“So this is it, huh?” Chris grins as he surveys the small apartment “It’s uh…quaint”
“It’s in my budget babe” Nora laughs, bringing a box in “I’m not complaining”
“Maybe you should love” Chris grimaces “Is that mold?”
Nora rolls her eyes as she sets the box down and walks into the bathroom with him.
“Is what mold?” Nora asks, looking around
“That,” Chris says pointing to a green line on the tub
“It’s probably mildew,” Nora says “Some bleach and it’ll be gone”
She leans up, kissing Chris on the cheek before she walks out of the bathroom. She grabs more boxes from the small moving truck as Chris comes out of the apartment to help her.
“Baby, do you really want to live here? Is this job really worth it?” Chris asks
“Yes” Nora says with her hands on her hips “It is important to me”
“Fine…Sorry…” Chris grins as he wraps his arms around Nora’s waist and lifts her up off of the ground “We should christen it”
“Christopher Powell!” Nora laughs, playfully swatting him “Can we bring the rest of the boxes in first?”
“Fine” Chris says, pretending to pout as he presses a kiss to Nora’s lips
He sets her back down and they both resume bringing in boxes off of the truck. After an hour, both of them covered in a thin layer of sweat, Chris closes the front door to Nora’s studio as she turns on the air conditioning. Both of them sighing and flopping onto her bed in the center of the studio apartment.
“Do you want me to move this before I go?” Chris asks breathlessly
“Nah” Nora pants out “I kinda like the feng shui it gives the place”
Nora and Chris both giggle before Nora rolls onto her side. Propping her head up on her forearm as she looks at Chris.
“So, since you’re the one leaving in the morning, you get to pick” Nora grins
“Pick what?” Chris asks, turning his head to look at her
“Dinner and then who gets to please who first” Nora winks
“Um, pizza and we both know it’s always ladies first babe” Chris chuckles
—
“Baby” Ben whispers into Nora’s ear as he snakes his arms around her waist “Pizza or Thai”
“Hm. Vegan Thai” Nora grins as she turns around, pressing her back into the moving box she had been taping up
“I’ll go order” Ben grins, his lips slowly pressing Noras
“I love you” Nora whispers between kisses
“I love you too” Ben whispers back before he pulls away and dials the Thai place
Nora scribbles ‘Kitchen Dishes’ on the side of the box and sets the marker down. Pushing the box across the apartment living room and next to the front door.
“I was thinking we’d go walk and pick it up” Ben says as Nora turns around
“Sounds good to me” Nora grins “It’s so nice out”
Ben grins as he slips his feet into his shoes as Nora does the same. He grabs his keys off of the counter and they leave the apartment, hand in hand. They walk down the sidewalk, Ben eyeing Nora for being so quiet.
“Hey,” Ben says softly, as he stops his pace to pull Nora so she is facing him “What’s wrong?”
“I’m always a mess about moving. We could be moving down the block and I’d be emotional” Nora smiles weakly
“Is that all?” Ben asks, pushing a strand of hair from her face
“I’m so excited to see some of my friends and be closer to my family. But all your friends and family will be left behind” Nora sighs
“Baby, you are my family” Ben says as he presses a kiss to Nora’s forehead
“But your mom, she’s gonna miss you” Nora sighs, a small smile on her lips at Ben’s comment
“Alright, well if you’re more torn up about it then my mom, we’ll stay” Ben chuckles, cupping Nora’s face “Say the word and I’ll tell my boss I won’t be able to go”
“No, no” Nora grins “You worked so hard, you deserve it”
“So are you gonna be alright?” Ben asks
“Yes. I’m sorry” Nora says, leaning up to kiss Ben
“Don’t be sorry,” Ben says kissing her back “You have nothing to be sorry for”
“Alright, can we go get dinner now? I’m getting hungry” Nora laughs softly
“Oh yeah, I’m sure packing all of two boxes just drained your energy” Ben teases
“Shush” Nora giggles as she lifts Ben’s hand and gently kisses the back of it
—
Nora wakes up before Chris. The bright sun shining down on sunny San Francisco. She gently places her hand on his cheek, his stubble making her palm slightly itchy. She grins before she gets up and goes to the bathroom. She turns on the shower, the water splashing against the white tile she scrubbed clean the night prior. She undresses, stepping into the shower, the water hitting the floor as the shower curtain lays folded on the sink. A moment later, the bathroom door opens, Chris grinning as he steps into the shower with Nora, fully dressed.
