Jenna
There are only two more lights on the way to the airport and I managed to have to stop at both, thought sighing. The drive wasn't bad. Indy is only a couple hours away but my anticipation to get there was making it seem like twice as long. It has been years since I've seen him and I'm too excited for the delays along the way. Looking at the clock on the dash, I mentally roll my eyes at myself. I am going to be early anyway, no need to rush like this.
We had talked about a visit for some time and it was finally happening! Life has changed so much since the last time we were able to see each other, and it will be so good to catch up in person and not just the texting we do off and on.
I parked my car in the first available spot and cut the engine before looking around at my recently cleaned interior. I didn't need to really go all out on it, but I didn't want the first thing he sees to be my messy car. Now for me. I flipped my visor mirror down and look at myself for probably the 50
th
time today to see if my makeup is right, my hair is in order and if I look okay. Ha! I never think I look okay but it's as good as it gets. I even tanned and worked out once I learned of the trip really happening. I act like it even matters. We have always been close so there is no need to worry about things like appearances. In fact, I never had before, I think to myself. We also never let our conversations go the direction they have either. "Get it together Jenna!" I thought.
I closed the mirror and check my watch. Thirty minutes until the flight is scheduled to land. I better get in there in case it's early.
As I walk in, I think about some of our recent conversations and wonder if things will be as easy as they always have been. I doubt anything could change the ease and comfort our relationship has always had. We hit it off the second we met all those years ago when we played catch out front avoiding the gathering inside. Living so far apart we always managed to have the best times and make the most of every visit. This will be no different I tell myself, even with the recent additions to our talks/texts. I can't help but smile at the thought of where some of our conversations have led. Who would have thought? We had never dared to bring certain things to light before. I wonder at the time it took us to open up like we have.
Shifting my mind back to current time, I look around spotting the bar we said we'd meet at and started that way. I miss the days we could go to the terminal and wait for loved ones to arrive. I found a couple of seats at the bar and slid into one while placing my purse into the other one claiming it.
"What can I get you?" I looked up and an attractive young blonde was smiling at me awaiting my response.
"Hi, I'll take a double gin and tonic with a lime please." I said. She nodded and went to make my drink while I looked behind where she had just stood before me, seeing myself starting back from the mirrored background of the liquor assortment. "I guess I look okay", I thought to myself as I looked myself over. I am short at five feet, three and with an average body. I never thought of myself as a beautiful, but I am sort of pretty when I try. I am glad my hair has gotten so long, and I have always liked my dark brown hair, especially when I straighten it like this. My eyes are large, I have a hazel color that can change more green or brown with moods and long lashes that surround them. The eyeliner is making them really pop right now too. My lips are full and cheekbones high enough to give me a nice angle to my face. I don't know why I can't see this more often.
While I sat there in my thoughts, I heard someone taking the seat next to me. I turned quickly to let this person know I would need them to move!
"It's a bit early for gin, don't you think?"
I looked back at the accuser about to reply with a snarky response before the voice registered with my mind and saw Will staring back at me.
"You're here!" I said as I half leaned half jumped over to hug him around the neck.
"I'm here." He replied. Hugging me back as I squeezed him tight. "I told you I was going to have to squeeze you and here you are trying to hug the life out of me!" He said as he laughed.
"Oh, you big baby, sorry, I can let you go now. It's just been so long!" I said as I loosened my grip on him and leaned back to sit in my stool. "Wow, you have not changed a bit! I know we have shared pictures over time, but you really do look just like the last time I saw you." He really was still just the same. As I looked him over, he still had his shaved head and short orange/red goatee with a slight scruff of a beard like I had remembered. Sitting he looked average, but I knew when he stood, he'd stand six one with a solid build to him. Not too muscular but also muscular at the same time. Maybe there was a little age around his eyes, but for the most part I saw him the same as always.
"You seem to be losing your sight now but thank you. You look pretty good yourself, and you didn't have to stop hugging me. I told you I'd need to be getting a few good hugs in while I am here." He said.
I looked at him and smiled. "Don't worry" I said "I am going to soak you up while I have you! We don't get enough time and always seem to be too far away from each other."
"Well ma'am, I am yours for the next couple of weeks." He replied. "Where should we start?"
I looked at him a second and took a sip of my drink. "Well, I did just order this", I said holding up my drink. "Would you like a drink? We can chat a bit and then go from there?"
He smiled at me and signaled for the bartender. I watched him as he did. He looked over me and held my gaze a few seconds until the pretty blonde was there to take his order. I watched as he made his choice, while my mind was buzzing as it replayed a few conversations we had in my thoughts.
"So then, what shall we talk about?" He said as he received his order and took a sip eyeing me.
"Hmm?" What did he say? I am sure my blush showed as I came back to the present.
"How are we going to chat as you said if you can't keep up?" Will said with a laugh. "I asked what you want to talk about, looks like you're already thinkin bout somethin. What's on your mind Cuz?" He smiled as if he might just know what I was thinking but waited for me to respond as he took another drink.
Cuz, I thought to myself as he addressed me how we often do each other. Knowing how close we are and where that has led to in some of the more intimate talks we have had. "Cuz", yes, we were related though distant. We know the "right" and "wrong" in society's way of thinking but hell, this was between us. "Honestly my thoughts were in conversations we have had, nothing new. So how was the flight?"
"How was my flight?" He responded with a smirk. "The plane took off from there and landed here." He said as he leaned in and lowered his voice. "Those conversations, the ones I am sure you are talking about, have been on my mind all the time too."
I laughed at the flight comment and rolled my eyes while also blushing a bit at the second part. "Took off and landed huh? Well, I am glad you got here." I say as I take a big drink of my gin. Mmm warm and crips. "I thought maybe we could stay in town and get some dinner and hang out a bit. Even though the flight was only from there to here." I said as I air quoted with my fingers. "I thought being late afternoon we could get some food and relax. Drive tomorrow. What do you think?"
Will smiled, grabbed his drink, and drained it. "Sounds perfect, you ready?"
I didn't expect the immediate reaction, so I smiled, grabbed my gin and tonic and drank the rest down. I asked the pretty blonde for the tab and signed the receipt.
"Ready. Let's get your things to the car and decide where we want to eat then get checked in. There are some malls in the area too or we could just grab some drinks and head back and hang out after we get some food."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to check in if that's what we're doing first. So, I can change and all."
"Oh, yeah. Duh. I should have thought about that. Let's go." I replied as I threw my purse over my shoulder and grabbed one of his bags. "I'm out this way." I said as we headed for an exit left of the bar.
Will
We made it to her car put my bags in and were on our way to wherever she had planned us to stay. She had me by surprise there. I had been looking forward to getting to be around Jenna again and now I got to have some one-on-one time for a while. Not that I didn't want to get to her house and meet her guy and all, but we have always fit like peas in a pod, and I enjoyed my time with her every time. I know that we broached a whole different area in our chats and that was thrilling as hell! I always thought she was beautiful ever since we were kids and met at my great aunt's house for Christmas that year. Of course, we never talked about those things. Ever. I mean even though it's a ways off we are still related. Even adopted the "cuz" we call each other. I think technically we might be third cousins. Then one day probably 20 or so years later the top got popped off the bottle as we chatted. Little comments were going both ways as she shared pictures of us, she found from years back. Yeah, those conversations kept up from time to time. Sort of agreed we'd always be close and might be fun to explore more and let our friendship have some perks. Sure, we talked about it and all, but we will see. Never know if what goes through a message is real or just for fun. Either way the back and forth has been something else.
"You seem awfully quiet over there." She said as she glanced at me from the road a couple of times. "Now it seems your mind is the one taking leave."