10. Hugo

10

HUGO

M y backpack chafes my shoulders and I slide it off for a moment. I take a sip of coffee and check the flight schedule on the board. It started snowing heavily about an hour ago, and some flights are being delayed.

There’s no announcement yet about my flight, so I watch the arrivals as I wait.

An airport on Christmas Eve, there’s nothing quite like it. An exhausted looking couple hauling suitcases and each with a child in their arms comes out of the gate looking lost, only to be swept into a hug by a waiting older couple. A man in a wheelchair meets a young woman who throws her arms around him, making his face light up in a wide smile.

A man waits with a bunch of red roses, and his face breaks into a grin when a woman comes out of the gates. She throws her arms around him, scattering rose petals to the floor.

I turn away. I thought I’d found someone I could love, but it turns out there’s nothing for me here.

The gate number flashes for my flight. I heave my backpack over my shoulder and head towards security.

“Hugo!” I don’t hear my name being called until she’s right behind me. “Hugo!”

I turn around and there she is. Zoey. Her cheeks are pink and she’s panting, out of breath.

A flicker of hope rises inside me. “Did my old man send you to fetch me?” I raise an eyebrow, and she shakes her head.

“No.” She leans forward, her hands on her knees, out of breath. I take a step toward her, daring to hope.

“Then what are you doing here?”

She draws herself up, and she’s so close I can see every detail of her upturned face. The way her cheeks are red from the cold and the way her pupils widen when she look at me.

“I made a mistake.” She looks down, hesitant to go on.

I run a finger under her chin and tilt her head up so she’s looking at me. “Go on.”

“You know about your dad and Clarissa?”

I frown, confused. “Their engagement? He told me last night.”

“I thought you were engaged to her,” she mumbles, and her eyes look away.

I drop her chin and let out a laugh, suddenly feeling lighter. “You thought I was engaged?”

“I overheard her at the party. I thought it was you she was talking about.”

It all makes sense. Why she drove off, why she wanted nothing to do with me.

I put my arms on her shoulders. “Oh baby, no. It’s you that I’m crazy about.”

Her face lights up. “Really?”

“From the moment I saw you in your serious secretary uniform, I knew you were the woman for me.”

She bats at me playfully. “I’m an executive assistant, not a secretary.”

I catch her hand in mine. “Whatever you are, you’re mine now.”

I plant my lips firmly on hers. She opens her mouth for me, and we kiss long and slow. My arms wrap around her, and in amongst the bustle of the airport, for a long moment, it’s just the two of us.

“Let’s get out of here,” I whisper into her ear when we finally break apart.

“How about your luggage?”

I shrug. “It’s only stuff. I can easily get more.”

I throw my small pack over my shoulder and take her hand. The snow falls silently around us as we make our way to the car and back to her place.