Sensation (h.s)

Chapter Thirty Nine

✺ K A T E ' S ✺ P O V ✺

"Are you sure you're okay flying alone? I know you hate when I parent you but you can't blame me for being a little bit worried." Harry asks with his lips pressed against my ear as we hold each other in a tight hug. We're standing near the entrance of the airport surrounded by hundreds of other people trying to catch their flights while we take our attempt at a heart-felt goodbye. He's planning to catch the next available flight to Chicago so he can be at home with me, but for the time being neither of us know when that will be.

"Baby, I hate to break it to you, but I was alone when I flew here. I think I'm capable of flying back without you." I joke back as I look up at him with a playful smile. He shakes his head at me and chuckles softly before leaning in to kiss my lips.

"You should appreciate how much I worry about you. I'm sure there's some boyfriends out there who don't give a shit what happens to their girl." He hugs me closer to him and I giggle softly.

"I envy those girls." I wiggle my eyebrows at him and he rolls his eyes in return.

"I should get going. Are you going to be okay without me for a few hours?" I grab his hands from his sides and grin as I lean up towards him once again. Our noses brush seconds before his lips graze mine. Neither of us pull away immediately and I once again forget about all of the people around us that are likely fed up with watching us make out as we attempt to say goodbye.

"It'll be the worst few hours of my life, but I'll live. Call me the second you land, yeah?" His arms tighten around my waist once again and for a second slip up under my shirt to touch my bare skin. I shiver from the sensation and actually for a split second wonder if my teasing is going to come back around and I'll be the one that's going to be missing him while we're apart.

"Yeah, I will. You better call me too and let me know if you found a flight." I run my fingers through his hair and brush it away from his face while staring up at him. His plump lips are pouted out slightly and his long eyelashes fan out across his cheek each time he blinks. He looks effortlessly beautiful and I momentarily wonder how I spent all of yesterday morning guessing how important he was to me while I was with James.

"I promise I will. You're going to get in trouble though if we procrastinate any longer. Do you want me to walk you to your gate?" He kisses my lips one last time, then my cheek, then up to my forehead. His lips linger on my temple for a few seconds before he finally sighs lowly and pulls away.

"No, I've got it. Thank you though. I lo-" I stop myself from finishing the endearing phrase that I promised myself I'd stop saying. It was hurting me to say it and get nothing in return, but now it's starting to hurt me whether I'm saying it or not.

"Bye, baby." Harry covers for me and lifts my hand from my side to kiss my knuckles. We exchange sweet smiles once more before I turn away and grab the handle of my suitcase. Our fingers that are interlocked together slowly slip out of reach and I ignore my sad heart as I step away from him. This is my life and I should know that by now. Normal girls get to fly with their boyfriend when they're leaving a trip from visiting her family; I get kicked off of my trip and forced to fly alone on a jet owned by some branch of the government so that whoever they think is potentially stalking me won't track me down on the flight.

For as many times a day as I tell myself I need to get used to the fact that this is my life, I'm not sure I ever will.

✺

I arrive back at the airport in Chicago around four that afternoon. Multiple texts from Harry light up on my phone as soon as I have my airplane mode turned off while I'm catching a cab home from the airport. He tells me he was able to catch a flight back to Chicago that left only two hours after mine, and that he would be home later tonight after a short layover somewhere in between the two states.