“What are you doing?” Nora asks, arching her eyebrow at Chris
“Spending as much time with you as possible” Chris grins “You also don’t have a washer and dryer”
“So you want me to mimic a spin cycle?” Nora laughs
“Something like that” Chris grins as his lips meet her collarbone, his hands sliding down her body
He continues working his way down, kissing her modest breasts, as his hand sinks down between her thighs. He gently rubs at her center, before he runs his hand down her thigh to lift her leg up onto the side of the tub. He runs his hand back down, as he pulls her closer to his mouth by her waist. Soft moans escaping Nora’s lips as he moves faster against her. The warm water flowing down their bodies, circling the drawn as Nora comes undone, her slim frame shaking above Chris’s. His touch the only thing holding her steady as her legs quake beneath her. She leans down, ripping at Chris’s wet, heavy clothes as he does the same. Removing as much as they both can as she straddles him, his length slowly filling her. She moves against him, his hands clinging to her waist as they both suck in a sharp breath of air. Groans and moans filling the small bathroom as Nora continues. They both come undone again, Nora slipping off of Chris as he spills himself onto the tub, Nora still hovering over him as she feels the tears form in her eyes. She can’t help when they slide down her face, the emotion overwhelming her.
“Baby, it’s okay. Nora, please, look at me” Chris says, his hands flying to her face
“I’m sorry” Nora sniffles “I just didn’t realize how difficult it would be. I figured I’d be alright until we got to the airport”
“I love you,” Chris says softly “We’re gonna make it through this, I promise”
“I love you too” Nora whimpers in his arms
She slowly gets up, both of them rinsing off before they step out of the bathtub. Chris turning off the water as Nora leans down and drapes his clothes over the shower curtain rod. She runs into the main living area and grabs a towel out of a box as she tosses it to Chris before grabbing another for herself.
They reheat some pizza in Nora’s oven, which to their dismay, doesn’t work. They sit in silence, chewing on cold pizza before Chris pulls his plane ticket from his sweater pocket.
“We should head out soon” Chris sighs “But, I want to leave you with something”
“What?” Nora asks
“This” Chris grins as he pulls out a fuzzy green sweater “Turn the AC on for super hot days and wear it, call me when you do”
“Thank you” Nora grins, holding the sweater tight to her chest
They toss the pizza, getting dressed and heading out to the airport. Nora drives the Prius her father had managed to get for her once she got settled. The drive is quiet, Chris focusing on the road, despite them holding hands. Nora’s leg shakes nervously. They pull in, going through security and customs before standing together in front of the doorway to Chris’s plane.
“This is it,” Chris says “I’ll see you in six months if training goes well”
“I hope it does and in between, we’ll skype?” Nora asks
“And call and text and ping and messenger and WhatsApp and facetime and hangouts” Chris laughs “We’ll be alright”
“You should take this too,” Nora says, pulling the engagement ring off of her finger
“What? Why?” Chris asks, hesitantly letting Nora place the ring in his hand
“Because we don’t know when we will see each other and I can’t plan a wedding if I don’t know when or where it’s going to be” Nora sighs
“I…Okay…” Chris says “That makes sense…I suppose”
“I don’t want to hurt you or end things, I just think we should take a step back is all” Nora says softly, cupping Chris’s cheek
“I love you, I’ll call you when I land,” Chris says
“I love you too” Nora smiles weakly “Please do, I’ll be counting down the minutes”
“Good, because I’ll be counting the seconds” Chris grins
They kiss one last time as a woman calls the last warning for Chris’s flight. He pulls back, pressing his forehead to Nora’s, giving her one last kiss before he forces himself to let go of her. Turning away and handing his ticket to the woman standing at the podium. He turns to look at Nora one last time, winking at her before the woman closes the door. Nora turns and walks back to her car, tears streaming down her face as she climbs into her car.