Thursday, January 19, 2012

256. Reunited and it Feels So Good

Twas the night before Christmas...
I drove to the airport with a smile plastered across my face. Almost three months had passed since my last trip to the airport and I was in much better spirits this time around. Every time I saw a plane in the sky on my drive there, I looked up wondering if Cayden was in there looking down. Just in case, I waved and blew a kiss.

I practically skipped into the airport, swinging my arms and singing "If you're happy and you know it" in my head. I would have jumped up on the luggage carousel and danced a jig if I didn't think airport security would tackle and detain me for my complete lack of rhythm. I felt like I was on cloud nine instead of carousel 14. The other people waiting at baggage claim seemed to have the same excited energy radiating from their anxiously bouncing feet.

I'd only been waiting two minutes when I saw Cayden on the other side of the glass revolving door. My heart skipped a beat and my breath got caught in my throat. And then I saw him walk past the door, scratching his head. I tried to wave my arms to get his attention, but he was out of my sight. The "Do Not Enter" sign over the door on my side started to look more like a dare than a warning. I took a step closer and considered the probability of getting tackled by security for the second time that day. Before I could make a run for the doors, Cayden reappeared on the other side of the glass. He caught my eye and we stood there smiling at each other for what seemed like a full minute before he unfroze and pushed his way through the revolving door. 

I was in his arms in a matter of seconds. I'm not sure if he swung me around or if it was just my head spinning from excitement, but I was unsteady when he put me down. 

Then he bent down and gave me that kiss he'd promised me. That was everything I wanted for Christmas. Anything else would be a bonus. 

"Well, what do you know? We survived another three months apart," he said.

"I didn't think I was going to after that last goodbye," I said. "I can't handle many more of these."

"If all goes as planned, you won't have to."

As soon as we were in my car and behind closed doors, I yanked him close until his lips met mine. Then we made out like teenagers in the movie theater parking lot. Oh, to be young at heart. 

There wasn't a silent moment on the drive back to my parents' house. He talked about his flight and his messed up sleep schedule and I talked about Friendsmas and NyQuil and whatever else I could think to talk about. After being apart for so long, it was just so nice to see his facial expressions and hear his voice so close to me. Webcams are brilliant tools, don't get me wrong, but they just can't recreate the feeling you get when you hear the person you love laugh about something you said and you can watch his eyes light up and feel him squeeze your hand at the same time. One day there will probably be an app for that. 

















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