Xavier
My eyes slowly open to the light coming in from the window. I need some water after everything we did in the early hours of the morning.
What started out as a romp did indeed turn into romance. After our primal urges were filled we slowed things down for the next I don’t even remember how many hours until we eventually passed out.
The last thing I remember was hearing her sentence tail off as I held her in my arms. Then there was the light feel of her breath against my skin and knowing that she was here with me I quickly dozed off as well.
Everything was perfect and I was ready to start the morning off where we left off and begin a day together.
I roll over in bed and realize the spot next to me is empty.
She must be in the shower.
I peel myself from the sheets and make my way to the mini fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and drinking the entire thing down. I walk to the bathroom but it’s empty.
What in the heck?
I survey the room with quick eyes and realize her dress is gone as are the rest of her clothes.
She’s probably just not ready to announce to our gathered friends and family what we finally discovered about the other last night. It makes sense. Better to let the graduation party clear out and then we can talk more about us.
I smile realizing I’m getting about a million miles ahead of myself. But I don’t care. I want her to be mine now. I want her on my arm. I want to make up for lost time. I don’t care what anybody thinks. I want to be there for her as she begins her post-college life. I want to help her avoid any pitfalls I may have hit when I was learning to survive on my own in the world.
But I have to go at her pace. I can’t rush her. This is about us, not just me. And for us to work I have to tame my ferocity and be there to guide her and assist her, not to direct her.
I get dressed and make my way down to the breakfast buffet. There are about ten people from our group down there and from what I’m quickly discovering the rest have already checked out and gone about there way.
But surely not Leah. As the guest of honor she’ll stay back and send everyone off. Not to mention now that she’s done with school she’ll start job-hunting here in New York. I’ve got a small room in my loft in the city where we can set up a place for her to look.
I fill my plate with bacon and eggs and sit down next to her parents.
We strike up a conversation and start catching up on old times. As much as I’m enjoying it I want to get down to what really matters.
“Where’s Leah this morning?” I try and ask casually.
“Oh you didn’t hear?”
“Hear what?” I ask. I swallow my half chewed bite and although I’ve just started eating I suddenly feel full. Something’s not right.
“She landed a job at an ad agency. She starts bright and early on Monday morning so she already flew out this morning.”
“Flew out where?” Are we talking Philadelphia, Miami, or somewhere on the East Coast here? I’m not liking the sound of this.
“The city of angels.”
“Los Angeles?”
“The one and only,” her dad says.
I freeze up. My entire body goes ice cold.
“Xavier, are you okay?” her mom asks. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“No, I’m fine. I just remembered I have a job today and I have to take off myself. Will you please excuse me?”
“Sure.”
I thank them and make my way back up to my room.
Yeah, I saw a ghost all right. I saw a vision of the most beautiful woman in the history of the universe and what we could be together and now it’s gone.
Now you see her. Now you don’t.
There’s no way this is happening. No way!
I will not lose her.
When I enter my room my phone is already ringing.
I run for it and catch it on the last ring.
“Hello?” I say frantically. I was in such a hurry to get the call before I missed it I didn’t get a chance to look at the caller ID. But it’s got to be her.
“Xavier. There you are. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”
“Hey Doug,” I say to my booking agent.
“You just got booked for Cape Town, my man! Your plane leaves in five hours out of JFK. There will be a driver there to pick you up. I’ll text you the info.”
“I can’t make it,” I say immediately.
“What are you talking about? Let me finish. This is an African-wide TV spot that could easily go international. They’re making you the face. This is it, buddy. You’ve had some big jobs before and some big paydays but this one takes the cake. This is the one most people dream of but never get. This is what we’ve been working for. This is everything.”
This is nothing. Nothing without her.
“I’m sorry, Doug, but can you put this one on hold? Maybe find someone else?”
“Xavier, are you okay? They requested you specifically. There is nobody else. You got it. No castings. No auditions. You’re the man. And if you cancel I know the agency head will…how do I say this nicely…drop you. She will be absolutely irate if you don’t go. She’s been trying to get one of our models booked with them for ages.”
I don’t say anything.
“Xavier? Are you there?”
“Yeah.” Damn, the last place I want to be right now is away from her. It’s bad enough that she’s half way across the country. Now I have to go to an entirely different continent? “I’ll be there,” manages to somehow come out of my mouth.
“Come on, man. Get excited. You’re bumming me out over here.”
“Thanks for the booking,” I say. “Gotta run.”
I drop the call and collapse onto the bed.
What in the world is happening this morning? I had my future right in my hands and now everything is collapsing around me even quicker than I thought I had a grasp on it.
Hours ago I was as close to my soulmate as I’d ever been in my life, and now that’s been ripped away.
This cannot be happening.
And I’m not going to let it. Yeah, I’ll fill my professional responsibility and honor my contracts but I’m going to find Leah and get to the bottom of this.
And by the bottom of this I mean make her mine. Again.
But this time forever.