Begin Again

Fourteen

Bob and I made our return from to San Diego from Austin and had spent the remainder of his leave by being lazy and watching all of our favorite movies, wanting to make every single moment count since we knew our time together was coming to an end and he would be leaving my apartment to get all of his things packed.

We knew that the next morning was going to be difficult for both of us since Bob would have to leave to Washington DC with the rest of the daggers for a meeting at the Pentagon regarding their mission and I would be all alone in San Diego for the first time since arriving a month earlier.

Unfortunately the next morning came all too quickly and I found Bob at my front door with all of his bags in hand.

"I wanted to come and say goodbye," Bob said as he stood in the doorway. "We have this big meeting and then I have to report back to Lemoore immediately after."

I felt my heart sink and stepped aside to let him in.

"I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this," I admitted as I closed the door.

"I know," he replied. "But I couldn't leave without saying goodbye."

My eyes began to fill with tears and I blinked them back. The previous four and a half weeks had introduced an absolute whirlwind of a romance between us and despite the fact that I knew this day would come, I hoped it wouldn't. I had hoped that we would be able to live life together in ignorant bliss but we both knew that was asking the universe for too much.

"I bought you something," Bob said softly.

"Hmm?" I hummed in question.

"Here," he said, taking a yellow folder from his bag and handing it to me. "This is for you."

My brows pulled together in confusion as I looked down at the folder before my gaze met Bob's once more.

"Open it," he encouraged.

I hesitantly opened the folder and saw a certificate among some other paperwork and pulled the certificate out.

"What's this for?"

"I bought you a star," he explained. "Two actually. One for me and one for you."

He pulled the star map from the folder and showed me the two stars he had named for us and tears began to well up in my eyes.

"This is a beautiful gift," I said softly as he reached up to wipe a stray tear that fell. "Now anytime I look at the sky, I'll think of you."

"These two specific stars were directly overhead the night we met," Bob explained further. "You know, that night on the beach."

"I remember," I laughed breathily. "This is the most thoughtful gift anybody has ever gotten for me. Thank you."

I rested the folder on a small table beside the front door before wrapping my arms around Bobs neck, holding him as close as possible not knowing when I would ever have the chance to hold him like that again.

"It's going to work itself out," Bob said as he ran his fingers through my tangled hair. "We're going to make everything work out because I'm never going to let you get away, Morgann Mendes."

"I hope not," I muttered with a small smile, tears beginning to well up in my eyes. "I've never felt like this for anybody before."

Bob pulled back, holding me at an arms length before wiping my tears away.

"And neither have I. Whether near or far, I'll always be right here," he said as he playfully poked at my chest where my heart was.

"And you're always up here too," I said as I tapped my head. "I'll have school to distract me but this is going to suck."

"I think you'll be too busy that you'll forget about me," he teased, causing me to roll my eyes.

I offered a sad smile as I watched him reluctantly check his watch and I knew that our time together had officially come to an end for the time being.

"I have to go," he sighed. "Unfortunately I have no control over when this flight leaves."

I sighed as Bob pulled me into his arms, my fingers tightly gripping his uniform in an effort to keep him close, even if it were just for a brief moment.

"I love you, Robert Chase Floyd," I whispered as tears began to freely flow from my eyes. "I know we'll get through this."

"I love you too," he sighed, offering me a small, sad smile. "I'll let you know when we land, okay?"

I nodded and Bob placed a long kiss on my lips before reluctantly stepping back and grabbing his bag, allowing the door to close behind him and leaving me an emotional mess.

————————

Four Days Later

Back in Texas, I had always loved to give my classrooms a theme every year and I had decided to go with a Lorax theme.

After a long day of decorating, I stopped to grab some takeout before returning home. Once I walked through the door, I looked at the clock and it was getting close to midnight.

Even though I was exhausted, I groggily ate my extremely late dinner before my nightly bedtime routine. Just as I was about to lay down, I heard light tapping on my front door and I hesitantly opened the door.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"I'm back," Bob replied softly. "We all are. They want those of us from the mission to stay together and we're going to be staying here at North Island."

"Are you joking?" I questioned as my eyes filled with tears.

"No," he replied, opening his arms. "I'm serious."

I jumped into his arms and he wrapped them around me as I nestled into the crook of his neck. It had only been four days but it had felt like a lifetime, if not longer.

"I told you everything was going to work out, my love. I'm right back where I belong."

I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Bobs cologne as he held me. For the first time in four days, I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be— like I was home.

"I guess what they say is true— home really is where the heart is."