Page 156 of Double Fault

“I know.” He presses his forehead to mine. “God, I know. I don’t like it, but if this… if you love me as much as I love you, we’ll figure it out. Maybe I can come to Texas before Cincinnati and after New York?”

“But you don’t know for sure?”

He shakes his head.

“Once school starts, there’s no way I can fly to you on weekends. There won’t be enough time. If I get this job, I’ll be spending my weekends creating lesson plans and grading papers and?—”

He shuts me up with a kiss. “No ifs, baby. You’re getting the job. You’re taking it. I’ll be home for a bit in November and for all of December. We can do this.”

His unwavering faith in us, his belief in me, would have me feeling foolish for being so concerned if it weren’t for the pain in his eyes. He hates this as much as I do.

I’m stuck in an impossible state, wedged between the man I’ve unexpectedly fallen for and the job I’ve always wanted.

“We can do this,” I echo.

But can we? There’s a niggling worry in the back of my mind. What we have is so new, so fragile that it might not survive the time and distance apart.

“You stay here,” he says once we’ve found my gate. “I’ll grab breakfast.”

As he walks away, I sit and clutch my backpack to my chest. I pull out my phone and text Lucy an update. She’ll be waitingat the airport when I land. I miss her, and a big part of me can’t wait to see her. But I dread it all the same, because seeing her is going to make all this even more real.

I download a couple of e-books and audiobooks for the plane ride since I’m not sure what will ultimately keep my attention.

When Noah returns, he plops down on my left side and hands me an iced coffee from Starbucks.

“Bless you.” I take a long sip. “That’s wonderful.”

Chuckling, he pulls an egg sandwich from a small paper bag and hands it to me. My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I’ve been up for hours and haven’t eaten anything.

“Lucy’s picking you up, right?”

Mouth full, I simply nod.

“And you’re staying with her?”

“For the foreseeable future, yes.”

After the months I’ve been traveling with him, I’d have no trouble getting my own place, but I know if I spend too much time alone, it’ll be hard on my mental state, and my friends have insisted I stay with them.

“Good,” he replies, rubbing his hands nervously on his shorts.

I’m still wrapping my head around his presence. The man bought a plane ticket he had no intention of using just so he could keep me company. I don’t deserve him.

“I’m going to miss you,” I blurt.

He looks at me, a crumb stuck on his lip. God, he looks so young and boyish in this moment that it breaks my heart all over again. How am I supposed to leave him? I brush it away, letting my fingers linger on his lips. Once I’m on that plane, we’ll have to wait who knows how long to see one another again.

“I’m going to miss you too. Don’t think for a second I’m not hurting over this.”

When I’ve finished my sandwich, I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes in an effort to pretend we’re alone.

Too soon, they’re calling for boarding.

“You’re up first.” He gives me a nudge.

“What?” I ask stupidly.

“First class.”

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