Waiting for Us (22 page)

Chapter Thirty-Two

June 2015 - Hailey

  It’s lunch time and I’m on my way to meet Marcus at Stan’s Stop, which is one of our favorite places to eat. It’s located in an old recycled train car and it has the quintessential diner decor you’d expect, from the black and white checkered floor to the booth seating, covered in red vinyl. I’m wondering what’s going on with Marcus that he wants to see me now. I was surprised when he invited me to lunch via text message when I was on my way into work this morning. We don’t usually get together for lunch during the workweek. He’s usually too busy to take a whole hour break so he will bring a sandwich from home. Sometimes I make his lunch for him and he shows me his appreciation in some pretty creative ways. I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning and I’ve missed him. He went out with his friend Dave last night to see an up and coming band perform. He invited me along, but I was too tired and emotionally exhausted from my afternoon. It must have been really late when he got in because he slept in his own bed and he had to leave early this morning before I was even up. He’s trying to finish up a big project this week so they will meet their projected deadline. His boss promised him a bonus if they complete it on time.

When I walk in the main entrance to the diner, I see him right away. He’s sitting in the back corner booth, facing me. His tall, handsome form stands out among the rest of the patrons as I begin to wind my way towards him. He stands and hugs me to him, before gesturing for me to sit down. Our waitress immediately comes over to take our order. We both decide on cheeseburgers, fries and chocolate milkshakes before handing our menus back to her.

“So how was the band last night?” I ask.

“They were really great. I can’t believe Dave’s brother is their manager.”

“Yeah, that is kind of shocking to hear. Alex was always such a screw up. It’s hard to picture him managing anything when he couldn’t even manage himself.” I giggle quietly thinking about some of the crazy stuff he did in college. “He was
craaazy
back in college. He’s lucky he survived it. I swear he should have died from alcohol poisoning on more than one occasion and he had a long list of girls that wanted to do him bodily harm. He was the king of one night stands. It was kind of gross. He asked me out a few times but I always refused. I’m not really keen on being part of a harem.” I snort at the absurdity of it.

“I didn’t know he asked you out. If I had, I would have told him to stay the fuck away from you. He’s actually doing pretty well now. Dave said he has his act together, so hopefully it will continue. It was good to see them both.” Our waitress comes over, setting our plates and milkshakes down on the table in front of us.

“Do you guys need anything else?” 

“No, we’re all set,” Marcus answers as I vigorously shake the bottle of ketchup before opening it. I always do this because there’s nothing worse than when it pours out all watery on your plate. I shiver in disgust at the thought before taking off the cap and tapping the bottle on the number fifty-seven. The ketchup slowly oozes out in a thick puddle on my plate. It works like a charm, every time.

“I missed you last night. I thought you would come in and at least cuddle with me.” I fake pout.

He smiles at me before taking a large bite of his burger. He holds his finger up as he chews, telling me he needs a minute. He washes it all down with a sip of his milkshake before talking.

“I wanted to come in and more than cuddle with you,” he waggles his eyebrows, making me giggle. “I didn’t get home till after two and I had to be up at six. I was trying to be considerate, but I’m kicking myself now.”

“So what’s going on with you? You never invite me to lunch during the week.” I ask as I dunk a fry in my milkshake before eating it.

“I got a call from my dad yesterday and he needs me to head out there immediately. One of his employees had a heart attack.”

“Oh, that’s so horrible. Is he going to be alright?”

“I guess he’s still in I.C.U., but he is stable at this point. The doctors told his wife he has a long road of recovery ahead of him and he will be out of work for a while.”

“So what does that mean, in terms of you staying there?” I ask, knowing in my heart exactly what it means. He’s going to California and he’s not coming back any time soon. I push my plate away, suddenly no longer having an appetite.

“I don’t know exactly, but I would guess that I won’t be back till the start of school.” He exhales a large breath and shakes his head before continuing on. “I don’t want to leave you and miss out on all our plans for this summer, but how do I let my dad down when he’s counting on me?”

“I know you have to go and if you didn’t, it would eat you up inside. I’m going to miss you so much Marcus. How will I survive without you for that long?” I ask, wiping the tears from my eyes. I’m not being overly dramatic when I ask him that. I really can’t imagine the whole summer without him. He is such a huge part of my day to day life.

“Hailey, please don’t cry. I can’t take it if you do. I’m barely hanging on here myself and if you lose it, I’m a goner.” He takes my hand in his and rubs it reassuringly before pausing to take a deep breath. Oh no, I can tell he needs to tell me something else and it’s not going to be good.

