Unconditionally

Chapter Forty-six

"Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny." -Steve Maraboli

I look out of the plane window. Even though I was half way asleep when I promised Ashton I'd visit him, it was still a promise. And promises should never be broken. The thought of visiting Ashton in California at first was nerve racking, but I warmed up to the idea once Ashton and I talked about it.

Joan was fortunately kind enough to allow me to miss Friday. I searched online for the cheapest plane ticket and bought a ticket, packed my bags, and drove to Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport with Amy.

I wasn't nervous about the plane ride until I was in my plane with my backpack placed on my lap. I never had the opportunity to fly before until now.

The take-off went smoothly, and we haven't crashed, yet. I watched two movies for the majority of the plane ride, and for the next twenty minutes I listened to music and looked out the window.

I'm not sure what to expect when I arrive. I truthfully don't even know where I'm going to be staying. Buying the plane ticket and flying away from Arkansas was a spurge of the moment kind of thing.

Butterflies begin to flutter in my stomach when it's time for me to buckle my seat belt. I pull my ear buds out of my ears after buckling my seat belt. I then stuff my neck pillow, ear buds, and laptop into my backpack. I accidentally hit the man beside me with my elbow. He sends me a glare after I apologize to him.

The descending goes smoothly also. When I step off the plane, I don't feel a temperature difference between Little Rock and Las Angeles. I did get cold when I was inside the airport and plane since I wore my jean shorts, but not being in the California weather with leggings on makes me smile.

My grip on the straps of my backpack tightens as I follow the crowd. I can't exactly see over the tall crowd because of my shortness. While walking, I pull out my phone from the side pocket to turn off the Airplane mode.

MC: just landed!

I smile like a fool at the thought of seeing Ashton again.

Ashton: you didn't have anything to worry about

Of course, he would be right. After putting my phone back in the pocket, I step down on the escalator and look around the busy airport. People, maybe even a few celebrities, rush around with bags in their hands or talk on their phones. The escalator seems to take forever.

When the damn escalator finally seems to come to an end, I scan my eyes over the crowd of people. Men, women, and child stand in small groups with either signs or pieces of papers in their hands. They all have bright smiles on their faces as they wait for someone's arrival. I then look to the right to see familiar green eyes. A smile breaks across my face, and I rush over Ashton.

"Oh my god!" I squeal once I'm a few feet away from him.

Ashton laughs and opens his arms for me to hug him, but I have different plans. I wrap my arms around his neck and jump up to wrap my legs around his waist. I accidentally knock off his baseball cap as I lean forward and kiss his lips.

I push myself up while running my hands through his soft hair. My mouth moves against his as if the time we spent apart didn't make a difference. Goose bumps still cover my arms, and butterflies still flutter crazily in my stomach. I kiss his sharp jaw once or twice before pecking his neck.

"I've missed you." Tears of happiness fill my eyes as I tightly latch onto Ashton.

I don't want to let go. I don't want him to let me go. Ashton removes one of his arms from my waist to push away a piece of my hair. We watch each other closely. His smell hasn't changed one bit, but his brown hair looks slightly longer.