Home is Where the Heart is(2)

“You have no idea how much I’m going to miss you when I’m gone. I’m going to miss doing this,” his mouth moved to the side of her neck, “and this.” His lips trailed to another part of her neck, sprawling a line of kisses along her shoulder and collarbone as he told her how much he would miss her.

Then he stopped, his focus returning to her face. “But most of all, I’m going to miss being able to see you every day.”

“Me too,” she mumbled into his mouth, her hands running through his thick black hair.

“And at least when we are together, we’ll have a lot of making up to do.” Jordan gave her a mischievous grin, revealing a wayward agenda for the two of them in the future.

Cassie chortled, jokingly smacking his side. She should have known Jordan would see their time away from each other as a prelude for sex when they were together. He was always thinking of his needs. Most of the time, she guessed sex was all he really thought about—not that it was a bad thing. She had only ever done it with one boy before, and sex with Jordan was an incredible and satisfying experience, but maybe she liked it so much because she was actually in love with her boyfriend. She was unlike a lot of her friends, who gave it up because they were drunk and were only out to have a little bit of fun in a town some people might call mind-numbing and uninteresting.

Cassie and Jordan remained together this way for another few minutes. They didn’t need to talk to each other in order to enjoy being together; they were merely appreciating each other’s company in silence.

Cassie took in the awe-inspiring landscape of tall trees and plants that surrounded the creek they were sitting near, remembering the stolen moments and kisses they once shared here, their two shadows becoming one and reflecting off the murky water. She knew this place wasn’t really their spot, but with so many moments that defined their relationship happening here, it could have been renamed ‘Jordan and Cassie’s Creek’. They shared their first kiss under the tree after Jordan organized a candlelight picnic for their first date. They ended their Homecomings and Proms here dancing under the moonlight. Recently, Jordan and Cassie enjoyed one last hoorah here with their closest friends after their high school graduation to mark the next chapter of their lives.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s attention lay elsewhere than the setting they were in. His dark brown eyes wandered up and down Cassie’s body from head to toe as though he was taking a mental image to capture the very essence of his high school sweetheart. He didn’t want to forget a single moment with this stunning beauty while he was away. He took in the way her long blonde tresses were parted over one bare shoulder. He took in every curve of her body, the way her skinny-leg jeans hugged all the right parts, and the way the strapless flowery top fit her without looking like she was going to pop out of it like a lot of girls did.

She was beautiful, but what he loved most about his girl was the way her whole demeanor changed when she experimented with different recipes in the kitchen, baking all kinds of delicious goodies. He was going to miss being the one to sample everything she made. Cassie was a natural in the kitchen, and the two of them only hoped she improved on her culinary skills even further.

The couple’s one-on-one time came to a quick end when Jordan’s mobile phone buzzed from within his pocket. Cassie frowned. Reality had a funny way of creeping up on you when you least wanted it to. She wished she could stop time and stay this way forever—peaceful and still-like, but life had its special way of working out sometimes, and it had other plans for Jordan and Cassie.

Cassie pushed herself to a sitting position on their grassy spot to allow Jordan to slide his phone out and read his messages.

“They’re from my dad,” Jordan said, shutting the power off on his phone. Cassie nodded her head, her lips making a straight, narrow line; of course, it was his father. For as long as Cassie had been dating Jordan, his father was always trying to find ways to break them up. Too bad for him—they hadn’t worked.

“I guess we better go then; you don’t want to keep him waiting.” Cassie didn’t need another reason to make his dad hate her. He already disliked her, because he failed to keep them apart. She was still his only child’s girlfriend.

When Cassie tried to rise to her feet, Jordan pulled her back down to his level.

His fingers traced along her cheekbone, cupping her face in his hands before giving her one final, fervent kiss, making it longer than all the others while his finger slowly grazed her face tenderly. “Wherever I am, always know you have my heart, and no one can ever take it away from you. You’re my forever and always, baby.” His voice was bottomless and gruff. Cassie tried desperately to believe him. She only hoped their love would stand the distance, and that she would be enough to keep him going throughout his college experience when he’d come home to visit.