Adam has arrived early to work the next morning. Home was boring without Kim there so he decided to get caught up on paperwork. It was productive in his mind. He was surprised to see Kim calling. "Hey darling! How's it going?" He was smiling bright talking to her. "Hey good morning! I was hoping to catch you before you started shift. I think I timed it right." She laughed a bit. "Well I'm at work already catching up on paperwork but shift hasn't started yet so it's perfect. How's it going so far?" He smiling loving how her mind worked. "Well I slept through breakfast. Justin had to wake me up. Not sleeping on the plane really messed me up. Anyway got lots of merchandise for the games already though we didn't know you could get VIP tickets for the full merch booth so we were annoyed but we still got tons of stuff. I've been told by several people they love my accent today already. And now we are waiting for the Uber boat to pick us up. It's literally across from the London Eye. And down the walkway from Big Ben. So it's been cool so far." She explained looking at the water.
"Sounds cool. Wish I was there but that just means we have to go back next year when we have more time to explore. Did you at least eat something?" He wondered since she slept through breakfast. "Oh yeah we had lunch at a Mexican place by the hotel. It was pretty good. By the way unsweetened iced tea is not a thing here. So I'm getting way too much sugar already today." She laughed a bit more. "Oh so the laughing is sugar buzz! That makes so much sense now. Lord you are going to crash hard when you get home. Drink more water please!" Now he was laughing. "I will I promise! The tour boat just pulled up. So I have to go. Stay safe my love!" Kim giggled. "Have fun darling! Love you too!" He hung up laughing at her. "Kim doing okay this morning?" Kevin asked heading part of the conversation. "Yeah she's sugar buzzed already. She drinks iced tea during the day and water. But all the iced tea over there is sweetened. So she's buzzing already. She was laughing the whole conversation. Almost like she's drunk. And now she's sending photos." He sat back watching photos flash on his screen. Most were her with the scenery in the background. Her smile was bright but he could tell she was buzzed for sure.
"Well she looks happy and like she's having fun. And you don't have to deal with the sugar buzz. So works for you." Kevin laughed knowing she was probably a handful right now. "Exactly. Tonight they are going to a roof top bar to watch a movie after dinner. I'm sure she will enjoy that." Adam smiled seeing more photos. He was going to have to silence his phone once the shift started. But for now he was loving all the photos of her looking happy and glowing on a river boat. Jay and Erin saw the photos briefly as they walked by. "Looks like Kim's having a great time. When does she come home?" Jay asked. "Monday night. She lands here around 10pm. So she plans to stay awake the whole flight so she can sleep when she gets home to reset her internal clock." He hoped it worked since she had to teach Tuesday. "That's smart. Also customs shouldn't be too busy as that time of night." Jay knew that could be annoying as hell. "Yeah she planned her trip home to leave while people were still working there. And flights not full so she's hoping to get upgraded to first class. So at least she could be comfortable for 9 hours home. She was uncomfortable the whole way there and didn't sleep in the flight there at all. So she over slept this morning but she's up and moving now and happy." Adam explained knowing Kim had tried to plan this the best she could.
"Good plan for sure. She's smart in planning this trip especially with short notice." Jay had planned several trips overseas with the military so he knew it could be a pain in the ass. "Yeah I'm hoping we can go back next year when we have more time to explore. She flat out said she hates short trips like these because you lose a day in travel on each end. But this was pulled together so quick between teaching gigs so it is what it is." He shrugged a bit. They all knew teaching was very important to her so she would make it work for sure. Kim was on the boat chilled by the breeze but enjoying the scenery. She was taking photos and taking in the history. She wanted to soak up as much as she could while she was here. The ride was probably only 30 minutes but they learned a lot along the way. When they exited the boat Kim needed a minute to get her legs steady again. She was a bit dizzy from the boat but it didn't last long. She was ready to walk to and explore more.
The group explored for a couple more hours before heading to dinner. Justin and Kim decided they wanted Greek food before the movie and the others wanted to do their own thing. That was fine. They entered the restaurant seeing it was small but looked good. They looked over the menu and decided on the tasting menu for two. It came with 8 different plates to try and that was right up Kim's alley. She took lots of photos of the food sending them to Adam. "Looks amazing darling! We need to get Greek when you get back!" He loved seeing she smiling eating food. It brought him so much joy. He returned to work as Kim returned to eating. After dinner Kim headed to her room to grab a sweater. It was getting cooler already so she knew it would only get worse as the night went on. Especially on the rooftop. They arrived at the bar to hang out for a bit before going into the theater area. They checked in and got their popcorn, blanket and head phones and were told to sit in any of the purple cushioned chairs. They were plush and oversized but kind of perfect.
