Page 98 of Harper's Holiday Romance

“Seriously? You should see me when I’m not running off five hours sleep and preflight exhaustion.”

“I have, and I like this look better.” I winked. Or at least I tried. Winking wasn’t my thing, but I was trying a lot of new things lately. I looked like a dog sneezing whilst I scrunched my face in my attempt at winking.

“You’re cute as hell. Do you know that?” Julia leaned in for another kiss. My smile was so embarrassing. I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to, which resulted in Julia half kissing my exposed teeth; she didn’t seem to mind.

“I’ve been told once or twice.”

She peaked around me to observe the ruckus. “What are those two arguing about?

“Who gets to have the window seat on the plane.” I rolled my eyes.

Billie was still claiming bagsy rights whilst Sarah lay flat across my case in an attempt to squeeze the zip into its final position. It could be stubborn; I think that’s why I liked it.

“I’m going to miss those idiots.”

Julia wrapped her arm around my shoulder, pressing her lips to the side of my forehead as if she’d done it a thousand times before. It felt surreal, almost like I was watching my life play out on a movie screen, and I was merely a spectator watching from the stands.

“You’ll see them soon,” she whispered.

Soon.

It was an indefinite length of time. The idea ofsooneased my anxiety, but the idea of leaving Julia only increased it.

One step at a time.

I had to take one step at a time; with Julia by my side it seemed like an achievable feat. There was a lot to figure out, a lot to be excited about, and a lot of feelingsto understand, but as Julia squeezed me tightly in the space between her arm I felt at home.

“I really like you; do you know that?” I asked.

“I’m kinda fond of you too.” She nuzzled her head into my neck.

Every now and then life had a funny way of waking me up, making me feel alive, making me feel elation and adventure, and an unusual discomposure that had my body screaming out for more. I felt the moment deeper than the depth of the ocean, and I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.