As I step out of the plane, my lungs fill with the sweet, warm and comforting scent of spring. It's the middle of August and in Australia that means the winter months are over and summer is finally slowly approaching. Not even two weeks have passed since the last time I was here, but you can feel the change of the season on your skin. I'm enchanted by New York, but I can't help being in love with Melbourne.
I walk down the stairs slowly and step onto the pavement, my heart making a small leap of excitement. It's my first time coming back since we first moved here. And I feel at home.
On the bus from the plane to the arrivals area of the airport I plug in my earphones and listen to a track on my phone. Nobody knows it yet, but while I was visiting my dad in America, I ran into a couple of my old co-workers from Nickelodeon, who now own a small recording studio/private record label in New York. Let's just say the song I'm playing is my first demo, also the first piece of music I've created as an independent singer-songwriter, and call the rest history.
Fetching my suitcase from the baggage lane, I can't ignore the butterflies in my stomach anymore. They're trying to fly up my spine, escape through my throat and fill the whole baggage claim area with their thousands of flickering blue wings. I know who will be waiting for me behind those doors. Still, I'm not rushing anywhere. Yet. 12 days is a good amount of time to be away, focus on yourself and think. You become detached. From home, or family back home, or friends, and it's not a bad thing, it's completely freeing. I believe all of us need that from time to time. But Skype calls just aren't the same, and after a while the presence of another human body is what you start to long for.
The next half a minute is a blur - it's the sliding sound of two darkened doors, suitcase wheels rolling on the sleek stone floor, two pairs of running steps, the clatter of a heavy object as it falls over and meets with the floor. We're a bundle of hair, arms and legs, sharp breaths and hazy eyes. People are probably looking at us weird right now, a boy and a girl as close to each other as can be, him holding the girl up by her waist with one hand and having the other tangled in her hair. I press my face to his neck. The warmth of his skin makes me happy, so happy that I want to scream until my lungs can't take it anymore. I finally lift my chin enough to look him in the eyes and mouth, "Jai."
Jai places his thumb on my cheekbone and traces it down towards my mouth. He whispers back, "My Ariana."
***
Gina drives us to my house. Having dropped me and Jai off, she sends him a mischievous glance and drives away without any further comment. "What was that about?" I ask, amused. Jai just grins and takes my hand. "I'll take your suitcase to your room. Wait for me out here."
I do as I'm told and he's back soon enough, snaking close to me from behind and placing his hands over my eyes. I yelp a little, "Jai, you know I don't enjoy being blindfolded."
"Just trust me," he whispers into my ear.
He leads me around our house and into the back yard. I have no idea what could be waiting there. Coco, my precious doggy runs up to us and starts jumping excitedly. I laugh and bend down a bit, letting her lick my hands. Jai asks, "Ready?" When I nod my head yes, he removes his hands.
At first I don't notice anything surprising, but when I finally do, I slap my hands over my mouth and stare at Jai in disbelief. The sight is unbelievable. There's this huge oak tree in our garden that I've loved since the first moment I stepped out here. It's grand, with massive branches that reach out over half of the yard and shade out the sunlight, subtle leaves swaying in the wind. My favorite thing is to lay under there in a sun bed and daydream. Now, located between two of the thickest branches, there is a small treehouse.
