Page 346 of 5+Us Makes Seven

I laughed and got out of bed. Exhaustion still racked my body, but something felt unfinished. My story would tarnish his reputation, but knowing that he still agreed to let me use his name. To me, that said love, more than words alone ever could.

“There,” he said, spinning around. “We have two coach tickets leaving tonight at six p.m.”

“Shit,” I muttered.

“Exactly.”

“Should I stay up and sleep on the long flight or crash now?”

“It’s your call.”

He walked over, putting his hands on my shoulders, then moved them to my waist, holding tight as his lips pressed against mine. I pulled back.

“You need to brush your teeth. And a shower wouldn’t hurt.”

“Join me?” He asked, running his hands along my hips.

“On second thought, I’m pretty tired. Plus, we will need something to occupy our time on the long flight over,” I smirked.

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“Mile high club.”

I took his hand in mine and led him back to the bed.

We were soon laying side by side, still holding hands. Sleep overtook both of us.

My dreams were filled with mountain ranges and strange people speaking an unknown Afghan dialect.

No matter what happened on our crazy, last minute adventure, I would stay by his side.

We had each other, and at the end of the day, that was all that mattered.

THIRTY-NINE

Cooper

Jade and I landed at the Kandahar airport in one piece. I had sent word to a few contacts I still had in the country. A Land Rover waited outside, ready to take us all the way to Samangan.

A man riding shotgun smelled of goats and sour cheese, but he looked tough enough to protect us. I had spent a lot of money setting up this trip to be sure nothing would happen to us.

I glanced over at Jade as she sat beside me in the back of the Range Rover. She was looking out the window at the landscape as the sun rose in the distance.

Arabic music flowed from the speakers as the driver and his security guard in the passenger seat yapped back and forth about the best way to dig a well.

“We have to be ready for anything,” I said. “You shouldn’t have come.”

She turned to face me. Her eyes were red, with bags under them.

“The man contacted me, not you. Plus, I want to be here. You couldn’t have stopped me.”

“This will all be over soon. We can put it all behind us and get on with our lives.”

As I watched her smile weakly, I realized how much I loved her. It was as if we were made for each other. A perfect fit. True love.

“I can’t think of a better plan,” she said, still staring into my eyes.

“We should arrive early enough to scope the place out before it gets too packed. Are you sure you remember where his booth was in the market?”

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