sp; I grinned, thinking about the journey Beau and I had been on since January: a series of fake dates followed by real dates, and then a handful of confusing breakup dates, and then the best part—all the makeup dates. I giggled remembering the lengths I went to, to get him back.
I found an open parking space and shifted the car into park. This was it. Our real journey was about to begin. I took a deep breath, shook my hands, and marched into LAX.
Passengers scuttled by like ants. I watched warm embraces and smiles as families collected their loved ones by the baggage carousels. I couldn’t believe we were actually doing this. Beau was moving to L.A. into my tiny shoebox apartment and I was here to take him home. Home.
I’m not sure whose parents were more upset when he decided to forego law school: his or mine. We both knew his heart was never in it, but Beau needed to admit that to himself. I wasn’t there when he broke the news to his mother. I can only imagine she wasn’t thrilled that her only child was giving up law school to pursue a job in California. It was probably best I wasn’t there.
I glanced up at the arrival screen. Next to flight 752 from RDU, the word “landed” flashed. I bit my bottom lip. He was here. Beau was in California.
The day I tackled Beau in the quad, I was determined with every fiber in my five-foot being never to let that boy get away. Sure, kissing him was unbelievable, but without his arms wrapped around me, nothing made any sense. With him, I could take chances I never thought were possible. I tried new things and I saw old things in a completely different light. I knew I couldn’t live with three thousand miles between us. Lucky for me, he couldn’t either.
Neither one of us wanted to admit to the other that at twenty-two-years-old and fresh out of college, we were willing to give up everything for a match rivaled only by reality TV.
In my first thirty days in the Golden State, I had already landed two jobs as an extra. Spending an entire day waiting around to drink a cup of coffee over and over again wasn’t my ideal role, but it led to something much bigger—a speaking part in a pilot. I had been cast as the neighbor for two male roommates who were trying to make it as comedians in New York. The show was called Laugh Mates. No one even knew if the pilot would get picked up, but I didn’t care. I had one foot in the Hollywood door and was starting to make connections.
On our last night at Carolina, Beau surprised me with a re-creation of our planetarium date. Beau’s words from our rooftop date still echoed in my ear, “London, this project changed me. You changed me. I always talked a lot about living my dreams, but I wouldn’t be doing it if I hadn’t met you.”
His eyes were warm and playful, making it hard to concentrate on what he was trying to tell me. “I’ve made a decision.”
“A decision? What do you mean?”
“I’m moving to California.”
“You’re what?” The champagne in my glass sloshed over the side as my arms flew around his neck.
“Yeah, I can’t stay in North Carolina if you’re not here.”
“Are you serious? We don’t have to do the whole long distance thing?” I probably sounded like Nina squealing at the top of the stargazing perch.
“I’m serious. No long distance. I can’t stand to be away from you. I learned that the hard way.” His hands tangled in my hair as he pulled me closer in his lap.
“What about law school?”
He grinned. “Law school? I’m going to be a consultant for an outdoor equipment company. I’ll be testing out gear and working with adventure sports centers to give them the best recommendations. Who needs law school?”
I couldn’t think of a better fit for my adventurous boyfriend. “Beau, that’s amazing. When did you find out about it? I can’t believe you haven’t mentioned this.”
He stared directly in my eyes. “Truth?” I nodded lightly. “I’ve been applying for jobs in California for months.”
“Months?” If that meant what I thought it did, Beau had been planning on moving the entire time we were broken up—he had never given up on us.
“I didn’t want to say anything until I actually had something I could tell you about. I just found out today I got the job. I start next month. So tonight is about celebrating, not saying good-bye.”
I crushed my lips against his. “I’m so happy right now.”
He growled into my ear. “Me too.” His hands began nimbly releasing the buttons on my shirt. “You know, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do with you on this rooftop.”
I giggled. “Why don’t you show me?”
That was a month ago. Today, I watched as more passengers emerged from their gates into baggage claim. I was convinced everyone had gone into snail mode. I wanted to shuttle them out of the way. Then, I saw him. He smiled from the other side of the room and I took off running in a full sprint. I didn’t care about the rose in his hand or the backpack weighing him down. He was here.
“Hey, movie star.” He smiled as he engulfed me and swept me into his arms. My legs wrapped around him and I kissed him with every breath I had. All I ever needed and wanted was right here.