Page 158 of Smoke and Glitter

Knowing that doesn't make watching him pack easier.

Sam straightens and catches me looking at the suitcase. His hands go still against the handle for a moment before he leaves it and comes toward me.

He stops directly between my knees. "You told me to ask."

"I did."

"So I'm asking. Do you want me to go?"

The question catches me cleanly enough that I can't hide behind the practical answer.

"No," I tell him. "I don't want you to go. I also don't want you changing your flight again."

"I know that realistically I can't." His hands settle around my waist, warm through my shirt. "I just really don't want to leave you either. Especially when I just got you back into my arms."

The simple admission does more for me than reassurance would have.

I slide my hands up his forearms. "Good. I'd hate to be pathetic alone."

"You're handling it beautifully."

He leans down and kisses me, slow enough that I stop thinking about the airport for a while. When he pulls back, I keep hold of his shirt because letting go feels too much like starting the next part.

Sam rests his forehead against mine. "I'll see you at home."

He could have said Chicago. He could have said a few weeks. Instead, he says home like there is already a place where the two of us resume. I look at him for another second before my grip on his shirt loosens.

"Then you'd better remember the suitcase with the passport in it."

His thumb brushes behind my ear. "I have my passport. I wonder what would happen if I accidentally on purpose forgot it."

"That sounds suspiciously like another flight extension."

"Purely hypothetical."

"Get on the plane, Sam."

His mouth brushes mine. "Bossy."

"You like me that way."

"I really fucking do."

Sam kisses me again, shorter this time, then pulls back before either of us can turn it into a reason for him to miss the flight. He picks up the suitcase and checks the pocket of his jacket.

I point at him. "That better be the passport."

"It is."

"Good. Call me when you land."

His eyes come back to mine. "I was going to."

There is no careful if you're awake attached to it, no little escape hatch that makes wanting contact sound optional.

I nod. "I'll answer."

Sam leaves a few minutes later.