An alarm clock blaring burned through the hazing fog whirling around Harper's mind. She groaned as she rolled over, slapping the snooze button. It was Saturday morning. The plane for Florida was set to leave at eleven am, and she hadn't done any packing yet. Her curse of over-procrastinating once again came back to bite her. She slid out of bed and ambled into the bathroom, groggily turning on the shower water. Though she was only half lucid, she'd have to get everything done.

So she showered and dried her hair, got dressed and fixed what little make up she did wear, and then started packing a bag. She didn't plan on staying in Florida long. Just long enough to meet her mother and get the answers she needed and then fly back. But she packed enough for a few extra days just in case. Her duffel was bulging by the time she got it zipped at ten am. She hefted it out into the living room and dropped it beside the front door, then went back into her bedroom.

She grabbed an empty back pack from her closet and used it to store her personals and toiletries. That way it could be a carry-on stay closer to her on the plane. Darcy was running about the room while she did so, his tail wagging, cluing into the fact that she was leaving much sooner than she would've liked. The backpack finished much easier to zip than the duffel. She went to the front and dropped it with the duffel just before a knock sounded at the door.

She checked her watch. It was roughly ten-thirty. Steve was due any time really, as they hadn't set a concrete time the night before. He didn't give her a choice when he said he was taking her to the airport. Not that she would've protested much anyway. She probably would have jumped at the offer. There was no way she wanted to go alone. She hummed lightly as she pulled open the door, smiling as she saw Steve standing outside.

He smiled back. "You ready?"

"Yep. My bag's all packed." She nudged her duffel with her foot, chuckling a little. Steve barked a laugh at the sight of its bulging folds—threatening to burst open completely at the zipper—and grabbed the overly full bag off the floor. Darcy wiggled his way out of the apartment with the door open and Harper sighed. "Sorry, bud. You can't come with me," she apologized, calling him back inside.

He looked slightly saddened, like he somehow understood her words as his trotting back to her. She knelt down in front of him and he nudged her middle with his wet nose. Scratching behind his ears, she inhaled. "You be good, okay? Don't be too hard for Bryan," she instructed, half-heartedly. "I'll be back before you know it." Steve decided to take the bags to his truck to give Harper and Darcy some privacy.

Sometimes it startled him just how deeply Harper felt for the things she loved. She was an intense feeler, and it was just one of the many things on the list that made him love her. He tossed the duffel and back pack in the bed of the truck and sighed. He paused, eyeing the bags. It suddenly dawned on him. She was really going all the way to the states—to the East coast, no less. It was one of the farthest states from Hawaii.

He'd wanted her to go, practically begged her to. But now that it was happening, he didn't quite know how he should feel about it. The passenger side door opening beside him interrupted his thoughts. "Everything okay?" Harper asked, curiously, hanging on the door. He shook himself from his head and smiled. "Yeah. Let's get you on that plane," he said, causing her to smile before climbing onto the seat.

She shut her door and he walked around the front to the driver's side. Once he was up and in the truck, he started the engine and began driving. It wouldn't take too long to get to the airport. This was good and bad at the same time. Good because Harper was running late. Bad because Steve wouldn't get as much last minute time with her as he'd hoped. He would've planned something for them to do together before she left but the trip was so sudden.

When she'd finally decided, they only had a day before the flight. But he knew she needed to go, he knew why she needed to go, and so he settled on calling it a necessary evil. They arrived at the airport shortly and checked in Harper's bags, then went to the security checkpoint—the farthest Steve could walk with her without having a ticket himself. "This is it," Harper stated, trying to keep her tone light.

As if that would somehow stave off what was coming or how she would feel about it. Steve exhaled, turning to her. She looked up at him and he plastered on a smile. "I'm really glad you decided to do this. It'll be good for you to see your mom, get some answers," he said, avoiding what he wished he could say. What his heart was screaming for him to say. Don't leave, stay with me. I love you, I need you.

This trip was for Harper. Asking her to stay, he knew, would just be selfish. "Yeah…I'm gonna miss you, though," she said, tilting her head in a reply. "I'll call you when I land, I guess?"

"When you land, when you breathe, before you go to sleep, when you wake up…" he listed.

She laughed and playfully shoved his arm, and he laughed, too. "I love you," she wrapped her arms around his middle, holding on tightly.

"I love you, too." He held onto her just as tightly, kissing the top of her head and nestling his cheek against her temple. Just then, the overhead speak sounded, announcing another flight ready to board. And it was Harper's. Reluctantly, she stepped back, but his arms kept her close. "I'll be right here when you get back," he assured, firmly.

"You better be."

She rose on her toes and he tipped his head down to meet her halfway, capturing her lips in a deep kiss. It could only last for a second before she had to go. But leaving without it would feel wrong. After a moment, they separated and finally let go of each other. Harper pulled her jacket closed, said one last goodbye, and then she went through security. It was an odd feeling, boarding the plane and finding her seat.

It wasn't the sickening, constricting feeling of panic she expected. It got her heart beating faster. But that was it. Otherwise, she felt completely normal leaving. Maybe it was a sign, she thought. A sign that things will be okay. That she was actually meant to go to Florida. That she made the right decision. As the plane took off, she was starting to think she was actually right for a change.