Her laptop was open on the tray table in front of her and she was lazily flipping through pictures on the screen without really seeing them. There were pictures of ultimate destruction, of buildings in shambles and fires burning in the background. There were images of sadness, like the one of the old woman kneeling on the grass outside the remains of her home. There was a picture of a small boy barely holding onto a puppy, smiling that he had found his best friend amid the rubble. She should have been editing the images and choosing which ones she would send to the publisher. Aaron would expect a preview immediately.
Without thinking, she toggled between the windows on her screen to stare at a picture of a woman with olive skin and long, wavy sandy brown hair. She was laughing, and Rowan had caught the moment on camera. Rowan could not stop herself from smiling back at the image filling the screen. As she smiled at the photograph, she was flooded with a mix of euphoria and trepidation. Her heart beat faster and froze at the same time. The mix of feelings made her nauseous.
It had been two weeks since Rowan had seen Caroline, and she'd tried to immerse herself in her work. It had been easy to keep busy as she had photographed the devastation and recovery of the earthquake that had struck in Southeast Asia, but she had been working on autopilot the whole time. Her mind had been distracted during the two weeks by thoughts of Caroline and their farewell at the airport.
She had known Caro for nearly twenty years and they had been best friends for almost that long. Caroline's brother had been Rowan's first love and Rowan had been the first person Caro had called the night she'd lost her virginity, even though Rowan was halfway across the country at college. Caroline had been the first person to know when Aaron had proposed, and been there when Rowan had decided that she couldn't marry him. For the last seven years, Rowan's official residence had been the apartment above Caroline's garage, though she spent more days on the road with her camera than she did in her best friend's home.
Until Caroline's divorce.
When Caro had caught Henry cheating three years ago, Rowan had wanted to kill him for hurting her friend and their two children. Caro had crawled into her bed and refused to emerge for six weeks. Rowan had refused to go on any assignments so that she could take care of the people she considered her family. Once Caro had surfaced, they had found a new level to their friendship. They had learned things about each other that they had never discussed before.
But even with their deeper friendship, they had both been surprised by their farewell two weeks ago. Aaron had called almost as soon as news of the earthquake had broken, encouraging her to go cover it. She had agreed and Caro had driven her to the airport. Just before Rowan had gotten into the security line, they had hugged, just as they had done a thousand times in their lifetime. There wasn't even anything special or different about this embrace. They just held each other tightly, and Caro had whispered, "Be careful."
"Always," Rowan had answered, leaning forward to kiss her. The kiss was a quick peck, just like the hug, something they always did. Caro's hand came up to Rowan's cheek, though, and lingered there after Rowan pulled back. The unexpected touch had changed everything. Rowan felt an electric current and she found it difficult to pull in a deep breath. Her hands had dropped to Caro's hips as they stared into each other's eyes. In twenty years, they had never looked at each other that way.
And then Caro had stepped forward, eliminating any distance between them. Her hand had curled behind Rowan's neck, pulling her down as she stretched up to press their lips firmly together. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Rowan had parted her lips and tilted her head, her hands gliding over Caro's back.
It was the most intense moment Rowan had ever experienced in her life.
Seconds felt like eternity. The rest of the airport faded away. When they finally broke away, they were both breathing hard. Neither one seemed have words, so Caroline hugged Rowan tightly again, briefly, and then walked away quickly.
Cell service and the internet had been patchy while Rowan was away, so their conversations had been brief. Neither had mentioned the kiss. Rowan had sent an e-mail with her flight details and then called from the airport. "Do you want me to call Aaron to come get me?"
"No. I'll be there," Caro had answered. Rowan had strained to try to hear something in her friend's voice that would reveal what she was thinking or feeling. Nothing had changed in her tone, though.
The plane was making its descent and the flight attendant was instructing them to put up their electronics. Reluctantly, Rowan closed her laptop, but her nerves increased even more without the attempt at work there to distract her. She bounced her legs while her heart thudded against her breast. In her mind, she began counting the minutes.
When the plane touched down, she shouldered her backpack and gripped her passport to make her way slowly down the aisle. She travelled enough that delays did not bother her. She knew once she was outside the narrow confines of the airplane, she would pass most of the other passengers in the terminal. She waited patiently through customs, her emotions mixed as she moved through the line. Part of her was glad for the extra time to prepare her mind and heart to see Caro, but she also wanted to get their reunion over. She knew the kiss had changed their relationship, but she did not know what shape that change would take.
After she cleared customs, she took her time walking through the airport, until she neared the security exit. She could see Caroline's curls in the distance and Rowan's step faltered. Caroline was sitting in one of the uncomfortable chairs, reading a book while she waited and occasionally looking up to see if Rowan was coming yet. As if sensing her, Caro's eyes lifted and connected across the distance. She smiled broadly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before carefully marking her spot in the book and standing.
Rowan's heart skipped a beat.
She made her way through the crowd of people to where Caro was standing. Caro immediately put her arms around Rowan and hugged her tightly. Rowan returned the embrace, thinking that it was just like every hug they had ever shared, except this time she noticed crazy things like the scent of Caroline's apple shampoo. The hug was brief, though. Caroline stepped back, cupping Rowan's face in her hands, her green eyes sweeping over her friend's face. Rowan couldn't speak or move. "You look exhausted," Caroline finally announced, stretching up to place a quick kiss on Rowan's lips. The kiss was like every kiss they had ever shared, except for one. Caro's lips were there and then gone. She released Rowan immediately. "Let's get you home. Didn't you sleep on the plane?"
