“Thanks. ” I scanned the paper looking for his flight time. I breathed out with relief when it read six p. m. “I’m so happy that your flight isn’t until six. ”
“I know. It’s only about two and half hours to Miami from here so we lucked out. ” He flashed a quick dimpled grin before the microwave beeped, signaling his food was ready.
I nodded and scanned the bare living room. “I didn’t think it could look any smaller in here, but it actually does. Which really makes no sense. ”
“Our new place is going to feel like a palace to you. ”
“I may never leave our bathroom,” I teased and he raised an eyebrow. “You don’t even know what I’m talking about because you didn’t even look at it. Just wait until you see it!”
I started getting really excited. Our new apartment looked amazing, and I couldn’t wait to begin living there. “Matteo knows we’re moving, right? You told him?”
He nodded before swallowing a mouthful of food. “I told him. He knows exactly where it is. ”
I started going through the checklist in my head. Utilities changed over and turned on, old apartment cleaned, movers booked, house packed, and address updated online and with the post office. “Kitten?” Jack’s voice broke through my overly organized brain.
“Hmm?”
“Did you hear a word I said?”
I shook my head. “Sorry. What’d you say?”
“I asked if you thought about coming to any of the away games. ”
“I was going to ask you if I could come to the Chicago series. ” I plopped down on the couch.
“Ask me? Kitten, you can come to every fucking game if you want. You don’t have to ask me. ”
“Well, I’ve never been to Chicago. ” I smiled, picturing Cloud Gate, the famous stainless-steel bean-shaped sculpture that people always talked about. I wanted to photograph that bean.
The couch dipped as Jack sat next to me. “Alright, but listen. Chicago is a really big city that sometimes isn’t safe. Since you’ll be alone, I don’t think you should take the El around town. Just take cabs. ”
“The L?” I asked.
“It’s Chicago’s train system, which I’m sure is fine but I’ll lose my shit thinking about you riding around on it alone. ”
“I take the trains in New York alone all the time. It can’t be that different. ”
“It’s probably not. But I’d feel better if you just took cabs. ”
“OK. I’ll take cabs. ” I agreed before feeling small nerves tingle up and down my spine. I needed to get used to traveling to strange places alone. Not only was it a part of dating Jack, but it was a part of my future career as well. My job assignments were almost always guaranteed to be in unfamiliar territory.
“I’m not kidding, Kitten. And as much as I want you there, now I’m freaking out at the idea of you being there alone. ” His eyebrows pulled together.
“I won’t be alone. I’ll be with you. ”
He shook his head. “Not really. I’ll be at the field most of the time. I don’t think there’s a day I’m even around for lunch. We’re gone before then. ”
“That sucks. ” I understood now why the wives didn’t go to the away games.
Jack’s shoulders squared as he faced me. “I know it’s a lot of alone time. You don’t have to come. ”
“I want to. I should at least see what it’s like, right? Maybe I’ll like having time to explore,” I offered, unsure of whom I was trying to convince, me or him.
The tension on his face remained. “Maybe we should fly Matteo out so you aren’t alone?”
I jerked my head back in surprise. “No! We’re not bringing Matteo! Are you insane?”
“It was just a thought. ”