Page 58 of Let It Be Me
And as I crawl into bed after my shower, and Sarah wraps herself around me, I can’t think of anything better than this.
21
SARAH
My phone rings for the third time this morning. And for the third time this morning, I press the red dot on the screen with more force than necessary, effectively ending the incoming call. My mom is probably freaking out, realizing I’m not in Charleston for Thanksgiving. It’s been about three months since I last talked to my parents and it’s the longest time between our phone calls in existence. Until my mom learns to put me first, I have nothing to say to her.
My phone rings again. “Ugh! Give up already!”
“Blue, shouldn’t you answer that?”
I turn my furrowed brow to Riley who’s spread out on the couch. “No.”
“Okay,” he relents and turns his attention back to the parade that’s on the TV.
We woke up this morning and decided a walk around his neighborhood would be a good idea before we consume copious amounts of food. While this isn’t my first Thanksgiving with a significant other, this is the first one that I’m excited to celebrate. I finish drafting up my end of the yearreports when my phone buzzes again. Looking at who’s calling, I ignore and then turn my phone on airplane mode.
Once Riley met my friends, Kamryn took it upon herself to give him everyone’s numbers in “case of an emergency” was the reasoning she told me.
My mind is no longer on work after those attempted calls, so I close my laptop and shuffle over to Riley on the couch. He taps his chest and I gracefully crawl onto the couch and lay on his body. He places a kiss on the top of my head before settling back down.
The steady rise and fall of his chest mixed with his classic leather scent makes me feel more at home than my current home does. And that’s a scary feeling because I made a vow to myself to never feel that again. But Riley has made himself out to be the exception.
“Would you ever visit back home?” Riley asks. The vibration of his question soothes me.
“Not if I had a choice,” I say and trace one of the tattoos on his arm. “Now that I’m here, I realize how tiny that place was. I felt almost suffocated. Being here gives me the chance to breathe…to explore. Like I can finally see what’s beyond the horizon.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
We watch the rest of the parade in silence. Riley runs his hands up and down my back in a comforting gesture. When the parade is done, he switches it to a Charlie Brown special.
I snort. “You’re such a child.”
“Just wait until Christmas time when that’s the only thing on the TV.”
“Is that your favorite holiday?” I ask and pop up, resting my chin on my hand still on his chest.
“Yeah. Now that I think about it,” Riley says. “What’s yours?”
“Probably New Year's Eve.”
“Why probably?”
“I think because most are afraid of the future. You know, the what’s to come. But I like it because everything I did in the past is just that. It’s in the past. We get 365 new days to begin again. We get 365 new days to start a new hobby. I think I just love the end of the year in general.”
“So you won’t be mad if I get us matching Christmas pajamas.”
“As long as you’re okay with all the gold and sparkly attire on New Year’s Eve.”
He holds his hand out. “Deal.”
“Deal,” I say and shake his offered hand. “What time do we have to be at your parents house?”
Riley holds his arm up and looks at the time. “Not for a few more hours.”
“Okay. I’ll just take a nap right here.” I tell him and slide my hands under his torso to get more comfortable.
