Page 31 of Fragile Love (Fragile 3)
“Airports make me nervous. Seeing people off at the airport makes me even more nervous.”
“How about picking them up?”
“The excited kind of nervous, definitely.”
“Think of that, then.” He kissed her again. “No flare-ups. We can’t have you getting sick as soon as I come home this weekend.”
“No flare-ups,” she promised. “Well, I’ll do my best.”
Cayden let go of her and walked through the security gate. He pointed at her stomach, but to any passersby it would have looked like he was pointing at her in general. “No flare-ups!”
Lillian smiled and stood there, watching as he removed his shoes and went through the scanner. Finally, he had all his things back and, with a last look at her, waved and disappeared around the corner.
Hundreds of people were in the airport, all spread out, so it wasn’t too crowded, but enough so there were no empty places to stand or sit. Even with so many breathing bodies around, the energy of the place suddenly seemed so empty and dark. The last time she had been here with Cayden, it was when he was first leaving for Los Angeles. They were still together; she hadn’t sent the breakup text yet. Everything was fine because he promised he would back in no time. Janine had only wanted him for a couple of weeks.
Don’t get caught up in the negatives, she commanded herself. He’s coming back on Friday and I’m going to pick him up. He wants to come home as soon as he can. And he’s not taking new clients; he’s helping the ones he currently has. It was very sweet of him, doing what he was doing. Sure, he was getting paid, but the way he threw his heart and soul into what he did was one of the things about him that inspired her most.
I should tell him that one day, somehow.
She trudged back to the car, feeling lonely. The drive home was quiet since none of the radio stations were playing anything good. After what felt like two hours, she pulled into her driveway. A shape inside the house moved slowly and awkwardly in front of a lamp.
Andrew’s up, she thought, brightening up a little. At least she didn’t have to come home to an empty house—not that the cats didn’t count.
When she walked in, Andrew was standing at the counter, holding his hands over a steaming pot of soup as if he were presenting it in an infomercial.
“What have we here?” Lillian asked, setting down her keys. “It smells great.”
“Canned soup by yours truly.” His face fell, but only just enough that she barely noticed. “I’m glad you’re back, because I can’t figure out how to get it to the table safely.”
“Don’t worry about it. You sit down.” She took a ladle from a porcelain hook on the wall and filled their bowls. “I’m actually surprised you managed to do this much.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?”
“Oh, quit.” Placing the bowls on the table, she thumped the side of his head. “Have you been asleep all this time?”
“Off and on.”
Please don’t hint that you heard Cayden and me making crazy, steaming love in my bedroom.
He didn’t hint at it, much to her relief. “I read for a couple of hours, tried to get in touch with my parents...”
“Tried? Didn’t they respond?”
“Of course not.” He chuckled. “Which is all right with me, given that they don’t have phone service over there. I don’t even know what time it is where they are.”
“Me neither. My brain hurts trying to calculate it.” Lillian took a drink of water. “Come on, eat up.”
“They landed in Paris, right? Or was it Italy?”
“Paris was their first stop. I’ll have to look at their itinerary to see what comes next.”
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Andrew slurped a spoonful of soup. “I’m glad they decided to go, in the end.”
“Same here.”
“I mean, I’m not helpless. Plus, I have you.”
