The sound of airplanes roaring close by sends a shiver through El, her body shaking. Loud noises are still triggering to her, though this time she's easily able to dispel the anxiety knowing what exactly those loud noises mean.

Finally, finally the day has come to pick up Mike from the airport. They've been separated for almost 190 days now, with only short trips at the holidays seeing each other. She is ready to see him again.

As she waits, El takes in her surroundings, this being her first time at an airport. She notices the different people around her, all wearing vibrant colors and distracted looks. She, Will, Jonathan, and his friend Argyle are all standing in the designated pick-up section of the airport, surrounded by big machines that hold luggage and other personal items for passengers to pick up. El scans those items, knowing that any moment one will come through that belongs to the one person she most wants to see.

They talk all the time of course. Whether it's on the phone or with Cerebro, El does not waste a day without talking to her boyfriend. She can't help it-there's nothing in the world that can calm her easier than his voice. And El has needed a lot of calming lately.

She admits she hasn't been exactly truthful with him. Her hands ball up guiltily at the thought of her ever present phrase friend's don't lie. She doesn't want to lie to him, but she can't handle telling him the truth. That living in California has been hard-that she was struggling. She wants to be normal. She wants to fit in. She wants to have friends. How can she admit that she has none of those things, and feels so, so lonely? All it would do is make Mike worry, and she doesn't want that. But she also knows the truth will come out one way or another.

El shakes her head, trying to clear the thought, and decides to focus instead on the idea of seeing him again, putting all the complicated thoughts aside. Any minute now she would see Mike, strolling down the escalator, bags in hand, with his dark, pretty eyes and beautiful smile. Soon she could run to him. Hold him in her arms. Kiss him. Her body shakes again, but not because of fright.

She catches Will's eye who gives her a slight smile. Mike will be happy to see all of them of course, but secretly El wishes it were just the two of them reuniting today. But she also remembers that it's important they have time with their friends too, something both of them learned last summer.

Suddenly El notices a big crowd of people coming down the escalator, and a few cheers from other waiting groups can be heard. She sees who she assumes is a mother rushing to hug her child, and El feels a little prick in her heart. What she wouldn't do to have her parent walking down that escalator to embrace her.

Then, as the rush of the crowd dissipates, she sees him. A tall, lanky boy with dark hair and shiny eyes, holding a bundle of yellow flowers, moving down the escalator, and wearing the biggest grin El has ever seen.

"Mike!" she yells, not caring that her outburst sends several stares her way, especially when she hears the spirited "El!" in return.

She rushes to him, and suddenly it's as if the world is in slow motion. He's there. He's really there. She reaches him, grabs his face in her hands, and without any other words exchanged, they're kissing. El puts her whole heart into the kiss, letting all the emotions of the past few months flow out of her as she kisses her boyfriend, again and again, not wanting to ever break away. She does eventually, of course, only to smile up at Mike's face. "Hi," she says simply. "Hi," he replies. Then he kisses her again. It's short this time, and El giggles. "I missed you," she declares, laying her head against his shoulder. "So much."

At that, Mike kisses the top of El's head, and sighs. "I missed you too. But hey, we're together now! And just like you said in your last letter, this is going to be the best spring break ever." El forces a smile at the mention of the letter but doesn't say anything.

"Oh, and these are for you." The flowers again catch her eye, and El's heart feels like bursting seeing them presented to her. She meets his gaze, the blush on his face evident, and she smiles as she reaches up to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks." She takes a second to admire the flowers and her heart feels like it's going to burst. Eventually Mike crosses over to where the others are to greet them. He gives Will a quick hug and starts chatting happily with the group. El watches them for a moment, feeling both her happiness and anxiety rise. But she pushes down the fear, reminding herself that Mike was right, this was going to be the best spring break ever.