Chapter Three: Your Mother Already Thinks I Stripped My Way Through College

April

Tessa

I'm so excited I could through up and the lady next to me on this flight does not appreciate how I've been eyeing the barf bag. I'm positively jumping in my seat, waiting for the plane to land so that I can rip my seatbelt off and be out the door. Knowing who'll be waiting for me at the other end is enough to make me want to go down to the cockpit and demand that the pilot get us there now. I'm that annoying child who needs to know if they are there yet and has to ask that question every five minutes. Despite having more than enough movies to get through the thirteen hour journey, I've been relentlessly stalking our route on the screen between naps. In the past year or so, flying has started making me anxious and I usually need some kind of sleeping pill to get through longer flights like this one but this simultaneously seems to be the longest and shortest plane ride I've ever been on. For the one, my excitement and restlessness means I've not quite thought about the plane crashing all that much and the time seems to be passing quicker but the anticipation of it makes it seem like I've been in here for ages.

Jesus just get me home already!

I haven't allowed myself to wallow in homesickness too much these past few months. I left right at the beginning of February and it's nearly been two months since I've seen m family or friends, since I've seen Cole. Sure we Facetime and text whenever possible but that's nowhere near the same. To be very honest, I miss the tactility of being with a loved one. Other than Leila and my boss, plus some of the co-workers from my new office, I haven't had the opportunity to hang out with a lot of people and I certainly haven't found any fast friends. So it's been a while since a friendly hug or a comforting touch and I sure as hell haven't been kissed. It tends to get lonely after a while and even though I've tried to immerse myself in my work as much as possible and do my best, what I want more than anything right now is smother my boyfriend with affection.

So you can almost imagine my excitement when we land and I grab my carry on, because who has the patience for checked luggage, and race past security. My heart is pounding so loud I can hear almost hear with every step I stuck and I feel high from giddiness, excitement and overwhelming anticipation.

And then I see him, front and centre, searching for me through the crowd that continues to push past me. I take just a few seconds before he spots me to look at him, just look and realise that I'm so lucky to have found someone that I'm so ridiculously in love with. There are more than enough people who will tell you that these feelings go away, that high school sweethearts rarely make it in the long run and that long distance ruins most couples. They're so wrong, all of them with their high and mighty judgements about something they have no clue about. Because the way I'm feeling right now? The kind of sheer joy and happiness that every single atom I'm made of is vibrating with?

That's not a fluke and it's never going away.

Cole's hair has grown a little longer since I left and I just soak in his presence for a few seconds, the reality of him finally being close enough to touch not quite sinking in. He runs a frustrated hand through said here and an adorable from forms on his face as he tries to crane his neck and look for me. The guy's so tall, he doesn't really need to stretch but by this point he must be thinking I missed my flight.

I think that's enough gawking Tessa, it's time to get your man.

***

To say there were tears would be an understatement. It's embarrassing how much I outright sobbed when I pushed through the crowd and saw Cole's face light up when he finally spotted me. It didn't even take him four strides to get to me and the next thing I knew I was in his arms.

Home, I was home.

I don't remember a lot after that, other than bawling like an absolute baby. I think I traumatised Cole a little, who'd run his hands all over me, checking to see if I was hurt. He asked me repeatedly if I was okay but I'd been too choked up on emotion to reply so we stood in the middle of the airport, hugging each other close and me crying on Cole's shoulder.

Eventually my embarrassment caught up with me and I attempted to get myself together so that Cole would stop threatening to cause someone bodily harm.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." I half laugh, half sob. "I just really missed you."

His expression shatter at my admission and he pulls me closer, resting his forehead against mine. "Jesus, I love you Tessie and I missed you too, so much."

I grip the lapels of his jacket and try to sink into his skin. God, I missed every single thing about him, his scent, the feel of his lips on my skin, his voice, the warmth that radiates from his body and every single thing that makes Cole, Cole.

