Chapter 62: Chapter Sixty-Two
Aubrey
Everett leaves tomorrow for London for an entire month. I am dreading it. It is only a month, which is better than a year, I guess, but it doesn’t mean it is going to be easy. I am going to miss him. I am trying to keep it together. I don’t want to get upset around him and make it harder. These last few weeks with him have been incredible. We have barely spent any time apart. A part of that is because we knew the time would come when he would be gone for a month. I will be flying out to see him in a couple of weeks. It will only be for a weekend. I have told Hugo and Erica I am going to a retreat in LA for a few days. They believe me. Why wouldn’t they? They don’t have any reason to doubt me. I still hate lying to them. Everett and I are considering telling them about us once he returns from London. We want to see how the time apart treats us before we say anything.
I am at his house, where we are spending the night. It is closer to the airport. His flight leaves at nine tomorrow morning. I am taking him to the airport. He is at work but will be home soon. We are going to order in and have a relaxing night. Hugo and Erica wanted to make him dinner for his last night, but he talked them out of it, and we went to theirs last night instead.
I sigh as I enter the bedroom to put my things away when I see his case sitting on the floor. A part of me wishes I told him to stay and not go at all, but what is done is done. It is too late to change that now. I set my overnight bag on the chair and exit the room. Everett has given me a key in case I need to or want to come here. I am considering it. There has been no sign of Benji, but I have felt safe in my apartment because Everett has been there or close by at his place. I would be more relaxed here because Benji doesn’t know where I am.
The sound of the front door opening pulls me from my thoughts. I smile, rushing through to greet Everett. The second his eyes fall on me, he smiles brightly.
“Hey, sweetness, have you been here long?”
“I arrived about half an hour ago,” I reply, kissing him softly.
“Not too long before me then.”
“How was work?”
Everett shrugs. “It was okay.”
I nod, knowing his brief answer is due to him not being too happy about it being his last day there for a month. He sighs, and we head to the living room to sit down. I instantly cuddle into his sides, and his arms come protectively around me.
“I don’t want to leave tomorrow,” he whispers.
I nuzzle my face in his neck. “I know, but you need to go now. It is too late to back out,” I sigh.
“I know. I should never have agreed to it.”
“It is a month, Everett, we will be fine. I promise. I will see you in a couple of weeks. We just need to make sure we remember the time difference, so we don’t miss one another’s calls.”
He will be like five or six hours ahead of me. It could be worse. He could be going somewhere with a larger time difference, which would make things even more difficult.
“Yes, we will make sure we keep that in mind. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me tomorrow?”
“You know I can’t do that, no matter how much I want to. It was hard enough to try and come up with an excuse to tell Hugo and Erica for one weekend, never mind a month.”
It wouldn’t be hard to work out if I disappeared at the exact same time as Everett.
“I hate this!”
“Me too, but let’s enjoy our last night together, okay? I don’t want us to be sad and angry on our last night.”
“Me neither. Do you want to order food? I will jump into a quick shower.”
I nod. We had decided on Thai food earlier, so I know what to order for him. I have come to learn all his likes and dislikes. I know him better than I know myself now.
Everett kisses me softly before he disappears for a shower. I order our food on the app. Because we are pretty far out, the delivery charge is high, but we don’t mind. The food is worth the extra money. It is delicious—the best Thai food in the state, in our opinion.
I set my cell aside and rest back on the sofa, sighing. The thought of him leaving in less than seventeen hours kills me. The tears brim in my eyes. I wipe them away quickly. If I start crying, then I won’t stop. I don’t want that. I don’t want to make things harder for any of us. I pull myself up from the sofa. I need to keep myself busy to stop overthinking.
I get everything we need out for dinner and go to the bedroom to change into my pjs. We don’t plan to leave, so there is no point in sitting around in clothes. I will be more comfortable in my pjs.
I sit on the edge of the bed, lost in my thoughts, once I have changed.
“Aubrey, are you okay, baby girl?”
I glance up and see Everett in front of me, only a towel around him, water running from his hair and down his chest. I bite on my lower lip as my eyes trail his body. “Mmm, yes.”
Everett chuckles. “Enjoying the view?”
I look up to meet his eye. “Yes, but I can’t be distracted by you right now.” I groan and stand from the bed.
“Why not?” he smirks.
“Because food will be here soon. Put some clothes on.” I giggle and rush out of the room.
If I stayed in the room, we wouldn’t be leaving it any time soon. God, how damn gorgeous and sexy he is, is unfair to me, to the world, but it was a good way to take my mind off other things, even for a few seconds. I will happily take advantage of it later. I pull myself together and take a drink of water, waiting for him to return to the living room, hopefully with more clothes on.