AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Maci smiled. “I work as a CFO for a tech company in the city! How about you? I remember you always saying you wanted to go out and see the world, but I never imagined we would both end up in New York.”
Dawson nodded and told her about his travels so far and how he had been working remotely ever since college. She seemed impressed by his ambition.
After all these years, it was amazing how much chemistry still existed between them. It felt like no time had passed since their high school days.
Dawson and Maci talked all throughout the flight and enjoyed catching up on each other’s lives. As they were talking, the plane jolted, causing a moment of turbulence. Maci grabbed onto Dawson’s hand with her eyes closed. He understood it was an involuntary reflex, as her father had died in a private plane crash years back.
Once the moment passed and the plane stopped jerking around, Maci let go of his hand and apologized. She confessed to him she had been terrified of flying ever since her father’s death and sometimes she had panic attacks while flying.
Dawson pulled her close, and she thanked him for being there, and he smiled in response before continuing their conversation in hushed tones for the remainder of the flight.
As they landed, Dawson’s eyes landed on her hand and there was no ring. After these years, this might be his chance to come clean with Maci.
Once the plane landed and they got to the gate, Dawson helped her with her carry-on and they walked together to the terminal to get their checked bags. He couldn’t help but think of the last time they were together before high school graduation and all the things he had wanted to say to her but hadn’t been able to in the moment. It seemed like fate had brought them back together again and this could be his chance to finally tell Maci how he truly felt about her.
“Where are you staying?” Maci asked.
“Grapevine Hotel. Only had two options.” As the gentleman he was, he took his and Maci’s bag outside to wait for his UBER. “Do you want to share my UBER? It’s already on the way.”
She smiled. “That would be lovely.”
The ride to the hotel was awkward with not a lot of conversation, but lots of exchanged glances. Dawson would need to work up the courage to risk telling Maci.
As the UBER driver opened Maci’s door, she hesitated. “Do you have plans tonight? Thought maybe you would like to get together for a drink at the hotel bar later? Say around seven?”
Dawson’s eyes went wide. This wasn’t the same Maci he remembered. This new woman in front of him had an air of confidence about her. “I’d love to.”
He followed her inside with their bags and then let her check in while he went up to his room with the digital room key.
This trip back home was already better than he anticipated, and maybe it would only get better from here.
4
Maci
Maci stood in the middle of the hotel room, her suitcase still at her feet. She ran her fingers along the soft fabric of the curtains - a bright yellow, with a pattern of white flowers. Her eyes roamed to the bedspread, an inviting deep blue, before settling on the old-fashioned lamp perched on the desk across the room.
She had gotten up extra early for her flight that morning, having plenty of time in case she needed to make any last-minute purchases. But when she arrived on the plane, she couldn’t believe her eyes - Dawson was already seated, looking as handsome as ever. She tried not to stare, but her heart skipped a beat.
A tiny sliver of guilt crept into her chest as she thought back over the years and wondered why she had never reached out to him. She had known Dawson for years, but never expected to find him on a flight from New York City. How weird was it to end up sitting next to him on the plane here? Even more so, how weird it was that they had been living in the same city, and never once ran across each other on the street. If she knew Dawson was in New York City, she would have reached out over the years, and now she was kicking herself in the foot for not doing so.
She unzipped her suitcase and began to place clothes into the drawers of the dresser. As she placed her treasures in the dresser drawers, she felt a tug in her heart and stepped over to the window. Her eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of familiarity; images of Dawson played through her mind like a movie reel. They were together every day during high school, and sometimes even on the weekends, studying for whatever test was coming up or just going to the movies to keep busy. Maci and Dawson held memories all over this town.
Maci had been brave enough to ask Dawson out for drinks tonight, but where was that courage twenty years ago? Now, here she was in Grapevine, finding the nerve to do something she had never done before. Maci had put everything else in her life on the back burner in order to get to where she was today, and she had no intention of letting Dawson slip out of her reach again.
He wasn’t married and there was nothing stopping her from telling him how she felt, but tonight she wanted to take things slow. Catch up and find out what kind of man Dawson had become during their absence in each other’s lives. Whatever happened, she needed to leave Grapevine without regrets.
Her eyes glanced over at the clock and started getting ready. She searched to find the perfect dress that would make her look effortlessly beautiful, yet still confident and sexy. Finally, she found what she was looking for: a beautiful red dress with just the right amount of stretch. After putting it on, Maci glanced in the mirror, pleased with what she saw. She pinned her hair up into a French twist, added a simple gold necklace, and took one last look, giving herself an approving nod.
It was showtime. Maci grabbed her small evening bag and headed out the door, feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation as she made her way down to the hotel bar. She knew when she arrived, all eyes would be on her. She smiled, feeling beautiful, confident, and ready for whatever the night had in store.
5
Dawson
Dawson paced around his hotel room, wringing his hands. He glanced at the clock in the corner. 6:45PM. His heart pounded in anticipation of seeing Maci again in a few minutes—it had been decades since he’d last seen her. He dug his fingernails into his palms as he thought about telling her how he felt - that he was in love with her. But what if she didn’t feel the same way? He took a deep breath and steeled himself for whatever might happen downstairs. Dawson had hidden his true feelings for Maci for so long, his heart raced and the urge to confess.
Dawson paused in front of his hotel room door, his palms sweating. He had spent years dreaming of this moment. Taking a deep breath and expelling all fear, he grabbed the keycard, ran his thumb over its surface to soothe himself, then opened the door and walked out with purpose. Time to face Maci - and his own heart.
