w 1 t n e s s

six

halle

It was finally time. I could hardly hold my excitement in as Emily drove me to the airport. Like a mother, she was instructing and suggesting what I should and shouldn't do on this little trip. I'd tuned most of it out so far, but her chastising tone had turned to more...interesting...topics.

"...I don't know how this boy is, but you two need to be smart about what you do physically. Remember, he's a hockey player. He's probably been with tons of girls and has tons of stamina. You...you're not so experienced." I protested loudly. "I'm right! Anyway, I would really suggest you wait to do anything, but if you're a pair of horny kids then by all means have at it. Only, and only if, you wrap up and be safe first. Ya hear me, lover girl? No babies in freshman year of college."

"Oh shut up, will you? I'm not stupid."

"You tell yourself that now, but when you're looking into the eyes of a six-foot-something and extremely handsome hockey player who's all muscle, it's hard to control yourself. Believe me, I know. I've been there." I rolled my eyes. "And one last thing. I promise. I've been thinking about this, and it's actually kind of serious. I know you really like Tyler and you want to start dating him, but you need to remember who he is. He's not just some random kid who plays hockey for fun. He's a professional athlete, playing in a professional league, earning millions a year. And he's even more than that. He's the next big thing, the youthful prodigy. You can't forget that he has so much more to worry about than you and your first world problems." Emily's surprisingly intelligent insights made me side eye her. She was right, of course. I'd thought about the same thing myself. I was a tiny speck in the life of Tyler Dewalt. But I wanted to be more. I wanted to be the reason he played every night. The reason he looked up to the stands with pride in his skills and in his team. I wanted to be the reason he looked forward to come home from long trips and hard practices. I wanted to be his happiness.

Nerves rode on the forefront of my mind as we pulled up to the airport. Emily helped me pull my bag from the trunk. Then she held me at an arms length, studying my face.

"You got this. Go up there and win yourself a hockey boy." I grinned.

"Thanks Em. I'll try my best." She pulled me in for a hug. When we separated, she said another goodbye before heading to the car. I waited until she'd pulled away before going inside.

I found my gate without problems. I'd been through Raleigh Durham quite a few times over the duration of my first semester. It wasn't a big airport, so learning your way around was fairly easy. I waited for my six-twenty United Flight, my luggage protected under my legs. I'd flown enough to find that cramming all my things into a carry on was a lot easier and more stress free.

By the time the flight got called, I was starting to get more anxious. My leg bounced nervously. Would things be awkward? Would we click right away? I hoped for the latter.

Traipsing through the plane solidified what was actually about to happen. In an hour and a half, I'd be seeing him. I couldn't wait. I was almost too excited to sit down. I had the window seat, which I was eternally grateful for. To my left sat a younger girl, maybe around twelve, accompanied by her mother. Throughout the duration of the flight, the girl played various games on an iPad. That was my entertainment for the short flight. Somehow, time lifted away like a light sheet on the wind. Just like that, we were landing. In Chicago. In Chicago!

The airport we connected with was a small one, nowhere near the size of Chicago O'Hare. I was grateful. The large airport would take forever to get there and back from. Outside the plane window, the twinkling lights of Chicago greeted me. I admired the city, trying to imprint the skyline in my memory. It was so beautiful. Like something out a movie.