Adrenaline

34 | moments and tides pt. i

Sitting in the waiting area, I stare out at the sky and watch planes take off and land, waiting for my favorite wave to return to me. The sky is painted in the warmest orange hue and slowly darkens as the sun sets.

I click out of Instagram when I see another close friends story from Lauren of her and Jun eating at some restaurant.

After spending a week with Lauren and Seira carrying out classic post-breakup self-care rituals, I expect her to take time to work through her feelings and slow things down with Jun, but after a few days, it all starts up again.

With impeccable timing, Jun's name flashes on the screen.

"Hey, you."

"Where are you at?"

"LAX."

Lauren's voice chimes in. "Isn't she picking up Bash?"

"I forgot," Jun laughs. "Sorry, I was gonna ask if you want to grab dinner or something."

"Maybe another time?"

Lauren appears on the call. "Why don't you bring boy wonder? We can all hang out."

Part of me wants to decline simply because I'm looking forward to having Brendon all to myself after a couple of months apart. With all of the turbulence of our schedules, taking it easy will be preferable. I know on Brendon's end, after spending an entire day traveling, he's likely to want to settle back in at his house.

I'm also not fond of what appears to be a double date with two pairs of people stuck in their own will-they-won't-they mess. But stating that outright will leave them throwing questions at me I'm not ready to answer.

"He's getting off a long flight. He'll probably be tired."

"The man has to eat, Stev," Lauren laughs. "Just ask. If not then no big. Let us know."

Protesting too much will look suspicious so I don't bother. Since he's not likely to be enthusiastic about the suggestion, I'll leave it up to him to reject their offer.

When my eyes drift back to the window, Brendon's shadowy figure, backlit by the fading sun, begins to descend upon the building. My heart simultaneously leaps out of my chest at the sight of him while dreading his answer.

"I'll ask if he's up for it. Call you in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, I tuck it into my pocket and speed across the empty waiting area. He barely has time for his suitcase to cross the threshold before I launch myself into his arms. His entire body radiates with a warm smile and I smother myself in his soft glow. If incineration is a byproduct of getting lost in Brendon, I'll become a pile of ash.

"I'm here for a month," he states with a laugh before pulling away.

"Who said I'm hanging out with you the entire time?"

Tucking me under his arm, Brendon shifts his bags to his other hand. "Pretending you don't like me doesn't work after you kissed me."

"I kissed you? Pretty sure you leaned in first."

"You didn't stop me." He cracks another smile.

"Will be more than happy to reject you if you want to try again."

Brendon laughs, nudging me along.

I twirl his car keys around my finger while he loads his bags into the trunk. "Want to head back to the house or did you need to stop somewhere?"