“Of course. See you, Caroline.” Jackson smiled at her and her heart went into hysterics. She couldn’t believe this was it. She walked out of the airport like it was any other flight, when it was anything but. What was she doing? How could she just leave like this? But how could she not? Secretly, she hoped to see Jackson run after her and beg her not to leave with Clay. She imagined the scene like something out of an over-the-top romantic movie where everyone lived happily ever after (of course).
She knew it wasn’t right, but at that moment, she didn’t care. She felt like she left her heart on the floor of the airport baggage claim. Jackson could either pick it up and carry it with him, or simply leave it there to stop beating altogether. How do you go on living your life as usual, when you feel like that?
“So what did you and Jackson talk about on the flight?” Clay asked her in the car.
“I don’t know. Work, life, you. Everything.” She was dazed and confused. Her heart was in more pain than it should be in this situation. She stared out the car window, replaying moments that would now only exist in memory. How quickly life turns into pictures…moments captured, quickly lived, forever memorized, or forgotten.
It was then that she realized they hadn’t exchanged any information to stay in touch. She didn’t even know his last name. They really were never going to see each other or talk to each other again. She did her best to stop the tears, but it was no use. They flowed uncontrollably and her face held so much pain.
“Hey, Care. What’s wrong?” Clay’s concern only made Caroline feel worse. She didn’t cry often, but she had cried so much lately. Whenever she broke down like this, Clay did everything he could to take away her pain.
“Sorry, just overwhelmed from the funeral and everything. I’ll be okay.” The truth was that not a single one of those tears was for her dead friend. Every teardrop that fell belonged to the one person she was certain she’d never see again. How was she supposed to be okay with that? And why did she feel this way about a person she barely knew?
Caroline grabbed her cell phone and turned it on. “I’m going to text Tracey to let her know I landed,” she told Clay with a slight smile.
“Tell her I said hi.”
Caroline typed a mile a minute. “Hey girl, just landed. I HAVE to tell you about the guy I met on my flight. I think I’m in love. lol Call you tomorrow.” Caroline pressed Send and clutched the phone in her hand.
It took less than a minute for Tracey to reply. “What GUY? Why do I have to wait until tomorrow? I want to hear NOW, you cheating floozy!!”
Caroline laughed out loud when she read the text, which caused Clay to ask her what was so funny. She played it off by telling him it was just “girl stuff” and he didn’t question her further. “I can’t talk right now…in the car with Clay.” Caroline waited for another response from Tray, but it never came.
Chapter Four
It annoyed Jackson how the pit of his stomach twisted as he watched her with him. He berated himself to get over it, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that letting her go would be the biggest mistake of his life. Nervous squirming inside his belly urged him to chase after her, but he beat it down. He glanced back at the couple and caught Caroline’s green eyes boring into his. The look alone caused his heart to catch.
He watched as Caroline walked out of the airport, Clay’s arm possessively around her shoulders, until her blonde hair disappeared from view. His heart burned like wildfire in his chest and he was painfully aware that letting this girl go wasn’t going to be easy.
He had never been so taken by a girl before. When he first noticed her sitting alone on the airplane, chills tore through his spine and caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. He refused to let it show, but nerves uncharacteristically flooded through every bone, every muscle, and every fiber of his being. It almost stopped him from sitting with her, but as he inched closer, her pull grew stronger. Relief greeted him once he sat, followed by an intense longing to close the space between them.
He replayed the introduction with Clay and felt his blood pressure rise. When Clay eyeballed him from head to toe, Jackson ignored the temptation to punch him square in the mouth. He assumed Caroline wouldn’t be happy with him if he socked her boyfriend in the face. But did he imagine the sparkle in her eyes when he cautioned Clay to hold onto her? He was certain he’d seen something there. And the guy seemed like a jerk. Sure, maybe Jackson brought out the competitive side of Clay, but his tone of voice and snide comments were uncalled for.
Jackson suddenly felt like a wild animal. He wanted to grab her, steal her, and protect her from anything that could possibly hurt her. But most of all, he wanted to be near her again.
Jackson threw his bags into the back of a cab and gave the driver the name of his hotel. He settled into the back seat and pulled out his cell phone. Alex answered on the second ring. He and Alex had been friends since childhood and Jackson knew he was the right person to talk to about Caroline.
His other best friend, Tommy, was more of a jackass— a typical guy who felt like no girl deserved too much attention. Jackson knew telling Tommy about Caroline meant he’d never hear the end of it. Tommy would never let the fact that Caroline had a boyfriend slide.
“So, did you get her number?” Alex inquired.
“Shit. No. We didn’t exchange anything.” Jackson leaned his head into his free hand. Before Alex asked, he hadn’t realized they didn’t give each other any way to keep in touch.