Page 129 of Girls Will Be Girls
A wave of sadness and nostalgia hit me on the drive. I don’t want to leave.
Not only is the idea of leaving Lou making a punch to the gut seem preferable, but the goodbyes sucked this morning. Casey, Buck, and Willie surprised me at Barren Bush with breakfast today before we left. We ate, laughed, and acted like we’d known each other for years. It made me ache for these amazing friends I’ve made in such a short time, and how I don’t know when I’ll see them next.
I made them all promise to text me all the time, and — apart from Willie, who rolled his eyes at the idea — they’ve truly kept to their word. I’ve received a string of messages from both of them, recounting their every move in detail. For instance, I know that Casey finally found a place for her ‘vase’ and that she bought new magazines for the front desk. I also know that Buck had to clean the paddleboards this morning and that Willie squeezedhis arm today before he left, which, the way Buck described it, you’d imagine they were both naked.
I also feel slightly petty about it all, because Lou is staying for another few days, which means he gets to spend more time with them than I do, and I don’t think that’s fair.
I stand opposite him, studying him, taking him all in.
We’ve agreed that he’ll come see me in New York next week, but the thought of waiting that long, of not being next door to him anymore, makes me so unbelievably sad I could cry.
“You look like you’re going to cry.” Lou grins affectionately at me.
I bite my bottom lip to stop myself. “I kind of want to.” I laugh, but it’s a little watery.
Lou steps into me, wrapping his arms around me, and pulls me flush with him. I squeeze my hands into his shirt, tugging him as close as I can. He rests his chin on my head.
“I’ll see you next week.” He kisses my hair. “And we’ll talk every day. Multiple times.” He smiles against me.
“I know.” I nod.
“I promise to still annoy you so you don’t miss me too much.”
I laugh and lift my head up to him, my chin resting on his chest. “Promise me you’ll still like me in a week.”
He grins his perfect grin, eye crinkles and all. “There’s no doubt about that.”
My hands loop around his neck as I rise onto my toes. His lips meet mine as he pulls me even closer to him, crushing us together.
Our tongues explore, our teeth nip, I even let out a slight moan. We definitely should tone it down for anyone watching, but I honestly just don’t care what other people think right now.
When we finally break apart, he kisses me chastely one more time. He squeezes my waist while he inhales deeply, as if he’s holding back and stopping himself from doing anything more.
“I’ll see you next week.” He says softly.
“Next week.” I nod.
We kiss one more time. Then another. Then another. Until I finally bring myself back down onto solid ground.
“Okay,” I whisper.
He smiles. “Bye, baby girl.”
I kiss him one more time, because sue me, and then with my bag wheeling behind me, I head for the door. When I turn to look at him over my shoulder, he’s leaning against the car, arms and feet crossed, looking at me like I’m the best thing he’s ever seen. Like I’m an iced hazelnut and vanilla latte on a hot day.
I wave him off jokingly, mouthing“Go!”.
He grins. “Just enjoying the view first.” He yells out to me, making my cheeks the same shade of pink as my crop top.
I roll my eyes, which makes him laugh, then I wave and mouth“Bye”as I finally lose sight of him.
Where’s a penny and a fountain, or a shooting star when you need one?
Maybe if I think about him non-stop, I could manifest him to New York sooner.
Apart from my phone dying during my trip — which can be blamed entirely on Lou because he fucked the smart straight out of me and made me forget my charger plugged in the wall — everything went as smoothly as could be, especially compared to last time.
By the time I get to my apartment, it’s late, I’m exhausted, and I’m missing Lou something fierce.
