Page 29 of Kicking it with my Fake Fiancé
Jared
Accordingtotheterminal’ssign announcing arrivals, Matty’s plane had landed a few minutes ago. I waited by the baggage carousel for him to appear, pacing while I waited. There was a camera crew with me, filming my pacing. We’d seen each other only a couple of weeks prior, but my stomach was in knots anyway. I wasn’t sure how the distance and the days would change where we left off.
After a half hour or so of waiting, a crowd streamed from the upper floors down into the baggage claim area and once again, my stomach gave an anxious little flutter. I spotted him on the escalator, backpack slung over his shoulder, laptop bag in hand, gaze darting around, presumably looking for me.
I lifted my arm and waved frantically in his direction. “Matty!”
Finally, he spotted me, relief visible on his face as he smiled in my direction, the tension in the set of his shoulders relaxing. He made his way through the throngs of people and when he got to me, he stopped, shifting from one foot to the other, the look on his face suddenly shy. He cast his gaze at the ground and then looked back at me through his long lashes.
“Hei.”
I gave him a soft smile. “Hi.” I hesitated for a second before throwing my arms around his neck and squeezing him close to me.
Matty staggered backward a step from the force of my hug before wrapping his arms around my body and hugging me tightly, laptop bag crashing against my body as he held me.
“I missed you,” I said, my voice soft and low into the shell of his ear.
Matty groaned softly, the rumble sending a shock wave through my chest and heat through my veins. “I missedyou,” he echoed.
“Cut!” We both looked around, surprised. I’d forgotten the cameras existed for a moment. The producer grinned and gave us a thumbs-up. “Great job.”
We discussed the shots they’d gotten briefly before the crew left us behind, and I breathed a sigh of relief at being free of the cameras and observers.
A klaxon alarm sounded right as the crew walked away, announcing the arrival of the checked luggage. We stumbled a couple of steps away from the carousel before parting. I reluctantly let go of his neck and he bumped my shoulder with his.
“Was the flight okay?”
“It was fine. The first one was short, but the second wasn’t. It seemed quite long.”
“You must be tired.”
Matty nodded. “But I’m glad to see you.”
“Are you saying it was worth it?” I leaned against his side playfully.
He chuckled a little and tipped his chin at a big suitcase coming around. “I can’t imagine describing it as anything else.” He grinned at me before stepping forward to grab the bag. “One more, the same size.”
“You brought a lot of clothes,” I said, shaking my head and smiling fondly.
Matty shrugged and snatched his second suitcase from the carousel. “What can I say? I’m a little bit high maintenance, I suppose.” Another grin and a wink. “Now, where to?”
I grabbed the suitcases—both of them, because Matty had his backpack and laptop bag—and rolled them along until we got to the car. It was a short drive back to my place and then there we were—home. Our home. “Well, here it is,” I said, gesturing to the small rancher I lived in. I found myself suddenly and inexplicably nervous that he would think it was too small or something.
“It’s great,” he said, climbing out of the car. “So much space.”
“It’s a rental. Maybe we can buy one together after the wedding.” I grinned and helped him haul his bags inside. Once we were in, his suitcases taking up a big portion of the little living room, I encouraged him to look around. “My house is your house. If we’re going to live together for at least two years, you should get comfortable.”
He made his way through the rancher, peeking into each room and nodding, occasionally saying something in Norwegian as he went. He did the same when he peered into my bedroom and then backed out, entering the guest room next. Matty placed his backpack on the bed and sat down heavily, yawning. “I think I’ll take a nap.”
“Here?”
“I assumed this was my room,” he said, furrowing his brow.
“Oh, I…” I bit my lower lip. “I thought you might sleep in my room. With me.”
He yawned again. “I wouldn’t want to be in your way while I’m acclimating to the time zone and everything. But once I’m adjusted, I’d like that very much.”
“In that case, I’ll leave you to nap.”
