June 21, 2019

"Why do airports have to be so exhausting?" Carly mumbles into my shoulder just before she tries to stifle her third yawn of the last ten minutes. She tucks her legs under her body in an effort to make herself as comfortable as possible, though I find that the hard plastic that the chairs are made with are making comfort almost an impossibility.

We're currently in the waiting area at Gate G8, where Carly will eventually board her flight to Dallas, Texas. I can't remember the last time I was awake at 5 a.m., but I have to say that the only two people in the world I would wake up for at this ungodly hour would be my mother and my girlfriend. Why did this have to be the only plausible flight for her to catch?

"I don't know, Carls, but you'll have plenty of time to rest up on the flight," I remind her as I lightly stroke her hair.

She buries her face in the crook of my neck and plants a light kiss there. "Doubtful," she replies. "I'm sure that I'll be too busy focusing on missing you or not dying to get any sleep. Besides, haven't you been on a plane before? My eardrums usually pop to the point of unbearable pain. I won't be able to sleep through that."

She must have forgot who she was dating. Doesn't she realize that I always think of everything?

"Look in the left side pocket of your travel bag," I instruct her. She lifts her head and gives me a curious look. I simply raise my eyebrows and wait for her to do as I say. With a small smile, she removes her legs from under her and sits up in order to lean over to her bag. Once she unzips the pocket and peeks inside, she looks back at me while pulling out a small box.

"Air pressure regulation ear plugs," I explain, though she didn't ask. "Those should make it a little easier to relax. Once you're up in the air it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

She smiles and shakes her head. "I should have known you'd do something sweet like this." Carly places both of her hands on either side of my face and gently pulls me in for a soft lingering kiss. It's a good thing I'm sitting or else I'm sure that my knees would have given out. How does she get her lips to be this soft?

She pulls away a little too soon and touches her forehead to mine. "I'm going to miss you so, so much. God, I can't even remember the last time I went to sleep without you by my side."

When I think about it, I can't either. We've been going back and forth between our apartments the last couple of months. I can't tell you when we fell into the routine of sleeping together, but I can tell you that I've had a hell of a time trying to fall asleep without her ever since. Still, the last thing she needs is for me to make a bigger deal out of this than needed.

"Baby, it's only nine days. You'll be back before you know it." I lift my head just enough to kiss her on the tip of her nose, then I return my forehead to hers.

"I hope so. The last Shay family reunion was excruciating."

"Well, you know you can call me anytime. My phone will practically be attached to me until you get back."

She looks up at me and gives me a small smile. "Are you sure I can't sneak you into my travel bag somehow?"

I've already thought of that, too.

I lean in so that I can whisper in her ear. 'Check the right pocket."

Her smile grows as she turns excitedly to her bag and unzips the right pocket. She reaches in and pulls out the picture I took of me sleeping…quite the difficult picture to take, but it was totally worth the beautiful, tinkering laugh she's giving me right this moment.

"Aww, babe, now I don't have to sleep without you!" she cries.

"Exactly," I confirm with a big grin. She presses a firm kiss to my lips. I pull her into my lap as she plants little kisses on my top and bottom lip. Damn, I'm really going to miss this woman.

I pull back, so that I can look into her eyes. Before I can say anything, there's an announcement over the gate's P.A. system for Carly's section to start boarding the aircraft. Her expression falls and I can feel her cling to my shoulders just a little tighter before eventually standing on her feet. I stand and pick up her travel bag for her as we walk to join the line. She turns to me with a hopeful look.

"Only nine days, right?" she asks, her voice small.

"It'll be a breeze," I say confidently. "Though, just for the record, I'm going to miss you like crazy, Carls. Call me as soon as you land, alright?"

"I will, I promise." She stands on her toes and gives me one last kiss before she takes her bag from my hands. "I love you, Freddie."

"Love you, too, sweetie. Have fun, alright?"

She gives me a soft smile before approaching the attendant checking the boarding passes. I watch her give the woman her pass to tear in half. Carly takes her portion and walks toward the gate. She looks back and blows me a kiss. I mouth "I love you" in return as she disappears onto the ramp. I exhale and remain rooted to the spot as I wait to see the plane take-off. "It's just nine days," I tell myself. "Just nine days."

A/N: This chapter would have gone up a little sooner, but President Obama's announcement totally trumped me posting this chapter. Major shout out to our troops overseas! Your service is appreciated! :o)

My apologies for taking so long to post a new ficlet! I attribute that to writer's block and I'm very thankful that I got through it. There are about six ficlets left in this series and I know how each of those are going to be written, but I didn't want to rush to them just yet. Now I feel like I can move on.

Lastly, I want to thank all of you for the TREMENDOUS response to the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy the rest of the story! Please continue to review and let me know what you think!

Hollaatchyagirl,

Phunky