w 1 t n e s s

twenty-five

I'm sure I shocked Tyler when I told him I wanted to transfer. His response was a lot more confused than Tayler's had been. That had quickly turned to happiness when he found out I was looking at the University of Chicago, only a few miles south of his apartment. It was just a fleeting thought, but I wanted to look into it. Duke wasn't my home anymore. It didn't have the people I cared for, or the man I loved.

My advisor had sent me emails with info papers attached to read about, all containing the subject of transfers. I was reading them off on my iPad during the flight to Chicago now. It didn't seem too difficult. Especially when UofC had the same, or similar, courses to the ones I'd been planning to take in the second semester. Now my only problem would be getting my parents on board. I wouldn't be able to talk to them in person until American Thanksgiving break. By some miracle, Tyler had a game in Toronto over a few days of my week and a half off. It was my plan to introduce Tyler to my parents, go to the game, tell them my plan, then leave again.

The woman I was sitting next to glared at me as my knees bounced with nerves. I ignored her, my music blasting loudly in my ears. When the pilot announced that we would be landing soon, I was ready. I was getting way too used to flying. Maybe that wouldn't be a problem by January. The thought made me smile down at my iPad.

Like the first time I'd come to Chicago, Tyler would be picking me up. I'd gone to my early morning class, then immediately gotten into an Uber that took me straight to the airport. Three hours later, I was sitting here almost landing at the airport. The anticipation to see Tyler was overflowing. I'd missed him miserably for the past month. It was part of the reason I couldn't bear to stay in Durham anymore. Life without Tyler was unbearable. Knowing he was so close to me now made my heart thump. I came alive with his presence.

My anticipation was off the charts. I was driving the woman next to me insane with my fidgeting. I was the first one to leap from my seat and grab my things. The lady scowled at me again, mumbling something under her breath. I ignored her, pushing for a spot in line to leave the plane. The tight walls closed in on me. I needed to get out of here and into fresh air. It wasn't just fresh air I needed.

Moving through the airport felt like it took a million hours. I waited in a hundred different lines before I finally was free to flee. My legs took me towards the exit, where I knew a shiny black Mercedes would be waiting for me. More importantly, where Tyler would be waiting. It was hard to not break into a sprint.

I left the doors, pausing to scan the cars. When I found the sleek vehicle, my grin was bright enough to light a room. Like before, there was a familiar figure leaning against the smooth finish. I almost broke into a sprint again. Tyler turned, his grin melting my heart.

I was at home in an instant. My arms wrapped around him tightly. Tyler's hands rested on my waist for a moment before he squeezed back just as tightly. I sighed out all of my worries from the past month. It was like I hadn't been able to function without his physical touch. Now everything was back to normal. How could I not move up here?

"Hey Halls. I missed you." He breathed lowly into my hair. I let out a mumble against his chest. He started to pull away, but I didn't let him. My fingers clawed at his back, keeping him close to me. "Come on, we gotta get home so we can get ready for Stromer and Tayler's." I smiled at that.

"Oh right. What did Tay say again? Dress as hot as possible?" Tyler rose an eyebrow.

"Did she? I didn't hear that part."

"She told me over FaceTime."

"Do you talk to her a lot?"

"Oh all the damn time. I talk to the other girls a lot, but Tay definitely has the most call minutes from me."