"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now beginning our final descend towards Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Please turn off all electronic devices until we are safely parked at the gate. Thank you."
Mac looked up in surprise when he heard the voice via the comm system. He had been so caught up in his reading - a book Stella had once given him - that he hadn't paid any attention to time that obviously had literally flown by.
Being in one of the front rows and having only a small bag allowed him to be one of the first passengers to leave the airplane. He was, however, not the very first, much to his regret - and the people walking in front of him in the small hallway took their time. He had to resist the urge to quickly walk past those people, and instead forced himself to slow down his normally fast pace as he followed them towards the arrival lounge.
The first thing he noticed was that the air of New Orleans was strangely different from New York. The light breeze that met him in the lounge was refreshing, and the sunshine that had bid him farewell a few hours ago now also greeted him warmly.
As did the smile of the woman who suddenly stepped from the crowd of people awaiting the arrival of their loved ones and walked straight towards him.
"Stella," he said quietly, his voice speaking of happiness when they greeted each other with a tight embrace.
"Mac," she replied, her voice as low as his, and buried her face in the crook of his neck before adding, "I missed you." She said nothing else but those four words, heavy with meaning and filled with tears of joy. They vibrated against his skin and in his ears, and left his heart beating a little bit faster. And for just a moment he forgot to breathe. It was a sensation he wasn't used to anymore; something he hadn't experienced in over a decade.
And then she pulled back slightly and kissed his cheek, reminding him at once of all the times she had done this in all those years of their friendship - and with this assured him of a feeling he hadn't yet dared to admit to himself.
Suddenly, there was no doubt in what he had to do. Suddenly, he was hit with clarity, knew what had lead him here, and why he had felt the need to see her again - other than just because she was his closest friend. So he didn't hesitate another second to release her body and instead frame her face with his hands, lovingly caressing her cheeks with his thumbs and noticing her smile and the hint of longing in her eyes before closing the distance between their faces.
He kissed her. He, Mac Taylor, kissed Stella, his best friend and the most important person in his life, because suddenly, he knew how to define the feeling that was warming every fiber of his body.
Because suddenly, he knew that he loved her. And he would love her - for decades to come.
FIN