After Four Long Months

She stepped off the plane. Kate, a five-foot-seven beauty with long blonde hair and blue eyes, exhaled with a sigh of relief. She was glad to be out of that stuffy airplane and back on the ground. Although she didn't hate plane rides, she was sure glad that one was over. Three and a half hours next to a snoring, drooling, smelly man and a drunk, grumpy old lady were quite enough. She was thrilled to be off that stupid airplane; thrilled to be safe on the ground, thrilled to be closer to him than she had been in a long time.

The excitement in her heart escalated rapidly as she walked towards the gate. She hadn't seen Todd in four months and the anticipation was killing her. She wondered what he looked like now, if the pictures he sent her did him justice, if he still had that sparkle in his eyes when he looked at her. She could see his beautiful smile already, feel his arms embracing her tightly, taste his sweet kiss. She could hardly wait another minute. However, one look at her reflection in the window told her she better stop by the restroom. After not having seen Todd for four months, she wanted to make a good impression, and plane hair was definitely not good enough for that.

Kate stopped at the bathroom just before the gate to freshen up a bit. She had brought a change of clothes in her carry-on as well as some mascara, powder, and a tube of lipstick. As she hastily tried to revive her tired, sleep-deprived face, she thought back over the last four months. Daily letters, rare and random phone calls, a few pictures; that was what she lived for. Just to hear his voice one more time, to know that he was thinking of her made her days a little bit better. She remembered all the tears she had cried because he wasn't there to hold her and all the guys she saw that, for a split second, she thought were him. She remembered the time when her friends took her out dancing and she was tempted to kiss someone else's lips or get a phone number, but she didn't. Not because the temptation wasn't great, but because she promised to wait for him. She promised. And Kate tried to never break her promises, especially to him. When she promised that she would wait for him, she meant it with all her heart. There was no one in the world whom she would rather spend the rest of her life with. Todd was the one, and she was sure of it.

As she put on the finishing touches, her cell phone rang. It was him. A big, bright smile immediately appeared on her face as she opened her phone and spoke a quiet "Hello?"

"Hello?" he answered back, in his usual, goofy manner.

She giggled slightly as she heard his amazing voice. Cloud nine was slowly lifting her feet off the ground. "I'm almost to the gate. I'll see you in a few seconds, okay?" she assured him as she briskly exited the bathroom and made a beeline to the gate.

"Okay. See you soon."

As soon as she hung up the phone with him, she saw the most gorgeous man standing at the gate with a dozen red roses and a huge smile. She looked into the most beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen and was overcome with joy. She raced to his arms, dropped her bags, and squealed with delight as his arms embraced her, lifting her off the ground in a giant hug. He set her down, brushed the hair off her face, looked straight into her eyes and whispered softly "I missed you so much."

Kate melted instantly at the sound of these wonderful words. She gazed lovingly into his big brown eyes and softly stated, "I mi…"

But before she could say anything further, he interrupted her with the sweetest, most passion filled kiss she had ever encountered. Time suddenly stopped, all got quiet, there was no one around, just Todd and Kate. When the kiss broke, her lips tingled from the excitement. For, although only lasting a few seconds, this perfect kiss lingered on in her memory.

Kate melted in his arms, blushing from the excitement and trying, unsuccessfully, to hide it. Todd chuckled at her bright red face and kissed the tip of her nose. He then turned, stooped to pick up her bags, and said "Let's get out of here, Beautiful."

Beautiful. The word echoed in her ears. Beautiful. He never called her beautiful. She loved to hear him say it. She giggled out an "Okay Mr. Handsome," as they started for the airport doors. She couldn't believe she was there, but she was ready; ready for time with him, time together, time she wouldn't trade for anything in the world.