Just for Now

Chapter Twenty

"Thank you guys, seriously," Cole breathed out. "I couldn't have pulled this off without you."

"Go!" Lila shouted, waving her hand frantically. Lorena smiled proudly at her son, nodding at him to go.

Cole turned and ran without another thought.

It took him a few minutes to squeeze through the crowds. He managed to make his way through the security check. The person seemed curious as to why he was in such a rush, but they probably figured he was just late for a flight. Nonetheless, he was let through.

He felt a sense of urgency like never before. Every second counted, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Memories flashed through his head with every step he took. He had to find her. Cole had to make things right.

He scanned the lines of travelers, hoping to catch sight of her familiar figure. The minutes felt like hours, and each second that passed without finding her filled him with growing despair. Maybe he could catch her at the flight gate. He just had to make it in time for the flight itself. He could still do this.

Then, like a mirage in the desert, he saw her. Allison stood a few lines away, making her way through the metal detector. Her body language seemed tense, her shoulders slightly hunched. His heart lurched, a part of him slightly shocked that he actually found her at the airport. He pointed at her frantically as if that would make her stop in her tracks.

"Alli!" he called out, trying to catch her attention. But she didn't hear him, or she did and just chose not to turn around.

Cole decided to go with the hope that she just didn't hear him.

"Sorry, excuse me, sorry," Cole muttered as he slipped past the strangers waiting in line for security. "Alli, wait!"

"Hey, you need to wait in line," someone told him, leaning forward to meet his gaze.

Cole licked his lips desperately, holding his arm out to point to Alli. "Please, that's my wife, I really need to talk to her."

"What's so important you can't wait in line?"

Cole grunted in frustration, running a hand through his hair stressfully. "I need to propose to her again, okay?"

"But she's... didn't you just say she's your wife?" the man asked in confusion.

"It's complicated! Please, just—" he cut himself off, making a break for it. He ignored the protests from various bystanders, making a break for the front of the line.

"Alli—"

A TSA agent held his hand out in front of Cole, stopping him from going through."Sir, have you emptied your pockets?"

"I really don't have time—" Cole shook his head, trying to point to Alli as if it explained everything.

"Cole?" He looked up, seeing her stand there in shock. Her mouth was dropped open and he sighed in exasperation, awkwardly waving at her.

"Alli, wait. Just wait, please. I booked a flight just so I could get through," Cole told her, out of breath. He keeled over slightly before shaking his head. He could pass out from lack of oxygen later, he had something to do.

"You what?" she asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

But Cole didn't have time to explain everything. He had to do this before he lost the courage he built up. "You never answered my question from before, do you still love me?"

She jolted back, startled by the personal question. Glancing around, she let out an awkward laugh as she said, "Cole—"

"Alli."