The Professional Lover (18+) | [Complete]

30 : Leaving Him

The following chapter contains explicit material intended for an 18+ audience ONLY.

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A few hours later, I'm sitting alone in the airport with my stomach tied in knots. I keep glancing at my phone for missed calls and to check the time. The minutes tick by slowly and Mickey has yet to make an appearance.

Me: The flight leaves at 8

Me: Have you left yet?

Me: Are you coming at all?

He won't respond, and I feel sick.

After he left, Beth had dropped me off at the hotel, but by the time I arrived, all of his stuff was gone. I thought he had left for LA early, but when I checked in his ticket was still unclaimed. Now, I don't know what to think. The plane starts boarding, and I decide waiting isn't getting me anywhere. My heart continues to pound anxiously as I get in line and make my way onto the plane.

I find my seat in economy plus, put my bag into the overhead compartment, and take the window seat. I check my phone once more, but there is nothing. The flight is set to leave in 15 minutes. People shuffle around, making their way to their seats. I distract myself from my nerves with the in-seat entertainment, planning how to spend my time during the seven-hour flight alone.

I start to remove my scarf just as Mickey sits next to me. He looks unperturbed, earbuds in his ears as he leans down and sorts something in his bag. A row of butterfly bandages grace the bridge of his nose. His cheek is a little swollen, the bruise dark but small.

I stare at him, trying to figure out if he is real or not.

"You made it," I say to him. He looks at me from the corner of his eye, but says nothing. "Where have you been? I was worried sick. I thought --"

He raises a hand to stop me. "Drop it," he says sternly.

"What is going on? Talk to me!" I plead as quietly as I can manage.

"Penny." He takes one bud from his ear. "When you yell, I yell. I am not going to be that couple that fights on a plane," he whispers angrily. "Drop it." He pushes the earbud back in, turns up his music, and settles back against his pillow.

What the actual fuck?

♡♡♡

We didn't talk the whole flight home. He slept while I sat there glaring at the little screen in front of me, wiping my tears away whenever they clouded my vision. I'm not the kind of person to cry over someone else's pettiness, but he isn't someone else. He's Mickey. He's my favorite person, my best friend, and right now, he's also my roommate.

We land, pack up, and file off the plane with the others. His earbuds are still in, and I can hear the music playing as he continues to drown me out. I take one out to talk to him. "How are we getting home?" I ask him.