Page 28 of Kicking it with my Fake Fiancé
I could hear the frown in his voice. “Why not?”
“Mostly because she’s going to miss me.”
“We’ll go back. I promise. Visit lots.”
I smiled and nodded, cradling the phone to my ear. “I know we will.” I swallowed hard, knowing there was a lot to do and not nearly enough time to do it. “The good news is, I’ll see you Friday evening.”
“Friday it is.”
I had one final task, and as the day was winding down, I texted Benjamin and Jakob and asked them to meet me at the brewery nearby.
When I arrived, I took the liberty of getting myself a glass of beer, a sour they had on tap that I particularly liked, and sat on the patio, enjoying the crisp Norwegian air and staring at the mountains beyond the fjord. Eventually, Benjamin and Jakob arrived, joining me at my table.
“Hei, friend!” Benjamin said, taking a seat.
Jakob nodded and sat. “You’re a drink ahead already?”
I chuckled softly and shrugged. “Something like that. Believe me, I don’t plan to drink much today.”
“How’s Jared?” Jakob asked.
I shifted in my seat a little awkwardly. “He’s great. He had a really good time visiting. Back in the States now. That’s why I asked you two to meet me. I have some news. About the show.”
Benjamin leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s just—we’ve been informed that my visa came through. I’m moving to the States, officially. I leave Friday.”
Jakob coughed as he tried to take a sip of beer, placing the glass on the table carefully while he caught his breath. “Friday? That’s… soon.”
“Very.”
“Are you packed? Ready?” Benjamin asked, frowning.
I barked a laugh. “Not even a little.”
He looked at Jakob, who nodded. “We can help.”
“I couldn’t ask you two to do that.”
Jakob shrugged. “That’s what friends are for.”
“I can take a few days off work to help,” Benjamin said.
With a nod, Jakob agreed. “Me too.”
I could hardly believe their generosity, but after a little back-and-forth, I accepted their offer. The next two days were spent emptying out my apartment—filling boxes that the production company would help me ship to America. I wouldn’t need to keep my furniture, but Benjamin and Jakob had promised they’d help me sell it and send me the money. I also had to pack up anything I’d need immediately to either bring in my carry-on baggage or check on the plane.
Friday morning came quickly—too quickly. I spent the night on my couch, having packed up the bedroom already. When my alarm went off at four in the morning, I groaned and flailed around until I knocked my phone off the table and it stopped beeping. As I dressed quickly, I looked around my nearly empty apartment. I’d miss the place that I’d set up my life in, even though I was excited for my new adventure. My chest ached with a mixture of sadness and joy. I took a few minutes to check in each room to be sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, and as I did, resolve overtook me. I was moving to America to marry my best friend. This was a time for happiness and excitement, even if it was tinged with sadness.
I hauled my bags to the bus station, where I had to catch a bus to the airport train. It was a long, tedious morning, and the first leg of my trip was spent sleeping, but eventually I was on the plane to America, wide awake and jittery from coffee and nerves.
The plane’s engines droned on, and I stared out the small oval window into the clouds below. Through breaks in the clouds, I caught glimpses of the ocean, and my stomach roiled. I tried not to think of the fact that I was soaring over the Atlantic. I didn’t mind flying, but flying over water always made me edgy. Not only that, but I was headed to the States—long-term—with the intention of marrying my best friend for citizenship. What if something went wrong? What if he changed his mind? What if we ended up hating each other after spending three months together? We’d only spent a week together in the past fifteen years. Granted, wehadlived together all those years ago, sharing a room and sharing everything we could, but we were children then, just teenagers ourselves, and I wondered how things had changed.
Instead of focusing on what made me nervous, I pulled out the little handheld camera the production team had sent the day prior and turned it on, bracing myself to film a little monologue.
“Well, here we are,” I said, chuckling through the nerves. “Soaring above the Atlantic.” I turned the camera to show the clouds below us. “I’m headed to America to be with Jared. I’m happy, of course I am, but I’m also nervous.” I spilled my anxieties to the camera, leaving out the part about the producers finding out we were making our relationship up as we went along. “I guess either way, we’ll find out soon enough. America, here I come. Jared, I hope you’re ready for me.” I turned off the camera and leaned my head back against the headrest. “Jared, here I come,” I said in a whisper, before closing my eyes and trying to sleep again.
Chapter Fifteen
