Page 128 of Tell Me Something

My flight back didn’t get into JFK until after ten o’clock at night. By the time I made it through customs, it was closer to eleven. I came out of the international arrivals gate so intent on finding my luggage at the carousel that I almost overlooked Josh completely.

Seeing him standing with a small smile just beyond the security point jolted my system. It was all I could do not to run into his arms. I knew I had a goofy smile on my face.

“Hi, baby.” He grinned as he walked up to me. He was finally close enough to reach out and touch if I wanted to.

I just stood there staring at him, tears in my eyes. Finally, I made my legs move and launched myself at him. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

He put his arms around me and held me close. “I missed you, Haylee.”

I leaned back and cupped his face until he put me down and my feet touched the ground again. “I missed you, too.”

We collected my luggage and were sitting in the back of his sedan before Josh spoke again. “How was your time in Australia?”

“It was really good. My family couldn’t have been nicer. And the food— Oh, my goodness, can my Uncle Paul cook. His restaurant is fabulous.”

“Good. I’m glad you had fun.” He sighed.

I knew he wanted to know if I’d thought more about us. “The time went by really quickly,” I offered lamely.

“It felt like it crawled here.”

I snuggled into his arms while looking at our hands joined together. “I missed you a lot. I’d hoped to come back with all of the answers, but instead I seem to have more questions. I’m still working through them.”

He was completely quiet.

I realized I was being vague and tried to clarify. “Do you think we could play it by ear and just not put pressure on things? I have three weeks before school orientation. Even though I want to get moved in and settled, it would be nice to spend time with you. We could just hang out with each other as our schedules allow and not commit to anything.”

After an eternity, he finally spoke. “If that’s what you need, I can do that.”

AS I WALKED BACK to my apartment from my last class on Friday morning, I couldn’t believe I’d already completed week two of law school. The days after arriving back from Australia and before starting school had gone by in the blink of an eye, what with the move-in, orientation, and the time I’d spent with Josh. He hadn’t pressured me into sharing any more insight into what I was feeling, and I hadn’t offered up anything additional. He seemed to be content with living in the moment and leaving our relationship undefined for now.

Over the last two weeks, I’d fully embraced my academic routine and put in my time studying each night. It was tiring, but I was excited to be back in the groove of being a student.

My apartment was on the second floor of a four-story brick building. The unit was spacious, with a simple layout of living room and kitchen with two doors at the back that led to the one bedroom and bathroom. Most of the other floors appeared to be under construction, and I hadn’t met any of my neighbors. Students kept weird schedules, so that wasn’t surprising.

I’d had some of my things shipped out from storage and loved the fact that I got to sit on a familiar couch and look at my parents’ art on the walls. Sometimes it was the little things.

The rest of my Friday consisted of studying until Josh arrived later this evening after work. He’d mentioned he needed to attend a golf thing with Mark here in New Haven tomorrow afternoon. I was pretty sure the golf event was only an excuse to come up so he wouldn’t have to make the official reason be that he wanted to see me.

I’d just finished reading, completing most of what I needed to do this weekend, when the knock came that evening. I felt my heart flutter with anticipation despite my mind urging me to play it cool. After opening the door, I just smiled.

“That’s quite the smile.” Josh was still in his suit and tie from the office.

I moved into him and hugged him tightly. “I guess I couldn’t wait to get my hands on you. I hope the train wasn’t too bad.”

He looked tired. “It was fine.”

“Liar, but that’s all right.” I appreciated the fact that he didn’t want to complain.

He smiled and kissed me deeply. “You okay?”

“It’s been a hectic couple of weeks getting back into the routine of school, but I’m good. I can’t believe it’s already turning into fall.” I led him into the apartment.

“It’s beautiful up here in the fall. I think you’ll really enjoy it. What do you feel like doing this evening?”

“I have Thai food and your favorite whiskey. I thought perhaps we’d lounge this evening and stay in.”

“Sounds perfect to me. I should be done with the golf thing tomorrow by four o’clock. I was thinking if you don’t have any plans, I’d like to take you out on a date. Dinner, maybe the movies.”