She said she was going to be okay; nodded and smiled as she watched her girlfriend's back retreat through the gate, tapped out the beat of the song on the radio on the drive home, went to all her classes the next day, made it through rehearsals. But it was on the third night that Jade was gone that Tori really started to feel the absence. The little things, like doing the dishes alone, brought a pang of loneliness. When she finally crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling, the tears came. Jade's going to be gone for two whole weeks and it's only the third day, she thought as she cried silently, burying her face into Jade's pillow. It smelled faintly of something distinctly Jade. The slight spiciness of cardamom, the soothing lull of rose oil and something else, something Tori had never really been able to put her finger on. But the combination of scents brought tears back into her eyes, and the singer cried herself to sleep.
You've still got half a week to get through, come on! Tori sighed as she unlocked the door to their apartment, letting herself in. As was the case with this past week and a half, there were no sounds of cartoons or cop shows blaring from the TV, and the ringing silence pressed against her ears. Flipping on the radio, the singer sighed and headed straight for the shower, the loneliness hitting her square in the chest as she passed by the empty couch.
She was towelling her hair dry when the faint sound of the television filtered into the bedroom, and she frowned. No one else with a key, unless someone broke in? Wiping her damp hands on her sweatpants, she padded cautiously out to the living room.
"Jade?" Tori gasped, hands over her mouth in surprise. "W-wha? You're supposed to be in New York for another three days!" The singer ran and collapsed into her girlfriend's lap, crashing their lips together. Jade, though surprised, quickly leaned into the kiss, grabbing the singer's hips to prevent her from falling.
"Yeah, they didn't really need me the whole time. I told them you were back here and they said I could go a couple of days early." She grinned, as Tori leaned her own forehead against Jade's. "You do okay?" Tori shook her head.
"I thought I'd be okay, but I was a mess." She chuckled, affectionately carding a hand through long, inky hair. Gently grasping her chin, Jade pulled her into a gentle kiss, breaking apart slowly.
"I'm sorry. But I'm here now."