Untangle Me

Your Eyes Feel Like Home

Molly groaned in frustration as she slowed her car to a stop yet again. It was 10:15 and she was still quite a long way from the airport. There was no way she'd arrive by 10:30 as she'd promised. At first, the traffic hadn't been so bad at all, and the interstate was virtually empty, but when she drove into Georgia, there seemed to be more and more cars on the road, all of them driving slower than usual until traffic came to a complete standstill. It appeared that there was a multi-car accident just ahead, causing a traffic jam. Molly thought the wreck had been cleared away when traffic started to flow slowly, but now she was stopped again for Lord knows how long.

Once she was certain she was stopped for a while, Molly reached for her phone from the center console and sent a quick text to Lachy explaining what was going on and apologizing that she'd be late. She didn't receive a reply, though she really didn't expect to. Signal was horrible where she was, and she wasn't sure if the text would go through or not She just hoped he didn't think she'd forgotten about him.

It wasn't until about an hour and a half later that Molly finally arrived at the airport, which was as she expected, a complete madhouse. There were cars everywhere and people walking back and forth from the parking lot, seemingly in a hurry to get to one place or another.

Molly bit her lip nervously as she searched for a parking spot. She was supposed to meet Lachy at the front entrance of the airport, and normally she'd have just pulled into the drop off area, but it was completely lined with cars. Finally, Molly found a space to park, though it wasn't very close to the entrance.

As she walked briskly from her car to the front entrance of the airport, Molly sent a quick text to Lachy that she was there and on her way inside. She hadn't received any texts since the last one she'd sent, which pretty much confirmed her suspicion that the text hadn't gone through. "Great...He probably thinks I'm not coming." She muttered to herself as she glanced both ways before crossing the street between the building and the parking lot. She didn't slow her pace as she hurried inside and searched for the spot they'd agreed to meet at; a tall Christmas tree just to the left of the entrance doors.

"Ah, there it is.." She thought as she made her way toward the brightly lit and colorfully decorated tree. Her eyes scanned the area for a familiar head of brown curls, but he was nowhere to be seen. Molly wasn't aware of the frown that tugged at her lips as she circled the tree in hopes that he'd be on the other side, but to no avail. Where was he?

After a few more moments of searching around the area, Molly decided to call him to see where he was, however, just as she was about to select his name in the recent call list, a text notification appeared at the top of the screen. It was from Lachy. Molly couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as she anxiously clicked the notification.

"Turn around..."

Confused, Molly looked to her left and right before she turned to look behind her, and to her own surprise, her breath hitched as her eyes met his. A smile played at his lips, though an expression she couldn't quite name was evident in his eyes as the two stood frozen in place not even five feet apart from each other. In that moment, Molly found herself realizing just how much she'd missed him. Unbeknown to her, he was thinking the exact same thing. Seeing his smile as their gazes met felt so familiar, almost as if she were home, though at the time she didn't realize it.

The two stood, gazes locked for what seemed like ages before Molly finally broke the spell, the smile that had lit her face quickly transforming into an apologetic expression. "Lachy, I am so, so sorry. Traffic was awful, and I got stuck behind an accident for ages...I tried texting you, but the signal was horrible and I don't think the text went through, I..."

Molly's rambling apology was silenced by Lachy as he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. "Hey, none of that...There's no need to apologize, I'm just glad you got here safely." He murmured as he pulled away slightly, though his arms were still wrapped around her. "And I'm sorry you went through all this trouble..."

Molly wasn't expecting the hug, but she found herself hugging him back, hesitant to let go. "It wasn't any trouble at all, really." She said softly as she looked up to meet his gaze. The smile that had graced her lips upon seeing him had returned, mirroring Lachy's smile. Molly seemed lost for words for a moment before she finally snapped out of whatever daze had befallen her, clearing her throat as she pulled away completely from Lachy's embrace. "So, shall we?" She asked as she gestured toward the doors. "My mom will be expecting us home soon, especially since she doesn't know I've run a tad late."

Lachy nodded before reaching down to pick up a medium sized duffel bag, which Molly assumed was his carry on. "In that case, best not keep your mama waiting, Molly Beth." He teased as the two began to make their way toward the doors.

"Hey, wait till you meet her and you'll understand what I mean. My mother is the biggest worry wart this side of the Mississippi. I wish I were joking..." Molly mused, her tone rather serious. And it was true. Her mother spent more time worrying about this and that, and especially about Molly. The young woman supposed that's where the had inherited her own tendency to worry and stress over the smallest thing. Poor Lachy had had to listen to quite a few of Molly's little worries over the last couple of months, though he didn't once complain. He always listened patiently and offered advice when he could, never brushing her off as being silly.

"I believe you....From what I can tell, the apple doesn't fall from the tree." He mused as he set his bag in The back seat of Molly's car before sliding into the passenger seat. His tone was only lightly teasing, which earned a small smile from Molly.

"You're probably right..." she slid the key into the ignition and turned the engine over. "I'll warn you in advance, I'm a bit of an aggressive driver. That's what happens when you learn to drive in a tourist town, I guess.".

Lachy's expression was one of skepticism and maybe just a little bit of fear. He let out a nervous chuckle after a moment, still unsure whether Molly was joking or being completely serious. Or maybe both? "Molly Beth, if you kill us..."

Molly shook her head. "Oh, just buckle your seatbelt, you'll be alright." She teased before she backed out of the parking spot and made her way toward the exit of the parking lot.

The next two hours were well spent in comfortable conversation between the two as Molly drove them to her parent's seaside inn. Lachy's apprehension of her driving was all but forgotten before they even pulled on the main road.