Neither of us make an attempt to move, we're probably causing people some inconvenience but I think we deserve this moment of absolute stillness so I'm sure as hell going to take it.

He presses his lips to my forehead, to my cheeks and finally to my lips in a slow tentative kiss. I must have returned it a little too eagerly because he laughs against my lips and grips my shoulders, "We've got an entire week for ourselves shortcake and I'd rather not do all the things I want to do to you in public." He kisses me again, once, twice, teasing me with his tongue and pulling away before I maul his mouth again.

"Hmm, that would cause a scene wouldn't it?"

"Probably."

"Then why the heck are we still standing here Stone? Take me home, please."

And I have never seen a man move faster in my life.

***

No, we don't rip each other's clothes off the moment we reach my parents house. I'd been travelling for more than half a day and probably look and smell like a homeless bum. So despite Cole's invite into his parent's house, I choose to go to my dad's house and opt for a quick shower. He drops me off, letting me know that he'd be right back after dropping of the car and checking on Nana Stone. As I arrived in the middle of the day, my dad is still at work and I'm greeted by an empty house. By this point I'm dead on my feet and coupled with the hot water and fresh sheets courtesy our housekeeper I fall into bed and am immediately out for the count.

    I wake up knowing that I'm not alone, there's the weight of an arm wrapped around my waist from behind and I'm pulled into a warm muscular chest. Cole's fast asleep, his face buried in the crook of my neck and legs entwined with mine. A feeling of deep content fills me and this right is truly the happiest I've felt in months. I turn my face slightly to study him like this, while he's so unaware and vulnerable and a pang of longing shoots through me. I'm only here for a week and I had to beg and plead to get the time off. I'd brought it up when I took the job, the fact that I needed to go home for my brother's wedding and had the time off approved a long time ago but the more manic work got, the more displeased Amy seemed about me leaving them. I swear if it wouldn't have turned into an HR nightmare, she wouldn't have let me leave at all.

But I barely have four days with Cole, he'd leave before I had to and I already missed him. He'd just made it in time for the wedding this weekend and would leave the night of because with his loaded school schedule he couldn't miss classes, not this close to finals. I'd known that he'd brought a ton of books home as well and that he spent all his free time studying before I got here. Travis had had his bachelor party earlier this month so it was only us girls who'd be going away tomorrow and a part of me hated that.

My time with him is limited and I'm going to spend a full day away from him, probably not being the most fun person to hang out with. I wonder when it'll get easier, this being apart thing. This isn't something we'd planned really well and I let myself admit that as I stare at him. We'd been so flippant about this whole long distance thing, thinking we could definitely figure it out and the four years would go by so quickly we wouldn't even realise it.

But realise I did and the realisation has started becoming increasingly painful.

Just make it to July Tessa, that's it. I'd come home and then maybe we'd think about the next step or I'd just go back to New York and him to Chicago but I couldn't imagine anything I'd want less.

"I'd tell you to take a picture but that would mean taking my hands off of you." Cole murmurs, startling me. I didn't realise that my creepy staring could've potentially woken him up.

"Hey," I turn around fully so that we're both on our sides facing each other. I run a hand through his messy hair, kinda liking it a little longer. "When did you get here?"

"Nana insisted I bring you the banana bread she had in the oven so I had to wait for that but by the time I got here you were knocked out."

"Yum, I love your Nana's banana bread." I slid closer to him and wrapped my arms around his back. I still couldn't believe that we were together and that I could touch him all I want. He must be feeling the same because his hands are all over me, we're fully entwined like we cannot bear to have even an inch of space between us.

"She's happy you're back." He kisses the top of my head, "It's been lonely with you gone Tessie."

My heart sinks and I open my mouth to speak but Cole cuts me off, "For Nana, I mean. I'm at school and Dad and Cassandra are at work all day. She's used to you dropping by on the weekends and I can tell she's been missing you."

"Just her?" I bite my lip.

