Chapter 3

Wheels up. I was on my way. I wanted to surprise him. Tell him everything in person. I didn’t care about what people would think and that we could do it, and if people had something to say, “fuck’em.”

The flight wasn’t long. It gave me enough time to gather in my mind what I would say. I had the whole script, with background actors, and all planned out. Exterior, Kelly’s apartment, day, Wilkes knocks on the door, it opens, and she peers into the sparkling green eyes of her one true love.

The neighbors stop and stare as she confesses the matters of her heart with tears rolling down her pretty brown cheeks. He moves closer, pulls her into his arms, and says, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Or, something like that. I took a deep breath as the announcement came over the speaker, we were landing. I felt the aircraft descend. I heard the landing gear drop from the doors, and then the tires hit the concrete runway, the sound was loud but my heart felt like it beat louder. We slowed and pulled to the gate. I was there. I was ready to claim what belonged to me.

After retrieving a rental car, I headed to my hotel room where I would stay for a few days. Then I spent an hour convincing myself to go to his apartment. I didn’t fly here to go home empty-handed. I took a few deep breaths and left.

I arrived at his apartment complex and parked, I saw the light on in the living room. I got out of my vehicle and walked to the door wearing a pretty red dress. Red was his favorite color. He would always compliment me when I wore red and steal looks. He didn’t even know that I wore red, especially for hum,

I waited with my fist suspended inches from the door, and finally, it made contact. My heart beat fiercely in my chest. I could feel it in my ears. The door opened and he stared at me as if he saw an apparition, “Wilkes?”

I nodded, “Hey Kelly.”

He smiled, “What are you doing here?”

“Um, I was just visiting. Saying ‘hi’ to my old friends.”

He nodded, “Just one second, I’ll be right back,” he turned went inside, closed the door, and returned wearing a shirt and some green shorts, “Let’s go for a ride,” he said as he grabbed my hand, “wow, I can’t believe you’re here. I haven’t heard from you since you left.”

“I know. I’ve been trying to get settled. Things have been crazy. So, what’s new?” I asked as I unlocked the car doors and we got inside the rental. We stopped at a place for dinner and chopped it up. It felt so good being in his presence again. It felt like old times.

I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he joked.

“I’ve missed you too, sort of,” he chuckled.

“Do you want to come to my room?” I asked him. The last time I had sex was with him. It had been over two months and I craved him.

He nodded, “Sure.”

Standing in front of him and kissing him felt right. He paused and touched my face, “I should go.”

“Why?”

He shrugged, “Jackie—”

I kissed his mouth. My hand glided down and I found him stiff, “You can’t go. Stay.”

He quickly removed my dress and moments later we were bare in the middle of the bed with him in my center filling me as I moaned loudly. The way he worked my center drove me to tears, “Jonathan, babe,” I said.

He looked down at me, “Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Jackie.”

It was out there. We had said what he had kept secret for two years. It felt amazing holding him. It felt magical kissing him. All I had to do was find the right moment to say the other secret that I was carrying inside.

I wanted the moment to be perfect. I still had two days to be with him I wanted to savor every minute before heading back to Florida.

When morning arrived, we made love again and again before he had to leave. I kissed his mouth and pulled his shirt trying to convince him to stay for another round but he insisted that he had to leave and would return for dinner.

It was fine. I still had people I wanted to visit.

I called one of my old troops Senior Airman Liezel Torres. She was this beautiful half-African-American and half-Filipino young lady and happened to be the first troop I was ever assigned. We met at the base exchange, “Oh my God SSgt Wilkes, I can’t believe you are back.”