“I’m flying out at eight o’clock tonight Hails.” There’s so much apology laced within his tone, I can tell this is as hard on him as it is on me. Tears pour down my face in a steady stream and I can’t speak because I’m doing everything I can to hold the sobs in. Marcus gets up and comes over to my side of the booth, taking a seat beside me. He carefully pulls me into his arms and holds me as I cry. He keeps kissing the top of my head and whispering in my ear that we’ll get through this. I know we’ll get through it, but it sucks big hairy balls! I want to be a little girl again, just for a moment so I can stomp my foot and throw a temper tantrum over the unfairness of it. I lift my head from his shoulder and look into his eyes and see the same sadness I’m feeling, mirrored in his. He cups my cheeks in his palms and leans forward placing a tender kiss on my lips before swiping his thumbs under my eyes to wipe my tears away.

“You’re going to be fine while I’m gone. We’ll talk and text all day and night until my time there is up. We made it through four years of college without each other, we can handle one summer.” I don’t want him to feel any worse than he does so I nod my head in agreement.

“I need to get back to work now, so I can finish up. Then I still have to find the time to pack my bags.”

“I can pack your bags for you. I know what you need to bring. You’re going to have to buy some more dress shirts when you get out there. You’ll need them if you have to wear a tie to work.”

“You’re right. Just pack whatever you think I should take and anything else I need, I can deal with, once I’m settled in.”

“Can I take you to the airport?” I ask in a hopeful tone.

“Of course you can Hails. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

***

  I’m late getting back to the office from lunch and I know I look like a disaster. The thing is, I don’t really give a shit, right now. I am totally devastated that Marcus is leaving tonight. I can’t stand the thought of him being so far away from me. I’ve had a nauseous stomach since he first told me he was leaving and it’s probably going to feel that way until he returns home. I try to avert my face as I hurry past Candy, seated at her desk. I can’t stand this bitch and there’s part of me that knows she will gain some sick sense of enjoyment from seeing me upset and I don’t want to give her the satisfaction. When I reach the hallway that leads to Cory’s office I pause for a minute, trying to regain some composure, before continuing on. His door is closed so I knock twice before being told to enter. He’s sitting at his desk reading through some papers. He has on a pair of glasses with thick black frames and he looks ridiculously sexy in them. I close the door behind me and walk towards him.

“I didn’t know you wear glasses.” I stop in front of his desk before continuing on. “They look great on you.”

“Thanks. I don’t need them all the time, but my eyes are really straining today. It’s probably from my lack of sleep last night. Wearing these usually helps.” He looks up from the pages he’s been studying and takes in my face. My blotchy, red, puffy eyed face. You don’t need to be Einstein to figure out that I’ve been crying.

“What’s wrong babe?” He asks looking concerned. I shake my head and bite my lip trying to hold in the tears that are on the verge of exploding all over again. I breathe in deeply and hold for three seconds before exhaling. I probably look like a weirdo, but I will look really crazy if I have a panic attack.

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” I say, my lips forming a tight smile. He watches me closely and I start to squirm under his close scrutiny. He removes his glasses placing them upside down on his desktop, before crooking his finger at me.

“Come here babe.” I shake my head and stay where I’m at. “Hailey, if you don’t walk over to me on your own accord, I’m going to come over there and make you.” His tone is soft, but the threat is real. I know he would do exactly what he said, so I walk around the side of his desk and stop beside his chair. He rolls the chair back before angling his seat to face me. He unexpectedly yanks me onto his lap and I make a weird screeching noise. It’s so high pitched it doesn’t sound human. Cory laughs at my reaction before asking me again.

“What’s wrong? I can tell you’ve been crying and I want to know who made you so upset?” I’m reclining sideways in his lap with my back supported by one of his arms. My legs are bent over the arm of his executive chair and it’s not the most comfortable position to be in.

“I had lunch with Marcus and he told me he has to go to California for the whole summer. One of his dad’s employees got sick suddenly and he’s taking his place. He leaves tonight.” I don’t even make it through the first sentence before I start to cry, big salty tears that are dripping down my face and onto my gray blouse, leaving little wet spots scattered all over it. They almost look like polka dots.

“Babe, I’m sorry to hear that. Come here.” He says as he closes both arms around me and I naturally rest my head on his chest. I continue to cry and sniffle for the next fifteen minutes and Cory stays silent and lets me get it all out, handing me more tissues as I need them. He caresses my head and rubs my back intermittently. It feels so soothing and relaxing that I actually drift off to sleep in his arms.

The ringing of a phone brings me back to consciousness and the realization that I fell asleep on Cory’s lap. I push myself up and try to get off of him. He tightens his arms and holds me still.

“Relax babe. I’ve got you.” He says in his deep, smooth voice that I never tire of listening to. I wish he could read me a bedtime story every night for the rest of my life. With his dulcet tones lulling me to sleep, I would never suffer from insomnia again.

“I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I fell asleep on you. How long was I out for?” I’m so horrified right now. I can’t believe I took a freaking nap on top of him.
What the actual hell?

