Two Arts

Chapter 30

A.N. Vote reminder. ⭐️♥️

The closer I got to the date I was going to fly out to Los Angeles to surprise Sadie, the less I could hold my nerves in check.

Sadie and I had truly been in contact non-stop.

It was either texts or calls or pictures.

Or, rarely—but oh so wonderfully—short videos on very special occasions.

The way Sadie trusted me with such content lit up some fire inside me. The idea that anything she sent me could have been of such high interest to anyone, and yet she sent it to me knowing well I was not going to betray her made my head spin.

We also exchanged an unhinged amount of regular photos. Lots of them were of Keynes but also of random other things: what we were eating, the places we were in, selfies with random people we were hanging out with, and so much more. We were apart but in so many ways she felt as close as we had ever been.

Sadie would text me when she had nightmares, which luckily wasn't too often. We talked them out, and if for any reason I was awake I'd call her and speak about anything else I could think of, with the sole purpose of distracting her.

I talked on the phone with Mom Amelia, and unlike when I was dating Colin, she seemed very interested in what Sadie and I had agreed on. She was ecstatic to hear that we were giving a relationship another try, and now that we were older we felt more confident that we could make it work despite the distance.

I also had the awareness that Sadie was the only person who could make me feel the way she did.

Part of me, in the attempt to find something positive in our story, decided that it all had been for the best.

Having known other people and having had other relationships made me fully understand and appreciate how it had to be Sadie and no one else.

There was no wondering if or what. Sure, I regretted the time apart and the years unable to speak to her. At the same time, I was never going to be done appreciating how special she was and how unique our bond could be.

-

"Which dick are you bringing?" Bailey sat on my bed while I packed for L.A. and for my brother's wedding.

I snorted while folding shirts and shorts, "I don't think that concerns you."

"Why is your brother having a beach wedding in December?" She continued with her line of questioning.

"I have no idea, they say the islands are less crowded and the weather is still nice enough?" I shrugged and sighed, wondering how many warmer items I needed to bring.

"Does Sadie actually not know you're going early to surprise her?" Question number three.

"Unless James told her, or she has some mind-reading powers—which is not impossible—she shouldn't know, no," I grabbed a few flannel shirts.

"Do you think you'll marry her?" She threw in casually, but I knew she meant it.

I stopped whatever I was doing and listened to my heart accelerate at the thought. But no panic.

"I've only been back with her for like two months, out of which what? Two and a half weeks in person?" I tried to do the math, "What question is that?"

Bailey shrugged, "You didn't throw up, that's a good sign."

She had caught me.

"It's way too early to think about anything so serious," I pushed back.