I wrap my arms around her and squeeze, never wanting to let go. “I love you. You’re the best, you know that?”
“I know.”
I giggle and snort. “You’re also super full of yourself.”
She laughs. “Figure out your life, chick. And call your man back. I’m gonna go hang out with Greg and see if he proposes.”
“Good luck,” I reply with a laugh.
Then I get to work.
54
It’s been two weeks since the phone call in which she told me she was going to Key West. Spring break comes and goes, and I only talk to Nova a few times. Cill and Royce invited me to join them at Midge’s family’s lake house, but it was going to be all couples, and I didn’t feel like being the only person without a partner there.
I’ve had plenty of time to think about the future, and Nova’s absence is breaking my heart little by little. She’s the best thing to happen to me, and without her, life isn’t as fun.
Relationships are so much more than sex. It’s a friendship. A partnership. I want to come home and have her here to talk to. I want to share my day with her, whether it was bad or good. I want her to share her experiences with me. I want to laugh and joke around. I want to try new things with her. If she’s having a bad day, I want to be the shoulder she cries on. I want to be able to make her feel better. I want the good, the bad, and the ugly. I want life experiences and I want to create memories forever. And, God, I want to tell her that I love her.
After I make a few phone calls and have some long and deep conversations with my brothers, I pick up the phone to call Nova. I’m afraid if I wait too long, I’ll lose her forever.
It rings several times before she answers.
“Hello?”
“Nova, I have something to say, so please don’t stop me. I need to get this out.”
“Okay.” She sounds nervous and confused.
“I miss you like crazy. These past few months have been hell. Your short stay at my house changed me irrevocably. Your absence hurts. This house has been just that, a house. It hasn’t truly felt like a home since my parents lived here. But you, you made it feel like a home again.
“I told you once before that you breathed life into me, and that’s still true. You showed me what I’ve been missing, and since you’ve been gone, it’s been much worse. People sometimes don’t realize they’re unhappy until they know what true happiness feels like. You brought that into my life. And without you, my happiness is dissipating. How can I live like this when I’ve had a taste of what it should be like? How did I ever live without you before? I can’t do it, Nova.”
“Elijah,” she says softly.
I’m up, circling the island in my kitchen. “No, please let me continue.” I take a breath. “I know when we tried discussing the future before, you said I have family here that I wouldn’t leave, and you have family there. But what I know now more than ever is that I can’t have a life without you. So, tomorrow, I’m going to work and telling them I’m quitting at the end of this year. I’m packing up the house and I’m moving to Florida. If you still want me, I’ll move to be near you. Because what’s the point of living in this house without you? What’s the point of anything if I don’t have you? My brothers are grown and able to take care of themselves. I’ve already talked to them. They’ll be fine without me. I did my job many years ago, and now it’s time for me to live my life.”
“Elijah.” Her voice cracks this time, and she sniffles, letting me know she’s crying. “I can’t…”
“Nova, please.”
The doorbell rings, but I ignore it, needing to finish this conversation first.
“I should’ve told you this before. I wanted to, but I was afraid.”
The doorbell rings twice, and I slowly make my way to the door, pressing the phone closer to my ear, waiting for her response.
She’s quiet for a while, and all I can hear is the thunder rumbling outside, and the rain pelting my windows.
“Elijah,” she says once more.
“Yeah?”
I peek outside through the narrow window on the right side of my door, and my heart starts jackhammering against my ribs.
Quickly unlocking the deadbolt, I snatch the door open and find Nova standing at my doorstep, completely soaked, and at her feet are three pieces of luggage.
Her curly hair is plastered to her forehead while droplets of water fall down her face. I’m so shocked by her being here that I’m frozen in place, wondering if this is a dream.
“I love you.” Those three words leave her lips and hit me straight in the heart.
I rush forward and pick her up, not caring about the weather. I hold her tight, never wanting to let go.
“I love you so fucking much,” I finally say. I lean back and she grabs the sides of my face. “You’re my everything, Nova. I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner.”
She shakes her head and pulls me in for a kiss. When we separate, she says, “We can’t worry about the past. We’re here now.”
“You’re here.” I snap out of my delusional happy state and realize we’re both standing in the middle of a rainstorm. I place her on the floor of the foyer and grab her bags to bring them inside, too. “You’re here,” I say again. “With luggage.”
She grins while toeing off her shoes. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“I’m fucking shocked,” I say with short laugh. “Mission accomplished.”
“I’m here.