They settled in to two chairs near each other prepared to watch the movie. Kim took photos sending Adam the sights from the rooftop area. Kim went silent as the movie started. Adam was at work the team working on clearing the backlog of paperwork. The team was happy to have a slower day. "We need to head out after this. Everyone in?" Erin asked. "Yeah I'm in. Kim will be asleep by then so that works." He was working as he spoke. "She still sending photos?" Jay asked. "No she's at the movies now. They are watching Bob Marley One Love at a rooftop theater. It started at 8 her time so she will probably crash after the movie. She literally fell asleep mid sentence last night. It was kind of funny." Adam laughed thinking about it. "Makes sense with international travel. Hopefully she sleeps well so tomorrow she has tons of energy for the game." Kevin was sure she would be beat when she got home. "She's very excited for the next two days. It's a dream for her. Win or lose she will be in heaven watching her team in London. It's amazing I'm sure." He knew she would be bouncing with excitement the next two days. "I can only imagine how crazy it will be for her. She's definitely a different level of sports fan that's for sure." Erin laughed remembering the videos Adam showed them.
"Oh yeah she already got a bunch of merch already so she will have plenty of choices to wear for each game. I think she even took over a few options. It should be interesting that's for sure. I'm truly happy she's enjoying her life. That's all I care about." He smiled thinking about her. "She really is and it's amazing. I wish I could take a vacation." Al mused. "Yeah you do!" Antonio laughed. "Maybe I do but at least my daughter is grown so I can leave now and not worry too much." He replied knowing Antonio shared custody of his two kids. "When do leave again Ruzek?" Al asked trying to plan time off. "Um after work on the 20th. And back on the 24th late in the day. It's a jam packed trip but it all serves a good purpose." He knew it was crazy but he was happy with the busy trip. "What's this trip for?" Antonio asked. "So we are going to visit Jim on Friday, then we have a baseball game in Philly. Saturday we are exploring Philly and after dark we are driving down to Delaware to spend Sunday at the ocean. Then Monday we are driving to Ellicot City so Kim can talk to grandmother who passed while she was overseas and wasn't told. She wants to explain why she was gone so long and to say goodbye. Then flying home from Baltimore. Again crazy jam packed but all things that are important." He knew they would get it.
"Sounds busy but fun. Hopefully she gets some closure. Especially since she was away when her grand mother passed. That's horrible to imagine." Antonio couldn't imagine since he was so close to his family. "Yeah when she came home she went to her grand mother's home to find a stranger there saying the previous owner died. I had Mouse track her down a d found out she's buried in Ellicot City. Which is apparently not where she lived. But so hell we go. Kim's sick thinking about going there but she needs this closure." Adam hung his head a bit. "It will all work out. She will get closure from this. She at least gets to speak her mind to the women she misses most. I'm confident this will work." Al felt for him, for her but he knew they would work through it together as a couple.
It was finally Saturday and it was finally game time. Kim and her friends had been out exploring all afternoon till it was two hours to game time. They all got ready and met in front of the hotel. Kim was humming with excitement. She was taking photos sending them to Adam so he could see her getting ready for the game. Adam and the team were at the Lake House waiting to watch the game together. They had gotten take out so it was easier. He was sharing the photos with the group. He stated laughing hard when he got her latest text. "What happened?" Kevin asked. "So she's walking towards the stadium and there are two Brits with bullhorns trying to hype the crowd. Well Kim yelled out Mets Suck! And the guy with the bullhorn started that chant after her. She thanked politely laughing her ass off. Only Kim!" They were all laughing now.
Kim made it into the stadium taking more photos of herself inside checking out the space. After grabbing a pizza which had the shortest line she headed to her seat. It was in the lower part of the upper deck. So it was literally 4 flights of stairs to get to her seat but she didn't care. She was inside happily eating her pizza. She took more photos showing Adam what the inside looked like. And where her seat was so he could look for her. "Okay so it looks like Kim is in the left field by the foul pole. Also looks like she's next to the stage area. She's in a grey shirt and black sweater." He was showing them the photos so they could look for her. "Her face says everything! She's completely stoked. Whatever she spent was well worth it." Erin was loving how happy Kim looked. "So the ticket for today was roughly 150 and the one for tomorrow was roughly 100. The hotel room was free with points and the flight was 2300 round trip. Then whatever she spends on food and whatever else. Besides the flight I didn't think the ticket cost was too bad." He knew she had gone cheaper on the flight but she could have gone cheaper.