He rolls his eyes, "You have to know I miss you but I'm also so proud of you. You're facing your fears, living in a new city, a new country and I know you're kicking ass at work. I want you to succeed Tessie and I want you to make all your dreams come true."

I pull him down for a kiss because when he says things like this and when he makes me swoon so much with just how perfect he can be, there's no way I'm keeping my hands off of him.

***

"London's agreed with you Tess, you look lovely." My dad's girlfriend Danielle comments as we sit for dinner. She's a gorgeous brunette in her mid-thirties and quite a catch for my father if I do say so myself. They've been together for a while and I have no idea why he hasn't asked her to move in or even marry her yet. He's obviously crazy about her, in a way I haven't ever seen him around mom and she's pretty accepting of his sometimes pathological ex-wife. What more could you ask for?

"Thank you, I think their trick is to make you walk everywhere so that you burn the scones they get you hooked on." I have developed an affinity for that particular type of bread and won't deny that I've become a tea addict just so I can stuff my face with them.

It's just Cole, me, my dad and Danielle at dinner tonight. Travis and Beth were supposed to join us, like an informal kick off to their wedding but I think they're trying to spend some time together before the big day. Between their busy work schedules and manic wedding planning, Beth's admitted that they don't get to spend as much time together as they should. From what I know, they're not even going on a honeymoon right away so they deserve to have some time alone. Still it would be nice to see as much of my family and friends as possible before I leave and time seems to be flying past.

"Your dad was just telling me how well you'd settled in and everything and that you're doing wonders at work."

I blush, still not used to having a conversation revolve solely around me without it getting uncomfortable. "He's my dad, it's his job to brag. I'm still a lowly assistant."

Cole nudges my foot gently with his under the table, understanding that I'd rather talk about the darker side of birth control pills as opposed to having any kind of spotlight on me.

Dad, bless him does not get the hint. He waves his hand dismissively, "Tessa's far more than just an assistant, she's basically holding the magazine together aren't you honey? What about the big meeting where you impressed everyone?"

I want to face plant into my mashed potatoes. Why on earth did I ever tell him about that? Yes, it'd been a big deal and I'm damn proud of myself for the campaign I'm currently working on but I would rather pull my teeth out with pliers than talk about it.

"Speaking of meetings, Danielle didn't you mention that you knew someone from the law firm I wanted to intern at this summer? Think you could set up a meeting?"

That gladly takes the conversation in other direction and I shoot Cole a grateful look, knowing what he's done and why.

My hero, always there to save the day.

***

Jet lag is a real thing and courtesy of my afternoon nap, I find myself tossing and turning the entire night unable to sleep. Cole stays over and tries to keep me company but eventually I lose him to sleep while I lay on my back and continue staring at the ceiling. The upside is that I get a lot of time to piece together my thoughts, thoughts that have bombarded me since I stepped of the plane earlier today. For one, Cole seems to be extremely remorseful of the Mel situation that went down last year and blames himself for why I chose to go away. I can see it in the way he carries himself, how he almost seemed weighed down by guilt when my dad told me how much he missed me. I need to reassure him that taking a job in a different continent had very little to do with him and more so to do with how lost I felt at the time. I'd taken a job that when in college I'd never considered working in. I'd been out of place, struggling to fit into the fast paced world of fashion and beauty. It's not a surprise to anyone that I'd envisioned something very different for myself and that every day that I went to work, I questioned whether or not I was wasting my time and energy at something I wasn't passionate about.

I'm doing well at work now, my boss Amy trusts me and relies on me and I think even Leila and I have developed some sort of a convoluted bond because she always asks me if her butt looks too big in whatever body-con dress she's wearing that night before heading out. I've finally found my place and I think I'm even beginning to enjoy the pressure but that still leaves the big question, is this really something I want to do long term?

