want.”
We leave my bag by the door and he leads me to his bedroom.
“What side do you usually sleep on?”
“Whichever side you’re not on.”
I roll my eyes but I’m smiling. “That’s cheesy.”
“You like it.”
I choose the left side and he slides in after me, pulling me against him.
“Better?” he murmurs against the nape of my neck.
The exhale I let out feels like the first real breath I’ve taken since the plane wheels touched down. “So much better.”
