The Bad Boy's Forever (TBBG Series #3) NOW PUBLISHED

Chapter Three: Your Mother Already Thinks I Stripped My Way Through College.

       

Chapter Three: Your Mother Already Thinks I Stripped My Way Through College

April

Tessa

I'm so excited I could through up and the lady next to me on this flight does not appreciate how I've been eyeing the barf bag. I'm positively jumping in my seat, waiting for the plane to land so that I can rip my seatbelt off and be out the door. Knowing who'll be waiting for me at the other end is enough to make me want to go down to the cockpit and demand that the pilot get us there now. I'm that annoying child who needs to know if they are there yet and has to ask that question every five minutes. Despite having more than enough movies to get through the thirteen hour journey, I've been relentlessly stalking our route on the screen between naps. In the past year or so, flying has started making me anxious and I usually need some kind of sleeping pill to get through longer flights like this one but this simultaneously seems to be the longest and shortest plane ride I've ever been on. For the one, my excitement and restlessness means I've not quite thought about the plane crashing all that much and the time seems to be passing quicker but the anticipation of it makes it seem like I've been in here for ages.

Jesus just get me home already!

I haven't allowed myself to wallow in homesickness too much these past few months. I left right at the beginning of February and it's nearly been two months since I've seen m family or friends, since I've seen Cole. Sure we Facetime and text whenever possible but that's nowhere near the same. To be very honest, I miss the tactility of being with a loved one. Other than Leila and my boss, plus some of the co-workers from my new office, I haven't had the opportunity to hang out with a lot of people and I certainly haven't found any fast friends. So it's been a while since a friendly hug or a comforting touch and I sure as hell haven't been kissed. It tends to get lonely after a while and even though I've tried to immerse myself in my work as much as possible and do my best, what I want more than anything right now is smother my boyfriend with affection.

So you can almost imagine my excitement when we land and I grab my carry on, because who has the patience for checked luggage, and race past security. My heart is pounding so loud I can hear almost hear with every step I stuck and I feel high from giddiness, excitement and overwhelming anticipation.

And then I see him, front and centre, searching for me through the crowd that continues to push past me. I take just a few seconds before he spots me to look at him, just look and realise that I'm so lucky to have found someone that I'm so ridiculously in love with. There are more than enough people who will tell you that these feelings go away, that high school sweethearts rarely make it in the long run and that long distance ruins most couples. They're so wrong, all of them with their high and mighty judgements about something they have no clue about. Because the way I'm feeling right now? The kind of sheer joy and happiness that every single atom I'm made of is vibrating with?

That's not a fluke and it's never going away.

Cole's hair has grown a little longer since I left and I just soak in his presence for a few seconds, the reality of him finally being close enough to touch not quite sinking in. He runs a frustrated hand through said here and an adorable from forms on his face as he tries to crane his neck and look for me. The guy's so tall, he doesn't really need to stretch but by this point he must be thinking I missed my flight.

I think that's enough gawking Tessa, it's time to get your man.

***

To say there were tears would be an understatement. It's embarrassing how much I outright sobbed when I pushed through the crowd and saw Cole's face light up when he finally spotted me. It didn't even take him four strides to get to me and the next thing I knew I was in his arms.