World Men à la Mode

Chapter Sixty-six - A Conclusion

~The winner of the voting contest for the next story is announced in the author's note at the end of the chapter!~

        It had been several months since you returned home from your trip abroad. Senior year of your studies at college was in full swing, and your laundry had been caught up on. You gave out the gifts you accumulated over the course of your travels, which everyone was absolutely thrilled about. You couldn't help but feel like you were still incomplete after returning home. You know you didn't forget any physical belongings, but something in the back of your mind was nagging you.

        While classes bogged you down with work and studying, along with your part-time job, you found yourself daydreaming one afternoon when you had a day off from both school and work. You laid on your bed, staring blankly at the ceiling of your room. With a sigh, you sat up, gaze wandering around the room. It halted when it landed on what you used as your carry-on bag. This, you concluded, was part of that nagging feeling. Pushing yourself off the bed, you padded over to the bag and brought it over to your desk where your computer sat.

        You pressed the power button briefly before unzipping the front pouch of your bag. Plunging your hand in, you pulled out handfuls of small slips of paper: the contact information you had amassed. You rifled through them until you found the slip you sought, impatiently drumming your fingers against the surface of the desk as you waited for the machine in front of you to completely load. Hours felt as if they passed by when you were finally able to pull up the web browser you needed to get to your email. Typing furiously at your keyboard, you composed an email and read it over carefully. You sucked in a deep breath before sending the email. Time ticked by slowly, throwing your nerves through the roof until he replied.

        The two of you talked back and forth for awhile, catching up on what the other had been up to since the conclusion of the tour. The two of you even drifted into relationship territory through your extensive conversations and flirting. The topic of coming to visit him came up and vice versa. While you would have loved to have him come to you, you still wanted to explore what he had to offer where he resided. He graciously and eagerly offered to host you while you stayed in his homeland. Of course, you couldn't just up and go right away. It took months of planning, working your butt off to save money, as well as get approved for time off from your job, but you pulled it off.

        Your friends dropped you off at the airport, wishing you safe travels and playfully warning you not to have too much fun while abroad once again. With an eye roll and a smile, you were on your way through security to get to your gate to board your plane. The flight felt longer than another of your other flights, but you knew this to be untrue. You were simply eager to see him, hear his voice, view his smile, be in his presence. Everything about him made your mind swim with endless possibilities.

        When your flight landed, you were one of the first ones in your boarding class to exit, carry-on bag tightly clutched in your fist. You impatiently waited for your suitcase at the baggage claim. It eventually made its way onto the carousel, and you grabbed it without a second thought. You dragged it behind you as you sped walked your way towards the exit of the airport. That's when you saw...

~America~

        ... Alfred. He opened his arms wide, inviting you in for a hug. You gladly wrapped your arms around his neck as his snaked around your waist. He was happy to finally be with you again, just as you were to be with him. He kissed the corner of your lips, then pulled away, holding you at arms distance before throwing opening his arms to gesture around you.

        "Welcome to my hometown, dudette! I've got a lot to show you."

        "Does that include you video collection?"