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“You’re one step ahead of me. It was crazy today at the office. I just got home when you called.”
She scrunches her nose. “At nine o’clock?”
Chari is home by four o’clock every day. Even though she knows my hours by now, they’re a constant source of amazement to her.
“Yeah,” I tease. “Early night.”
She can’t tell if I’m kidding or not.
I’m not.
“The car will pick you up at three a.m. Get some rest. You’re going to need it. See you at the airport?”
She gets this dubious look on her face—the same expression I get from my family members every time I tell them I’ve sent a car for them.
“Don’t look at me like that. There’s no reason you should drive to the airport in the middle of the night.”
“Except that I have a car. And know how to drive. I’ve been doing it for twenty-nine years.”
I bite back a laugh. I love it when Chari responds impetuously to something. It’s part of her charm. She immediately realizes her mistake. “I mean, hold on . . .”
“Thirteen years,” I provide.
“Exactly. That’s what I meant. I’ve been driving for thirteen years. See, that’s why I teach reading and not math.”
“Don’t shortchange yourself. There’s no such thing as being inherently good at math.”
“I know, I know. A math teacher friend of mine reminds me all the time not to trash-talk her subject. Says the kids are listening, and they need to know they can all be good at it.”
“Exactly.”
“But I still hate it.”
I smile. “What I hate is the thought of lying next to you tomorrow night and not being inside you.”
An abrupt change in subject, but one she rolls with easily. It’s been like this all week. The promise of what might happen—willhappen—two nights from now is nearly killing us both.
“Easy to fix.”
It really did sound like a good plan in my head. Make Friday afternoon the best date Chari has ever had in her life. An unforgettable day, and night. But I forgot the part about sleeping in the same bed with her the night before.
Making it to Friday is a challenge at this point, one she seems set on making me lose.
Chari should know me better than that. I don’t lose.
Ever.
“Think how amazing Friday night will be,” I counter. “And on that note, I’m off to pack.”
“I’m off to attempt to sleep.”
I never get much sleep the night before a flight either. But I wish her luck, and after we hang up, I quickly pack my bag.
I can’t sleep, of course, the anticipation keeping me awake. It’s hard to imagine that a few weeks ago I was cursing Hayden for making me take this trip. Now, I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to something this much. When the alarm rings, I’m surprised. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever nod off.
We agreed to meet at the gate, knowing we’d be separated in security anyway. Chari doesn’t travel as much, doesn’t have PreCheck, and will likely be held up for a while. Thursday tends to be one of the busier days at JFK, even at this time in the morning. So when I sail through security and walk toward the gate, I’m surprised to see her sitting alone, earbuds in her ears, looking my way.
She spots me.
