“Jax?” she repeated as her lip curled up into a slight grimace.
She thought the name didn’t suit him at all until he corrected her. “Jackson.”
The grimace quickly turned into a large smile and she nodded her head in approval. “Jackson. I like that.”
He tilted his head and smirked with sexy confidence. “I knew you would.”
He led the way as they headed out of the plane together and she took in every detail she could about him. He was over six feet tall and his body was incredible. His loose cargo shorts fit him nicely and his shirt couldn’t help but hug at the muscles in his shoulders and biceps. She laughed when she saw his sunglasses face her on his backward cap. Out of nowhere, she remembered they took a picture together and she was immediately thankful.
The sign above them read Baggage Claim and she knew Clay would be waiting for her there. “Wait,” she pleaded, her voice tight.
“What’s the matter?” He looked at her with eyes that mirrored her own emotions.
“Just…one last hug.” She hated everything about this. Leaving him. Being back in San Francisco. She knew she should feel guilty and her thoughts should be with Clay, but at that moment, nothing and no one else mattered. She had to steal whatever moments she could with Jackson before it all ended. The thought alone made her stomach clench in despair.
Jackson held her tightly against his body and then he kissed the nape of her neck softly. Their breathing was in sync as each rise and fall of their chests matched. Caroline pulled back and looked into his blue eyes before she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Her eyes quickly turned misty, so she walked away from Jackson, her heart aching with each step.
Clay stood at the base of the escalator with an armful of yellow roses. A smile instantly appeared the moment he saw Caroline coming toward him. She forced a smile in return, her heart longing. As Clay hugged her, she looked over his shoulder and her eyes locked on Jackson’s. At that moment, all she wanted to do was break free from Clay and run into Jackson’s arms. She knew it had to be written all over her face. She wondered if Clay would be able to tell.
“I missed you. How was the flight?” Clay asked sweetly.
She looked at Jackson and then at Clay, her heart beating loudly in her ears. “It was really nice. I had a great time.”
“Really? What made it so great?” Clay asked, his voice piqued with curiosity.
“I just had great conversations and met some really nice people.”
Caroline watched as Clay glanced in Jackson’s direction and quickly shifted his weight uncomfortably from leg to leg.
“What about him?” he motioned in Jackson’s direction.
“Yep! That’s who I sat with. He’s amazing. Let me introduce you.” She pulled Clay reluctantly toward Jackson.
“Jackson…this is my boyfriend, Clay. I just wanted you two to meet.” She wasn’t sure what the hell she was doing exactly. Why was she introducing them, was she crazy? There’s no way Clay wouldn’t be able to sense the chemistry between them. Was she signing her own death sentence?
She watched as Clay stuck out his hand and was met with Jackson’s much larger one. She noticed Clay wince slightly at Jackson’s grip. Clay’s eyes narrowed. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking care of my girl on the flight. She said you were great.”
“She’s pretty amazing. You’re a lucky guy. I’d hold on to her if I were you,” Jackson responded confidently.
Caroline freaked, but part of her enjoyed the confrontation. She silently berated herself for liking this sort of thing and then convinced herself that only crazy, insane people would get off on situations like this. The truth was it gave her comfort in the midst of her own internal chaos t
o know that Jackson was attracted to her.
Clay grabbed her hand tightly and started to walk her out of the airport. He turned to Jackson and said, “It was good to meet you. We have to go…reservations, of course.” He sounded snide and condescending. Caroline had never seen this side of Clay before and she wasn’t sure she liked it.
“Of course. See you, Caroline.” Jackson smiled at her and her heart went into hysterics. She couldn’t believe this was it. She walked out of the airport like it was any other flight, when it was anything but. What was she doing? How could she just leave like this? But how could she not? Secretly, she hoped to see Jackson run after her and beg her not to leave with Clay. She imagined the scene like something out of an over-the-top romantic movie where everyone lived happily ever after (of course).
She knew it wasn’t right, but at that moment, she didn’t care. She felt like she left her heart on the floor of the airport baggage claim. Jackson could either pick it up and carry it with him, or simply leave it there to stop beating altogether. How do you go on living your life as usual, when you feel like that?
“So what did you and Jackson talk about on the flight?” Clay asked her in the car.
“I don’t know. Work, life, you. Everything.” She was dazed and confused. Her heart was in more pain than it should be in this situation. She stared out the car window, replaying moments that would now only exist in memory. How quickly life turns into pictures…moments captured, quickly lived, forever memorized, or forgotten.
It was then that she realized they hadn’t exchanged any information to stay in touch. She didn’t even know his last name. They really were never going to see each other or talk to each other again. She did her best to stop the tears, but it was no use. They flowed uncontrollably and her face held so much pain.
“Hey, Care. What’s wrong?” Clay’s concern only made Caroline feel worse. She didn’t cry often, but she had cried so much lately. Whenever she broke down like this, Clay did everything he could to take away her pain.
“Sorry, just overwhelmed from the funeral and everything. I’ll be okay.” The truth was that not a single one of those tears was for her dead friend. Every teardrop that fell belonged to the one person she was certain she’d never see again. How was she supposed to be okay with that? And why did she feel this way about a person she barely knew?