She had finished packing the remainder of her things. She checked her cell phone for the time, realizing she had 2 hours until her flight. She hadn't sold herself since that night and felt good for the first time in years. She placed her bags by the door as her roommates watched nearby on the couch.

"I'll be back, girls. It's not forever!"

The girls ran over and embraced her. The held each other for a moment, letting the last few tears falls. This was a new beginning for her and she liked it. Anything would be better than her previous career and she knew it. She was sad for leaving her friends, but she knew it was for the best. They heard the distant sound of a car horn in the distance. Realizing it was her cab, she grabbed her suitcase as she opened the door. Stephanie and Heather grabbed her last two remaining bags as they headed down the stairs towards the awaiting cab. Her future.

The excitement welling inside of her was almost too much to bear. She was excited to see Paul again. They had talked every night on the phone since their encounter, but hadn't been able to see one another. Their friendship was growing quickly. She had never felt as close with another man before, especially ever since her father had walked out on her, her sister and their mother almost 15 years prior.

She slid into the cab as she said her final goodbyes to her friends. She watched as they grew smaller and smaller until their was nothing left to look at. She turned around as she pulled her cell phone out to call Paul. She knew things were really happening for her. As she dialed the number and let the phone ring, a smile crept across her face. Her nerves were getting the better of her, too. She hadn't seen him for weeks and wasn't sure what their interaction would be like with each other. Granted, nothing happened between them, but some harmless dancing and endless flirting, she still couldn't shake the excitement welling inside her any longer. Hearing his voice on his voice mail made her stomach jump and her heart beat even faster.

"Paul, its Alyssa. I'm in the cab on my way to the airport so I should be getting their sometime around 3 in the morning. I'll call you before I board the plane. Talk to you later. Bye."

She flipped the phone shut and laid her head against the seat. This was the next chapter in her journey and she couldn't wait. Not only for her career to pick up and take off and not just because she would finally prove her family right.

But, because she was going to see Paul.