As the plane touched down, I cringed when I thought of how many text messages and missed calls there would be on my phone when I turned it on. As the plane came to the end of its run and came to a stop, I watched as the air hostesses began opening the doors. I remained sitting in my seat as I watched passengers collect their bags from the overhead compartments and filter out the doors.
As the crowd began to thin, I stood up and began to follow. I had nothing in the overhead. My one bag was with the rest of the passengers’ suitcases currently making its way to Arrivals. As I walked through the airport, I knew that I would need to contact the landlord back in New York and settle my account. I’d just tell him to throw anything I had left behind or give it to the next tenant.
I grabbed my bag from the escalator, squeezing my way between passengers. I froze when my eyes latched on to a couple of guys. They were obviously together with the way that they were holding hands. As the one reached over and kissed the other, I was hit with an insane feeling of jealousy. I hated it and it was hypocritical, consideringIwas the one that had chosen to leave Freddie behind.
This couple was luckier than we were. This couple was obviously meant to be together.
Walking toward Arrivals, I hoped there were taxis outside and I wouldn’t be waiting around for the next hour to grab a ride. I was still hurting, but now that I was off the plane, I was beginning to feel excited to meet the newest addition to the family.
As the crowds began to part with everyone going off to their loved ones who were waiting for them or to the exit, I froze when I saw a familiar face waiting for me.
“What the hell, man?” I waved my hands out to my sides, wondering what the hell Thomas was doing at the airport when he should be at the hospital cheering his wife on to push harder or whatever. “What are you…?” I huffed. “She’s not in labor yet, is she?”
He smirked at me before he walked toward me with his arms out wide. “Sorry, man.” He pulled me into a tight hug and, for the first time since getting on the plane, I let my emotions out. “It’s going to be okay,” he said in a quieter tone.
I nodded as he said that, crushing myself closer to him. “I lost him, Thomas.” I let a sob escape, and I hated that I was letting it all out in the middle of a busy airport lobby.
“I know. I know.” He was comforting me in the only way he knew. He pulled back and grabbed my bag before he slung his arm over my shoulders. “Let’s get back to the house. Yeah?”
“How is Lauren?” I asked him.
“She’s good. Ready to burst.” He grinned at me as he held the door open for us to exit. “How is Christopher?” I asked, eager for an update.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” He nodded his head to the car that was idling at the curb.
I looked over in surprise, shocked as hell to see Christopher climb out from behind the driver’s wheel. I ran over to him, leaving Thomas to trail after us.
“It’s so good to see you!” I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing the hell out of him. “Are you doing okay?”
“Better than you, it sounds.” I made a face at him when he said that. “I doubt that.” I pointed to my ear, noticing the hearing aid. “What happened?” I asked.
“I was too close.” He shrugged dismissively. “I should have run or covered. Wrong place, wrong time.” He paused as he watched me absorb his words. “I’m alive.” He shrugged his shoulders, waving his arms out at his sides. “I’m lucky compared to others.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I muttered. I looked between them both before I spoke. “So, I’m assuming someone called you?”
“You assume right.” Thomas walked past us and placed my bag in the boot.
“Who?” I asked, already having my suspicions. I climbed into the passenger seat with Thomas climbing in the back.
“Who do you think?” Thomas asked in a sarcastic tone.
“Nina?” I asked, not needing to be psychic in the least to figure that out.
“Nina,” Thomas and Christopher both said, speaking her name at the exact same time. It caused us all to chuckle as Christopher began to pull away from the curb.
We drove in silence for a bit before Christopher finally asked the dreaded question. “So, Luke, what happened? Last I heard was that Thomas was expecting you to ask him to buy you out of the business so that you could stay over there. Then the next thing, Nina is calling us in tears, demanding we get hold of you.”
I frowned, choosing to focus on only a certain part of that question. “You were gonna buy me out? Seriously?!” I asked, directing my question to Thomas. “Why?”
“Why?” He let a humorless laugh escape. “Maybe because I hadn’t seen you as happy as you have been since you arrived in New York?” He ended it as a question but continued on before I could answer him. “You have this habit of putting everyone else before yourself, man. I didn’t want the bar to be the thing that drags you back to London when you might belong in New York.”
I stared out the window, watching the city pass us by as we drove toward Thomas’s. I could feel Thomas staring at me and the way Christopher kept repeatedly looking at me from the corner of his eye was stressing me out.
“I thought I did,” I muttered. “Obviously I was wrong.”
“What happened?” Thomas asked. After a moment of no reply, he continued. “It has to be pretty bad for you to just take off and plan to run off to Nina’s.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I looked at Christopher. “How are you doing, man?”