"That's really not too bad at all. I heard her telling you the first class ticket was 6000. So I can understand why she didn't go that route. But it's worth every penny seeing her that happy." They were all surprised she went a cheaper route on the flights but it made sense. "Oh it's starting. Looks like it's a Mets home game first." Mouse was interested in how this was working. "Wow the diamond looks amazing. You would never know that it was a football stadium. Crazy cool!" Mouse had looked up the process turning the stadium into a baseball diamond. He was overly fascinated by it. "Yeah it took two weeks to turn it into this." Adam stated watching the game ahead.
Kim was screaming as her team took the field. She was on the Phillies side of the stadium but there were some Mets fans who admitted their travel agent didn't know there were sections for Mets fans. So they were a little worried about getting jumped during the game. Kim laughed but did nothing to ease their fears. She was happy just enjoying the game and listening to the Brits trying to understand the game. It was complete ruckus with Kim screaming the entire game. The team was watching looking for Kim more than the actual game but they had to admit it looked cool. "I swear I can hear her screaming!" Adam laughed as the Phillies got a home run. "Maybe you do!" Jay laughed knowing she was probably going nuts. Sure enough he got a video of her screaming like crazy. "Ha she's loosing her shit right now!" The video showed her screaming, jumping up and down with what looked like large sparklers in the back ground.
"Is she that bad in person?" Antonio asked surprised by her behavior. "She's worse! But I love watching her enjoy life and just be herself." Adam explained as Kim was still going crazy over the game. She had headed to the bathroom at one point and snuck into the lower bowl to watch the game a bit. She sent more photos to Adam but also her friend Justin so he wasn't worried about her. He texted her back with a photo of herself in the lower bowl. "Oh lord my girl snuck into the lower bowl. Let's hope she doesn't get busted." Adam laughed hard seeing her breaking the rules. In the end her team won and she was screaming loudly. She was however disappointed that they didn't play High Hopes but she assume that's because it was technically the Mets home game. Kim and her friends headed back towards their hotel grabbing food along the way. It was very loud and very over the top but Kim was used to that so it didn't bother her at all.
Adam and his team headed to the dock to enjoy the water and sunshine since it was still early in the day. Kim sent one final photo of her falling asleep in bed. It was tagged good night my love. The team took advantage of the floats Kim had purchased and floated around the lake trying to stay cool on a day that turned out to be very warm. They hadn't even realized how long they had been in the lake till they noticed the sun starting to go down. "Alright let's get out of your hair! Enjoy your night and thanks for the fun day." Kevin hugged Adam as he left with the team following behind him. Adam cleaned up the house and stacked the floats in the porch before he crashed out in the deck beer in hand. Though it was lonely he loved the peace and quiet this place brought them both. He was surprised when he saw Kim's little friend walking over. He cried at Adam several times. "Buddy I don't know what you want. And Kim's not home. She's in London. She we will be back soon." He wasn't sure the cat understood by any means but left Adam alone again.
He used this time to look into things to do in Philly. And he started a list. He wasn't sure they would get to them all but it was a start. They could always visit again. And it was an easy flight compared to planning an over seas trip. He checked out several things Kim had mentioned and saw a few he was really interested in. Others that looked cool but could be done on another trip. He wanted to do the most important things first. He also knew Kim would have restaurant suggestions along the way. He trusted her to know where to find the best food. He was excited to try more of the traditional Philly foods that Kim was so excited about. He would always support giving her food since it was such an issue for her for such a long time. Sharing food was how she allowed herself to enjoy but not feel as guilty about it. He found it adorable and endearing. He headed in around 9 ready to crash for the night. He planned on being in front of the tv the next morning to watch the second London game.
Kim awoke to Justin yelling at her again for over sleeping. She threw her pillow at him and jumped in the shower. She decided not to wash her hair since she was running behind so she was quick. She dressed quickly and ran to meet up with her friends at the bar next door. It was the most American restaurant they could have found. Though they planned to visit a pub called Passeyunk Ave later that night which was a Philly themed bar. But this restaurant was over the top Americana. It was almost uncomfortable how over the top it was. But it was somewhat quick and close to the stadium. The small group headed over to the stadium after their lunch. It was such an easy walk and super close which was good for people who didn't know the area. She had gotten several messages from Adam that he was in front of the tv waiting for the game to come on.