My real passion has always been books, to read them, to find writers who are brilliant storytellers and to share their talent with the world. Just thinking about it gets my heart pounding and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I'd rather be doing just that. I look at Cole's sleeping figure and wonder if being away from him for so long is even worth it if I'm not even going to stick to this job? I've made such a mess. But he doesn't know that I've been looking for new jobs every day, that there are several pages bookmarked, so many drafts of emails written up and my resumé polished daily hoping to send it to the right person. I just don't want to leave Amy in a lurch and as soon as we're back home at Venus in New York, I'll approach her when the time is right. But I have been doing my homework, looking for the right jobs in the right places.

Maybe even Chicago.

I shake my head, knowing I'm getting far too ahead of myself. There's still a long time to go before my stint in London is over and I need to concentrate on doing well so that Amy writes me a kick ass recommendation. Perhaps I won't mention it to Cole just yet, just so he doesn't get his hopes up.

Yeah, that seems like a good idea.

***

"This is a terrible idea."

"What? Why?" Cami whines as she pauses her Power Point presentation. Yes, you heard it right folks. The whirlwind that is Cami Hughes swept in and brought along with her, her bag of tricks or in this case a thoroughly well prepared and oddly well researched itinerary for Beth's bachelorette.

"I think it's not that big a shock that I'd like the avoid being imprisoned during my wedding week." Beth offers from behind her giant mug of coffee. Megan, Cami and I had all sprung up on her early this morning and Travis had been kicked off without any preamble. He'd be spending the day with at work first and then go out to have drinks with his buddies, well he wouldn't have alcohol but the sentiment is there. We have Beth all to ourselves and after a lot of hugging and squealing, plus some tears and catching up, we're finally ready to hit the road.

Or the jailhouse, if Cami has her way.

I groan, realising that Cole was right and I shouldn't have left things completely to my former college roommate. Her lack of inhibitions meant that sometimes she went a little overboard and although Beth had been a wild one back in the day, she's now content to live on routine and stability both of which are necessary for my brother's lifestyle. She hasn't changed herself for him, rather helping Travis towards sobriety seems to have given her the purpose and meaning she's always craved in life, or so she tells me.

It's obvious she's less than thrilled with what Cami has planned and I feel my heart sink. Sharing a look with Megan, I can tell she's thinking the same. We wanted this to be special for Beth, not drag her back to the demons of her past or remind her of the wild, reckless lifestyle that took away her mother.

"Maybe we should skip the BDSM club." I try to help out.

"You guys have to trust me, it'll be incredible. I've asked them to book the best instructor for you and Petra has years of experience. She'll give you an hour long demonstration and teach us..."

I cover my ears, "Maybe don't finish that sentence."

Beth snorts, "She couldn't teach me something I didn't already know and trust me, the whips and chains get old pretty quickly."

"Oh." Cami looks like a deflated balloon. "So I guess we can take that off the list then."

"And while you're at it, how about we change the dress code a little. I mean 'boob tubes and boxers' has a nice ring to it but I'd rather not freeze my nipples off. Plus," Beth looks at me, "Your mother already thinks I stripped my way through college. I'd rather not prove her right."

My mom can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, I get that.

By this point poor Cami looks crestfallen so I jump in to try and salvage the day. "But everything else looks wonderful Cami, you did so good."

She blows out a breath. "You can honestly tell me if I ruined everything. I should've paid more attention to what Beth actually wanted to do."

Beth gives her a sympathetic look, "Well to be completely fair I would have loved to do all of this a couple of years ago. You're not totally wrong."

Cami perks up, "Then maybe you'll love it now too. Perhaps a last hurrah to the old days before you become a married old lady." She claps her hands enthusiastically. "It'll be the perfect end to your single hood Beth!"

Beth does not look so sure. She sighs and gives in to Cami's puppy dog expression.

"Again, maybe let's revisit the one on one demo in the art of butt plugs. I think we could all live without that."

Oh yes we could.

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I haven't slept in two days guys, this Author's Note is going to be pretty short and sweet. Tessa is back, both in the book and in my head so yayayay. Like I said, her voice just comes to me so easily now, it's the best. But don't worry there will be plenty more Cole POV's :)

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Blair