The Swan 2: Taking Flight

Chapter 1: Homesick

Milo.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, poking around at my food and waiting for the lights to come on. I heard a sound inside the house and frowned, leaning back and looking inside for the source. A twinge of fear hit me when I realized it was coming from the door. Someone was trying to open the door.

I jumped up and started to where I dumped my purse on the counter, where my pepper spray was. I didn't quite make it when the door opened and my heart stopped when I saw who walked in.

"What are you doing here?" I breathed.

"I got out of a meeting and took an earlier flight," he said with a big smile. "Couldn't stand to be away from you any longer."

"You scared me half to death," I admitted.

"Oh," he frowned, glancing back at the door. "In hindsight, I could've handled that better."

"You think?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I just wanted to surprise you," he shrugged. "Are you going to lecture me or do I get a hug and kiss?" He asked, opening his arms. "It's only been a month but it felt like a year."

"It really did," I said, walking over to him as fast as my legs would carry me.

He dropped his bags and pulled me into a tight hug before tilting my head back and kissing me. I melted against him, missing the familiarity, missing having someone I knew around. I'd made some friends here, sure, but it wasn't the same. I craved a piece of home and he still smelled like Chicago, somehow.

"Emery," he murmured against my lips, cupping my face and kissing me deeper. He dropped one hand and wrapped it around my waist, holding me tight against him while I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Are we sure it was only a month?" He asked, breaking the kiss and staring down at me with a smile I'd come to love so much. "It felt like forever. I've been counting down the minutes. When is this tour over again?"

"Two more weeks," I sighed, resting my head in his chest and wrapping my arms around his waist. "Two weeks and then I'm going to Fatso's for a burger."

He laughed and wrapped his arms around me tightly, setting his head on mine. "I'll have it waiting for you when you get off the plane. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I sighed, hugging him tighter, breathing him in.

Homesick. It wasn't something I expected to happen. When I first arrived in Europe, it was all so new and exciting. For the first several months I spent every second I wasn't rehearsing, exploring. I explored the history, the famous places and hidden gems, the food, the music, the culture. It was all so rich and beautiful but as time faded and rehearsals grew longer and more frequent, I started to miss home and everything attached to it. I missed Gwen, I missed my other friends, I missed the insanity of Chicago's downtown, I just missed home.

"What's wrong?" He asked, bringing his hand up and tilting my face towards his. "Are you burned out?"

"A little," I admitted. "It's not that I'm not happy or excited or thankful, I'm just-"

"Emery," he said with a soft smile, running his thumb over my cheek. "You don't have to explain yourself. I get it. I was afraid you would get burned out, remember? I don't know how you've lasted this long. I know it's your passion but you haven't had time to play where you were just playing because you love it. Everything has been on such a tight schedule. You're overworked and overbooked. Kenny's going to get a piece of my mind, I tell you," he said, shaking his head and placing a kiss on my forehead.

"He's supposed to set up security for me," I sighed, resting my head in his chest again. He held me tightly and I couldn't stop the smile. He gave such good hugs and the way he held me now was exactly what I needed. "He keeps saying he will but he hasn't and the crowds are bigger every time."

"Let's talk to him together," he suggested, kissing the top of my head. "It needs to get taken care of. He shouldn't be putting it off, you asking one time should've been enough. In fact, you shouldn't even have to ask. As your agent, he should be handling these things."

"I am getting a little tired of him," I admitted. I felt guilty because he was the one that got me started on this whole tour and helped me make it so successful, but I just didn't feel like he was giving me what I needed anymore. He was amazing at the beginning, but as he became known as my agent, others wanted him too and I felt like he left me out since. "I feel like he's not listening to me when I tell him what I need."

"Then maybe we need to look into a new agent, huh?" He asked, pulling back and guiding my face towards his for another kiss. "We need someone that will take better care of you," he murmured against my lips. "Because God knows you're not going to do it."

"You going to lecture me or you going to kiss me?" I teased.

"Both," he said, pressing a gentle kiss against my lips. "Definitely both."

He pulled me in for a harder kiss, a deeper kiss. His arms tightened around me and I slid my hands up his back to his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. The kiss lasted long enough that even in my tired state, my body responded. I hadn't been with him for a month but like he said, it felt longer.

"Do I smell... Chili dogs?" He asked, pulling back from the kiss.

"Yes," I said, hiding my face in his chest.

"You're in France and you're making chili dogs?" He asked, a smile tugging on his lips.

"I missed home," I mumbled in his chest.

"I understand," he chuckled, kissing my head. "It smells amazing. Any chance you have extra for me?"

"In the fridge," I nodded. "And I'm eating on-"

"On the balcony, waiting for the lights, I know," he smiled, placing a quick kiss against my lips before checking the time on his watch. "They're about to come on, why don't you head out there so you don't miss it? I'll be right there. And then," he said, grabbing my hips and pulling me against him and in for another kiss. "Bed," he murmured against my lips. "I'll give you a massage to help you relax and sleep."

"A massage huh?" I smiled against his lips.

"A massage... That requires little to no clothes," he said, running his hands down my back. "Unless you're tired. If you're too tired, it's all right."

"No, I want to," I assured, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I really want to."

"I better make it worth your time then," he said, taking my hand and kissing the back of it before heading to the kitchen.

I smiled after him for a second before turning and heading back to the balcony. I sat outside and picked up my food, staring at the Eiffel Tower. The lights turned on and I couldn't stop the smile. I took a bite of my food and sank back in my chair, watching as the entire thing illuminated. It didn't matter how many times I'd seen it, it was stunning.

I read somewhere that it was made up of hundreds of projectors and lights. It really was a work of art. Again, I thought of Milo. I couldn't help it. Every architecturally interesting building made me think of him and I glanced back at the kitchen to remind myself who I was with.

He came and sat down next to me, dropping his arm over my shoulder and nodding to the view. "It started," he said. "Always a gorgeous sight."

"Definitely," I agreed, resting my head on his shoulder.

"God, I really missed you, Em," he said, curling his hand around my shoulder and drawing me closer, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

I looked up at him and smiled, seeing his bright blue eyes staring down at me. "I missed you too, Mason."

A/N:

Ahhhhh here we go, here we go! Book 2! Let me know your thoughts ❤

Man, Em is really working hard, are we proud or what?

Did you guys guess the flowers weren't from Milo or were you hoping they were?

Were you surprised to see who she was with? 👀