I walked with her to the car carrying the last bag. After throwing it in the back and shutting the trunk, I turned to face her.
"I'm really going to miss you." I crossed my arms in front of me, trying to keep in all the heat I could. The snow fell lightly around us.
"It's only a week, babe. I'll be home in no time. I promise." My eyes made their way down to my feet. I tried not to break down in front of her now. Knowing how excited Beca is about this trip, I didn't want to make her feel guilty for wanting to go. She was getting to go work on remixing some songs with all these big time producers and artists. Right now, she is living her dream.
Of course I am excited for her, but out of my own selfishness, I'd rather have her here with me. Especially with the weather getting nasty, I worry about her traveling around so much. The roads are guaranteed to be crazy.
"This trip will be good for me. I'll be able to put myself out there more. Make an even bigger name for myself. This is exactly what I've wanted my entire life." Her passion for music was so beautiful. Every day, it inspired me to see how hard she's worked to get where she is now. Words couldn't explain how proud I am of her.
"You're going to do awesome." I reached out to gently brush a few snowflakes from her brown hair. I tried to smile, but she knew me better than that. She pulled me tightly into a hug.
"Please don't be upset.. I swear, when I get back, we can sit on the couch and cuddle. I'll even watch a movie with you. Your choice." Nodding slowly, I blinked back a few tears that threated to spill now that she couldn't see my face.
"Chloe, you're shaking, like, a lot." Beca let go of me and slipped the black jacket off her shoulders and placed it around my own. The warmth from her own small body lingered on the jacket, as did her smell. If I couldn't have her, then this jacket would have to do for the next week until Beca returned.
She stood there biting her lip until she suddenly grabbed the strings of the hoodie and pulled me in for a kiss hot enough to melt all the snow that had fallen around us. I wrapped my arms around her neck to bring her close, deepening the kiss.
"I'm going to miss you too." She said as she pulled herself away, still inches from my face. Her warm breath ghosted across my lips. Gently, she wiped the tear I didn't realize I let slip off my cheek. Before letting go to hop in the car, she placed another small kiss on my lips. I zipped the jacket up completely, letting it cling tightly to my body as if it were still her.
"I love you." I called out to her.
"I love you too." She called back through the open car window. With one last wave, she pulled out of the driveway. I watched the black car fade away down the street until my tears made it nearly impossible to see anything at all.
Making my way back into the house, I decided to just call it a day.
…
For the next couple days, I basically did nothing. The already small apartment seemed even smaller and lonelier without her here.
Wednesday evening found me at Aubrey's house. The pain of sitting around and counting the hours until Saturday became too much. So I decided to see if spending some time with my best friend might help.
"So have you not talked to her at all?" The blonde handed me a glass with wine to help me relax. I took a small sip.
"I mean, not really. I hear from her every once in a while, but she's been so busy I can't actually hold a conversation with her." Aubrey nodded as she took a sip from her own glass.
"At least you're halfway through the week."
"Yeah, I guess." I stared at the fire glowing in the fireplace. It felt nice to be somewhere other than the house. It was cold and quiet there. Knowing that she has Aubrey to talk to made things a little more bearable.
"Hey, why don't you stay with me until Saturday? Then you can be there when she gets home." I gave Aubrey a smile and nodded.
We spent the rest of the night drinking up the bottle of wine. By the time midnight had rolled around, even the usually uptight blonde was singing and dancing around the living room with me. It was nice to just let loose a little. I really needed it.
I stayed with Aubrey for the next few days. We spent plenty of time catching up on everything going on in our lives. I was surprised to find out that she had been seeing Jesse Swanson. It made me laugh to think about when Beca was head over heels for him. She still gets all flustered whenever I bring him up. I can't wait for her to get home so I can tell her about him and Aubrey. That'll be a shock for sure.
When Saturday morning rolled around, I went back to the apartment. I pulled out my phone and decided to leave her a message.
Chloe: Can't wait for you to get home!
It was a couple minutes before I felt my phone buzz.
Beca: Don't get too excited, I might be home pretty late.
My heart sank in my chest. I was tired of waiting to see her car pull up in the driveway. Beca needed to be home right now. She should be home right now.
Chloe: Well, I'll be here waiting for you. Drive safe.
I kept myself busy the rest of the day cleaning the house. Every once in a while, I'd check my phone for any new messages. Or, I'd stand by the window near the front door to see if her car would be coming down the street.
It never did.
By the time the sun went down, there was still no sign of her. I had texted her again to make sure she was okay, but I never heard back. Chances are she'd be driving and couldn't respond.
I decided to take a shower and then go to bed.
I pulled her jacket off and laid it neatly on the bed. For the last week, I practically lived in this thing. No matter where I went, she was with me. She's probably going to think I'm crazy, but that's okay. I've missed her a lot. I just have to hang onto the jacket for one more day I guess.
After I finished my shower, I walked back into my room to gather some clothes. In short time, I was dressed and had my hair all dried. After checking my phone one last time and plugging it in to charge, I climbed into bed. I grabbed Beca's hoodie from the end of the bed and slid it on carefully. Except something was different this time.
Her smell no longer came off the jacket. I felt the tears well up in my eyes I tried desperately to find some trace of her on even one inch of the black fabric. I had worn the jacket so much that it began to smell like me. It actually began to break my heart.
After accepting defeat, I just curled up with the jacket and decided to go to sleep. I silently prayed that by the morning, she would be here. For hopefully the last night, I let my tears rock me to sleep like an ocean.
I don't know what time it was when I woke up, or what exactly woke me up, but I remember there being some kind of light pressure around my waist. Being one who moves around a lot in her sleep, I assumed I had managed to wrap the jacket around me, so I shut my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. Then I realized the familiar scent was back. Beca's scent.
I felt so frustrated, thinking that it was my tired mind making things up. I was about to just go back to sleep until I felt someone's slow breath hitting the back of my neck. My heart stopped for a second. I never remember hearing the front door open, or even the bedroom door.
I looked over my shoulder and held back a squeal when I realized that it was Beca. My Beca had come home. I slowly flipped over to face her and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. For a second, I swear I saw a smile play at the corners of her mouth. In the sheets, I searched for her hand and intertwined her fingers in mine.
"Welcome home, baby.." I whispered before falling asleep.