She smiled brightly as she took a picture of herself dressed in Philly gear with the stadium in the background. "Looking good darling!" He sent a heart emoji next. "I over slept again. Justin had to wake me by coming in my room and yelling at me! I barely took a shower just enough so I didn't smell." She laughed but it was the truth. "That's funny! You can take a longer shower later." He wasn't completely surprised she over slept but he was happy she had someone to prevent her from missing the game. She took more photos sending them so he could see her seats for this game. Which was only two rows higher than the day before. They continued to text till the game started but he was shocked and so was she when Justin realized the people sitting next to them were actually season ticket holders in Philly in the same section Justin was in. Kim sent the picture with the caption 'fellow hall of fame club section 231 ticker holders'. It was absolutely insane that they were sitting next to each other but the all enjoyed the conversation and said it would have been strange not being together for a Sunday game.
The pregame festivities started and Kim was on her feet yelling and cheering as some of the 2008 World Series champions came on to the field including Kim's favorite Cole Hamels. Justin took photos sending them to Adam so he could see how crazy ridiculous she was being. But he loved every moment of it. He felt bad though as her team was losing as the game went on. He knew she was pouting and it was confirmed when he got several photos of her pouting. "Oh I'm sorry darling! I know you are still enjoying every moment." He knew she would smile briefly but she was crushed her team lost to the Mets of all teams. But she kept her head held high. The group while bummed they headed out to the bar to check it out. Why not? They arrived to see tons of fans drunk already but also several former players. Justin made sure that Kim got her photo taken with each player, even the ones that weren't her favorites. He sent them all to Adam with an explanation of who the players were. Adam was thrilled she was smiling again.
They eventually crashed back at the hotel. They all needed sleep and to pack some before their flights out the next day. And surprisingly for Kim Justin was in need of a nap. She laughed as she was fine since she had slept in some. They all parted ways on the elevator Kim heading to her room to pack up and relax some. She started watching a documentary about a cult of dancers and was surprised that she actually knew a few of the people seen on background shots. It was only three parts but decided to only watch one before she went to bed. She could finish it on the plane. Especially now that she found out she got an upgrade to first class on the way home. She knew she couldn't sleep on the flight but she would have more room to move around.
The next day came quickly as she got up showered properly including her hair. Packed her bags and headed out to eat before getting in the tube for the airport. They didn't have to rush but it was a very long walk from the tube to the front of the airport and a long walk once inside the airport. So they needed plenty of time to make it from point a to point b. She took her time walking which annoyed the boys but she just told them off and said if they wanted her to move faster they should carry her. Needless to say they walked a bit slower for her. The group was able to sit in the lounge for a bit before the flight took off. Adam was at work on a case staying busy for sure as he waited for Kim to arrive home once more. He couldn't wait for her to get home again. He wasn't letting her leave again till their next trip together. He saw a photo around noon of her getting onto the plane. "See you tonight my love!" She had a kissy face in the photo. "God I can't wait to hold you tonight my love!" He knew her phone would be in airplane mode after that. He asked Mouse to keep an eye on her flight just in case it ran late.
The team finished up there case later than normal but that was perfect for Adam. He had been tracking Kim's flight hoping she wouldn't get delayed at all. The team decided to hit Mollys for a drink before heading home. It was just about 10 when Adam got the message she was on the ground and she would meet him at the condo. He knew she was exhausted from staying up the whole flight so the condo worked better since it was closer. He told her he would meet her there. It took what seemed like forever to get off the plane but she rushed through the airport to the customs desk. She had nothing to declare so it was an easy process and hardly anyone there. She practically ran through the rest of the airport wanting to get home and fast. It was just around 11 when she walked into the condo. She found Adam waiting for her on their couch. He stood up opening his arms as she ran into his embrace. "I'm never letting you go again! I missed you too much!" He hugged her tight. "I missed you too! So damn much! Now while I'm normally up for anything I'm exhausted. I have been up since 1am central time so I need sleep." She whined but she didn't have to. "No need to whine. I had every intention of letting you sleep. So come on." He led her to their bedroom. He stripped her clothes giving her a shirt to wear as she slipped into bed. He stripped next and slid in behind her.
His arms wrapped around her tight never wanting to lose that connection again. "Sleep tight my love, my only one." He kissed her cheek. "Good night baby! Love you my only you." Kim faded quickly afterwards. It had been a busy few days and today felt hella long. Adam fell asleep right behind her loving feeling her body against his again. He never knew he could love someone so much. Or that he could miss a person so much but that was how he felt. And he had no plans on letting her go anytime soon. They had too much lost time to make up for. But for now he was content asleep with his love.