AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The whole way back to the hotel, he tried to convince himself that it was going to be alright. His time with her had been special and had begun to heal something broken within him. Maybe that’s just what it was always meant to be. Hopefully, maybe he’d healed something within her too.
Back in the room, they silently made their way to the bed. Their clothes came off layer by layer, until they were both laid bare. This time, when he slid inside of her, it was slow and tinged with heartache. And when she climbed on top of him, her slow, sweet grind felt like heaven and hell at once.
Afterward, they took the tree down and packed everything away. She changed into leggings and that hideous light up sweater that had made him laugh every time he saw it. But now, he didn’t have much laughter left.
“I’ll walk you over,” he said. “If you want.” The words croaked from his throat.
“I’d like that.”
They made their way across the street, where traffic had resumed and life was beginning to emerge. People were walking around, yelling at their kids to be careful in the snow. The spell of quiet and peace had been broken and the noise brought reality with it.
The line to TSA security was long and she held back from joining it. “Gabriel?”
He stroked her dark locs. “Hmm?”
She shook her head and didn’t finish the thought. Instead she stood straighter and kissed him. With her arms wrapped around his neck, they held each other far too tight, neither willing to let go first.
The warmth of her arms thawed the cold that had been living inside of him the last few years. This was rare. Beautiful and special. He’d never met anyone like her, and yet, he barely knew her. He didn’t know her favorite color or which side of the bed she preferred. If she always ate breakfast or if she was one of those people who drank shakes and went jogging before sunrise. Did she hate slapstick comedy the way he did? Was she a messy painter, leaving splatters everywhere, or was she careful and meticulous?
There was so much he didn’t know. So much he wanted to know.
And yet, what little he did know felt like enough. It felt like everything. Like she was…his person. The gentle reason to his big emotions. He’d waited forty-two years to find her, just to have her for two days.
“Thank you for everything,” she murmured.
“I think you did more for me than I did for you.”
“How do you even quantify that?” she asked.
“Well, one of us cried like an infant today and it wasn’t you.”
She laughed against his neck. “Tell me a joke.”
He racked his brain for a good one. “Who is Santa’s favorite pop star?”
“No idea.”
“Beyon-sleigh.”
She shook her head.“That’s the worst one yet.”
“Oh, I’ve got so many more.”
Her sniffle was loud and final as she released him. He felt a shiver as the cold air replaced the warmth of her arms. Her cheeks were shiny with tracks of tears. “I don’t like saying goodbye. So, merry Christmahanakwanzidan, Gabriel-not-Gabe,” she said.
“Merry…all the stuff you just said.”
With that, she turned and pulled her carry-on bag over her shoulder and got in line. He stayed and watched her run her bag through the scanner and get scanned herself. On the other side, she slid her shoes back on and looked around.
“Zoe!” Suddenly a man came racing through the departure hall, running as if his life depended on it. He wore some kind of red… Santa coat as he barreled around people. “Zoe!” he called again. Everyone cranked their heads to see what was going on as the man rushed to a terminal.
Gabriel glanced at Talia, who was watching the whole thing with amused eyes. He grabbed his phone and texted her. What did I tell you? Christmas makes everyone nuts. Even Santa.
She reached for her buzzing phone and he knew the moment she read it, because he could hear her cackle of laughter above the din of the security area. She looked around. When her gaze landed on him, she pressed her fingers to her lips and blew him a kiss.
And like the cheese ball he was, he caught it and blew it back. She laughed in that way that felt like the sun shining just on him, before turning and heading for her gate. He watched as she disappeared from his sight and likely from his life.
He cried the whole way home.