“It was only ten minutes babe and it gave me an excuse to hold you in my arms,” He says cheekily, making me giggle out loud.

“Okay, this has been fun but I think I’m going to give your lap a break now,” I say as I push myself up and off of him. I try not to think about how much I enjoyed being held in his arms and how safe it has always made me feel. The fact that I just fell asleep on him speaks volumes to me. I wish I could climb back in his embrace and remain there for the rest of the day.

Chapter Thirty-Three

June 2015 - Marcus

  By the time I get home from work it’s six o’clock and I have about thirty minutes until we need to leave for the airport. Hailey has my bags packed and dinner warming in the oven. I sit down at the table and basically inhale my meal so I can take a quick shower before we have to go. I really wanted to make love with Hailey, but I’m not even going to have time for that
. Fuck my life!
Everything has gone to shit in the last twenty-four hours. The only positive is that my work project finished on time so I got my thousand-dollar bonus. I’m putting that money aside for a plane ticket so I can come for a weekend visit during this summer. Maybe I will surprise Hailey when she least expects it.

Hailey is quiet on the ride to the airport. We’re in my truck and I’m behind the wheel because she isn’t a fan of driving to Logan Airport. I keep glancing at her in my periphery and she looks so sad. It breaks my heart to see her like this and I hope that she’ll be fine without me. Hailey is strong and she prides herself on being self-sufficient. She doesn’t like to admit she needs anyone else, but we’re a team, she and I. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t count on one another in some way. It will be strange not to have her right there beside me. I’m going to have chronic insomnia without her sleeping next to me, every night.

I didn’t get to say goodbye to Shelby in person, so I called her on my way home from work. She has barely been around lately and I know she’s up to something, but I’m not sure what. I spoke with her about keeping an eye on Hailey for me. I don’t want her to be alone all the time. Shelby promised she would be more of a presence at our apartment and she’s going to take her out dancing soon, so she can distract her for a night.

“Marcus,” Hailey says interrupting my thoughts. “I never got a chance to talk to you last night and when we were at lunch today, we were busy talking about your trip. I wanted to tell you that Cory and I had a long talk yesterday and we worked everything out. He apologized and explained what happened with us five years ago. The short version is that I told him he was forgiven and now we are going to work on being friends once again.”
Fanfuckingtastic! Jesus, talk about shitty timing for me to be leaving.

“I’m happy you got your apology, Hails. You do realize that he doesn’t really want just friendship from you, right?”

“I know he doesn’t. He actually wants us to be in a relationship but I told him it’s not going to happen and he settled on being friends.”

“If this makes you happy then it makes me happy, baby. I know it must feel good to have some closure after all this time.”

We pull into the airport entrance and I start to panic. My heart is racing and I’m not sure how I’ll find the strength to walk away from her and get on the plane that will take me three thousand miles away. It takes a few minutes to reach the drop-off point for the airline I’m flying on. I pull the truck to the curbside and put the hazards on, before getting out and grabbing my bags from the backseat of the extended cab area. I carry them around the rear of the truck and place them on the curbside as Hailey exits the passenger side to come stand next to me. She is already crying and has tears running unchecked down her cheeks. I pull Hailey into my arms and mold my mouth to hers, sharing a final passionate, salty kiss. I pull my lips from hers and clutch her to my chest, thinking about how much I’m going to miss holding her in my arms.

“I have to go, baby. I’m already running behind schedule and I can’t miss my flight. I’ll call you when I get there.” She looks up at me with her impossibly large eyes and I swear I can physically feel her sadness. It’s emanating from her every pore. I slide my hands into the sides of her hair, holding her head in place so she can’t turn away from me. Our eyes are locked on each other as I continue on.

“Hailey, you can call me anytime you feel like it. I will always answer for you baby, no matter what. I promise you, this summer will pass quickly and I’ll be back before you can even miss me.” She snorts in reply to that.

“I already miss you. Call me when you land. Get going before I can't let you go.” She tells me in a shaky voice.

“Okay, baby. I love you so much.” I pull her to me for one final hug before I take a step back towards my bags, on the sidewalk. She looks so beautiful with her cheeks wet with from crying and her lips swollen from kissing me goodbye. I take one final glance at her, trying to memorize every precious inch before I turn and walk towards the porter standing in front of the automatic doors.

“Marcus!” She yells my name and I can hear her voice wavering with emotion. I stop and turn to look back at her.

“I love you. Safe home Marcus.” She smiles at me tremulously through her tears and I blow her a kiss before continuing on to check my bags in. The next time I turn around she is already gone and it’s time for me to find my gate before I’m too late and miss my flight. Our goodbye stretched out longer than I intended, but not as long as I wish it could have. I look up at the monitors suspended from the wall and find the gate I need to get to. At this point, I just want to get on this flight and have a stiff drink or two. Hopefully, it will knock me out and I can forget about this whole nightmare for a while.