I take each step slowly. I’m not sore, but I’m definitely tired. Emotions take a lot out of you, more than you tend to think. I hesitate at the top of the stairs when I see a dark figure sitting in front of my door. My heart races as I eye the person and look back down the stairs. The lighting in this hallway needs to be upgraded and now would be a great time for them to do it.
The person stands and faces me. It’s flight or fight time.
“Savannah?”
I cover my mouth as I half scream, half gasp. Rushing down the hall I jump into his arms and cry.
Tyler
Annamae was always jumping into my arms whenever I saw her. Even if it were an hour after l dropped her off. I hated it, found it annoying and ridiculous. A few times I thought it’d be funny to not catch her, but I always did.
Savannah jumping into my arms is a relief. The way she wraps herself around me, allowing me to bury my nose in her hair and hold her to me, sends a sense of calm through my body. Coming to Paris was the right decision regardless of what happens while I’m here. Being with her right now is what we both needed.
No lie, I was scared as the day turned to night and she hadn’t returned. My fears of her finding someone new or not being in town plagued my thoughts all day. I knew the risk, but was willing to take it just to see her, just to have this moment with her, even if it’s my last.
When you have nothing but time to kill, you start to think and that’s not always a beneficial thing. Coupled with my fears, each time I heard footsteps I readied myself for rejection. I could picture her face in my head, the look of dis
gust and anger as she saw me standing by her door waiting.
It’s still there even as I hold her close – that feeling that she doesn’t want me here. I’m afraid to let her go. Afraid that the moment I let her down, and she looks at me, her face will fall and I’ll be asked… no told... to leave. I don’t want to hear that Paris makes her happy and I know that makes me selfish, but she’s in my arms and all I want to do is carry her out of here and back to the airport.
Against my will, she wants down. I hold her as I lower her until her feet touch the ground and only then do I reluctantly loosen my grip. Her hands are soft against my face as she holds me, letting her fingers tickle the scruff growing in.
“I think I’m dreaming,” she says.
I want to kiss her, but the sounds of footsteps stop me. I look over her shoulder to find a man coming toward us. Before I can acknowledge his presence Savannah’s name is falling from his lips. I can’t even describe what I’m feeling. My skin feels tight. My heart is racing. My tongue feels heavy as Savannah turns in my arms and takes a step toward this man. She’s met someone else.
I’m too late.
“Zach?” her voice is soft and welcoming. I instantly hate that I’m here and hate the man standing on the other side of her.
“You didn’t come to the window… is everything okay?” I glare at him, hoping to convey that she belongs to me. I can’t help it. Savannah is worth fighting for and he needs to know that. I have a feeling this is going to be a showdown and not the Wild West kind. It’ll be him versus me with Savannah in the middle. I give him a good look – noticing that he’s the same stature as I am. It’ll be a fair fight.
Except when Savannah turns and looks at me, I get the feeling that I’ve already lost. I suck in my bottom lip to bite it, anything to tell my brain that the pain is okay. She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes, it’s nothing like I’m used to from her.
“Everything’s great. I was just saying –”
“Please don’t,” I say as my voice breaks.
“It’s not what it looks like. I promise.” She grabs for my hand and I let her. If I’m stupid enough to believe those words I might as well get one last hand hold out of the deal.
Savannah looks back at her friend and all I want to do is throw her over my shoulder and start running. It’s ridiculous, I know, but there’s something about her that makes me want to do stupid things like profess my love to anyone that will listen. I hope this “Zach” guy doesn’t feel the same way.
“Zach, this is Tyler.”
He steps forward before she can finish her sentence. Or maybe she’s done and I’m just hoping for more.
“Hey, man, it’s nice to meet you.” Before I know it, we’re shaking hands and I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone.
“Are we still on for breakfast?” he asks, as she looks back and forth between him and me.
“Let’s shoot for lunch at the café on the corner.” He kisses her on the cheek and disappears down the hall, all while I stand there trying to figure out what’s going on.
“Hey,” she says, as she places her hand against my cheek and turns me toward her. “Do you think that maybe you want to kiss me?”
“What about that guy?”
“Kiss me first and then I’ll tell you.”