Page 30 of I Survived and will rise again

"Hey, chicos," she says with a wide grin.

Ash pops his head out of the window. “Awe, you came to see me off, mamasita?" he teases Tia. Tia rolls her eyes at Ash's remark, and he adds, "If you keep doing that, your eyes will get stuck that way," which makes her roll her eyes again but with a smile.

Shorty slams the trunk and walks toward me. She's wearing my jersey, jean shorts, and red flip-flops. I swear she makes me keep falling for her all over again.

She hands me a large blue box with a white ribbon, and I place it on the hood of the Jeep, looking between her and the gift when she says, still out of breath, "Open it."

I unwrap the gift with anticipation, like a little boy at Christmas. I find Ash’s and my favorite snacks inside the box, including beef jerky, gas gift cards, candy, energy drinks, little magnetic board games, and two neck pillows. The smile on my face is uncontrollable. "Shorty, this is great. Thank you." I look up at her, and she's beaming. Her brown eyes shine in the sunlight.

"You're forgetting one thing," Tia reminds her.

"Oh! Yeah, hold on," Shorty says, but before she can get to the car, Tia jumps out from her spot in the window. "I'll get it. You keep running around like that, and you're going to hurt yourself."

As I stand there with Shorty, my heart pounds in my chest. I have to leave soon, but I can’t bear being away from her. And then, without warning, I grab her hand and pull her close to me. I wrap my arms around her, taking in the warmth of her body, and gaze deeply into her eyes. "Thank you for coming," I whisper. Unable to resist any longer, I lean in and kiss her lips. It is a soft, tender kiss filled with all the love and longing I have felt for her since I was six.

When I hear the car door shut, I see Tia walk toward us with two lunch boxes. Without wasting any time, Ash quickly jumps out of the Jeep.

Tia slowly approaches us and hands me a bright red bag while handing the green one to Ash. "This one is for you," she says, pointing to the red bag, "and for you," she adds, gesturing toward Ash and the green bag in his hand.

Ash, still fixated on Tia, glances at his bag and asks, "What is this?"

"We each packed you guys a lunch," Sadie replies with a smile, "That way, you don't have to stop and pay for anything."

"It's nothing special," Tia adds, "just a sandwich, some chips, an apple, and Gatorade."

"And cookies that Tia and I baked last night," Shorty says, wiggling her eyebrows.

Without uttering a sound, Ash gazes intently at Tia. The girls packed our favorite snacks and Gatorade flavors. Tia has no idea how much this gesture means to Ash. Ash has never felt this kind of warmth and affection from any other girl so I know this means a lot to him. Tia is a caregiver while Ash is her protector, just like it is with me and Shorty.

"Okay, well. Safe travels and good luck—" Tia's words are cut off when Ash sets the bag on the Jeep, pulls Tia against him, and kisses her lips. Tia initially freezes but then wraps her arms around his neck.

I glance away and look down at my girl. I grab her behind her legs, and she yelps before I place her on the top of Tia's hood. Her curly hair is soft as my fingers run through it, and I wrap my hand around her neck, pulling her close to me. "I love you so much," I tell her before kissing her softly.

As I pull away, I notice her lips are now plump and red, and her eyes are dazed. I chuckle and ask, "You okay?" eliciting a giggle from her.

We both remain silent for a moment, lost in our thoughts. Then I break the silence by promising, "We'll talk every day."

"Okay," is all she says.

"Don't work too hard." I kiss her nose.

"Okay." She kisses my nose.

"Make sure you stay hydrated," I say, rubbing my nose lightly over her cheek.

"I will." She runs her finger across my jaw.

"And take care of my baby," I whisper, rubbing her belly.

"I promise."

I tip her chin up and brush my lips against hers until I slip my tongue into her mouth, kissing her deeply.

When we pull apart, her eyes are glistening with tears.

She's killing me.

"Baby, don't cry," I plead.

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