Today is the day.
Today is the day Jared finally comes home from tour.
Anticipation filled me as I waited for him at the airport. Finally, for what seemed like forever, an announcement was made that flight 465 was arriving at gate 12. It was delayed due to a storm over the East Coast and the pilot was forced to land at JFK airport in New York. I anxiously made my way over to gate 12. I felt the palms of my hand become sweaty. My nerves were shot. This time around, they took no breaks in the tour, so I hadn't seen Jared for months. I turned around to see his plane coming down the runway. My stomach jumped and filled with butterflies. Airport management connected the jetway to the plane and people started to make their way out.
Come on, Jared.. Where are you..?
I stood on my toes, looking over the heads of people, trying to see where he was. Then I spotted him.
He was wearing an Enfants Riches Déprimés tank, black jogger pants, and his Mars sneakers. I would've expected him to be wearing a ridiculous outfit as usual, but I guess he didn't want to attract too much attention to himself. I chuckled. I started walking towards the entrance in hopes of surprising him. Then, all at once, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Although he was wearing sunglasses, I could feel his eyes meet mine. He stopped right in his tracks and dropped everything in his hands. A cheeky smile grew across my face. He took off his sunglasses and put them in his pocket. I was about maybe 10 feet away from him when he barreled over, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around, into the tightest hug. He nuzzled his nose against my hair, then pulled away. He placed both of his hands on the sides of my face and looked into my eyes. "You have no idea... how much... I've missed you." He said, breathlessly. I put my forehead on his. "I'm just so happy you're back home... I couldn't bear spending another minute without you." I said, while looking into his beautiful, ocean blue eyes. Then, our lips met and everything fell into place.
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"OOOOHHHH! GET A ROOM YOU TWO!"
I smiled against Jared's lips and looked over to see Shannon coming from the jetway, rushing over to us, eagerly waving at me.I giggled. He's like a little kid. I smiled and waved back at him. He left his suitcase and gave me a bear hug. "Nice to see you, kiddo! Long time, no see!" I smiled at him. "I'm so glad to see you guys," I cheerfully said. "But where is Tomo, Emma, Stevie and the rest of the crew?" "Tomo headed back to Detroit to see Vicki. As for the rest of them, they're on a different flight. They'll be back later on tonight." Jared said while smiling. "Oh okay," I said, turning back to face him. Shannon then came around us and placed both of his huge arms around our shoulders. "So, whaddya say we go home now? I've missed my bed for too long. I don't think this long distance relationship is working out between us." He said looking at of us. We all laughed and agreed to head back home. I helped both of them with their bags and loaded them into the trunk of the car. "I'll drive." I said. We then got in the car, with Jared sitting in the front with me and Shannon in the backseat. As I revved up the engine, Jared took my hand from the ignition and interlocked his fingers with mine. I gave him a sweet smile, followed by a kiss.
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From the airport to home, it was about a 45 minute drive. We stopped off to get some food on the way. By the time we got to Jared's house, it was 6:15 pm. I suggested we head up to the hills with some blankets, watch the sunset and stars come out. The hills were about a 10 minute walk from Jared's house. "You guys can go but I'm gonna stay here and sleep!" Shannon yelled from the couch. "Okay, old man! See you later!" Jared yelled back. Shannon then lifted his middle finger, flipping off Jared. I laughed. We then turned and headed out, carrying our blankets around us, while holding hands.
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When we reached our favorite spot, I dropped my blanket and took in the the beautiful scenery. Seeing the land of million lights was absolutely breathtaking. I felt Jared wrap his arms around my waist. His head settled into the crook of my neck and shoulder. I put my hand on his cheek and gently stroked it. He had a slight stubble, which tickled my fingers. I turned my head and kissed him. He then spun me around and we passionately kissed under the stars.
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He broke free and went over to his blanket. He unfolded it and placed it carefully on the ground. "Come here. I want you to sit with me." He said. I picked up my blanket and walked over to Jared. He then grabbed my hips and sat me down on his lap. I wrapped the blanket around us. We then both laid down staring up at the sky, our bodies close to one another. Although I was looking at the sky, star-gazing, all I could think about was him. He was so beautiful, I never got tired of looking at him. He was filled with love, generosity, everything you could imagine. I don't know how I found someone so perfect and special. I turned to face him. He had his eyes closed. I gently kissed his nose and laid my head on his chest. I could feel and hear his gentle heartbeat. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close, like he was going to loose me. I let out a deep breath.
At that moment, I knew it's all we've wanted. Just to be in each others presence and not be separated for long periods of time.
And with that, we both fell asleep, under the millions of stars that shined above us.
