14. Chapter Fourteen

When my phone rang on Tuesday afternoon the week after Jared left, I nearly let it go to voicemail. I'd been in a mood all day, missing Jared and growing impatient with the visa process, even though it could still take months. Instead of ignoring the call, though, I answered, hoping it was an American editor willing to take me onto their staff or even someone willing to take a few of my articles freelance.

"Hallo?"

"Hi, may I speak to Matthias Solberg?" asked a cheerful woman with an American accent.

"Speaking. How can I help you?" I frowned at the phone, trying to place the voice or the number without success.

"I'm Charlie Blythe, a producer with Destination Love. Do you have a few minutes to chat?"

"Sure," I said warily. "Is there something wrong?" I slowly sank onto the couch and stared out to the mountains beyond the fjord across the street.

"No, not at all. We just received notice that your visa has been approved. Congratulations! You're getting married."

My jaw dropped, brow furrowing as I processed what she'd said. "You're sure?"

"A hundred percent."

"Have you told Jared yet?"

She chuckled softly. "We tried to get in touch with Mr. Collins, but it seems he's not answering his phone currently."

I nodded to the empty room. "That makes sense. He's on tour. He had a show last night and is probably still sleeping. Can I—can I be the one to tell him?"

"Of course you can. Now I need to go over the details of your travel with you. We only have ninety days from the day you arrive in the States to get you two married, so everything will move very quickly from here on out."

Charlie kept talking but I barely listened to the rest of the conversation, mind racing with excitement over how Jared would react. When the producer had finished her spiel, she promised to email me the details and said we'd talk again soon.

The moment we hung up, I called Jared. He didn't answer straight away so I checked my email, refreshing over and over again until the promised summary had come through from Charlie's assistant. I skimmed it in a hurry, looking for dates. My departure was scheduled for Friday. I had less than three days to pack my life up and say my goodbyes.

My next order of business was clear. I picked up the phone again and dialed Mamma. She answered after only a few rings.

"Hey, sweetheart. How are you?"

"I'm good." I paused, debating between telling her and ripping off the bandage, or delaying the inevitable. "Mamma, I have some news."

"Okay…"

"I'm moving to America now. My visa was approved and I have to leave on Friday."

"That's—that's great. So quick though."

"I know. The visa stipulates that we have ninety days from the day I land to get married, so I'm going over to help Jared plan and film the show.

"Three months? And you have to get married overseas?"

"I know, Mamma. I'm sorry. But I want you to know, I'm not leaving forever. I can come back after I get my citizenship."

"Well, I am happy things are working out the way you hoped. I just hope we can arrange for me to travel to the wedding."

"I know. I don't have a date or anything yet. If you can't travel, maybe we can live-stream it so you and Kasper can watch."

"That would be nice."

I swallowed the emotions bubbling up in my throat and coughed once. "I love you, Mamma."

"I love you too, baby."

We talked for a few more minutes about my travel arrangements and the timeline for the show. When I ended the call, I rang Jared.

"Hullo?" His voice was thick with sleep.

"Hi there," I murmured. I suppressed the urge to call him baby or any other pet name, mentally patting myself on the back for my restraint.

There was a rustling on his end of the line. "Matty? What's wrong?"

I laughed, soft and low. "Nothing. My visa was approved today."

He was silent for a few moments. "Like, for real?"

"For real. I'm coming to the US on Friday. To—to get married. To live."

"That's… awesome news."

"My mom wasn't so happy."

I could hear the frown in his voice. "Why not?"

"Mostly because she's going to miss me."

"We'll go back. I promise. Visit lots."

I smiled and nodded, cradling the phone to my ear. "I know we will." I swallowed hard, knowing there was a lot to do and not nearly enough time to do it. "The good news is, I'll see you Friday evening."

"Friday it is."

I had one final task, and as the day was winding down, I texted Benjamin and Jakob and asked them to meet me at the brewery nearby.

When I arrived, I took the liberty of getting myself a glass of beer, a sour they had on tap that I particularly liked, and sat on the patio, enjoying the crisp Norwegian air and staring at the mountains beyond the fjord. Eventually, Benjamin and Jakob arrived, joining me at my table.

"Hei, friend!" Benjamin said, taking a seat.

Jakob nodded and sat. "You're a drink ahead already?"

I chuckled softly and shrugged. "Something like that. Believe me, I don't plan to drink much today."

"How's Jared?" Jakob asked.

I shifted in my seat a little awkwardly. "He's great. He had a really good time visiting. Back in the States now. That's why I asked you two to meet me. I have some news. About the show."

Benjamin leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's just—we've been informed that my visa came through. I'm moving to the States, officially. I leave Friday."

Jakob coughed as he tried to take a sip of beer, placing the glass on the table carefully while he caught his breath. "Friday? That's… soon."

"Very."

"Are you packed? Ready?" Benjamin asked, frowning.

I barked a laugh. "Not even a little."

He looked at Jakob, who nodded. "We can help."

"I couldn't ask you two to do that."

Jakob shrugged. "That's what friends are for."

"I can take a few days off work to help," Benjamin said.

With a nod, Jakob agreed. "Me too."

I could hardly believe their generosity, but after a little back-and-forth, I accepted their offer. The next two days were spent emptying out my apartment—filling boxes that the production company would help me ship to America. I wouldn't need to keep my furniture, but Benjamin and Jakob had promised they'd help me sell it and send me the money. I also had to pack up anything I'd need immediately to either bring in my carry-on baggage or check on the plane.

Friday morning came quickly—too quickly. I spent the night on my couch, having packed up the bedroom already. When my alarm went off at four in the morning, I groaned and flailed around until I knocked my phone off the table and it stopped beeping. As I dressed quickly, I looked around my nearly empty apartment. I'd miss the place that I'd set up my life in, even though I was excited for my new adventure. My chest ached with a mixture of sadness and joy. I took a few minutes to check in each room to be sure I hadn't forgotten anything, and as I did, resolve overtook me. I was moving to America to marry my best friend. This was a time for happiness and excitement, even if it was tinged with sadness.

I hauled my bags to the bus station, where I had to catch a bus to the airport train. It was a long, tedious morning, and the first leg of my trip was spent sleeping, but eventually I was on the plane to America, wide awake and jittery from coffee and nerves.

The plane's engines droned on, and I stared out the small oval window into the clouds below. Through breaks in the clouds, I caught glimpses of the ocean, and my stomach roiled. I tried not to think of the fact that I was soaring over the Atlantic. I didn't mind flying, but flying over water always made me edgy. Not only that, but I was headed to the States—long-term—with the intention of marrying my best friend for citizenship. What if something went wrong? What if he changed his mind? What if we ended up hating each other after spending three months together? We'd only spent a week together in the past fifteen years. Granted, we had lived together all those years ago, sharing a room and sharing everything we could, but we were children then, just teenagers ourselves, and I wondered how things had changed.

Instead of focusing on what made me nervous, I pulled out the little handheld camera the production team had sent the day prior and turned it on, bracing myself to film a little monologue.

"Well, here we are," I said, chuckling through the nerves. "Soaring above the Atlantic." I turned the camera to show the clouds below us. "I'm headed to America to be with Jared. I'm happy, of course I am, but I'm also nervous." I spilled my anxieties to the camera, leaving out the part about the producers finding out we were making our relationship up as we went along. "I guess either way, we'll find out soon enough. America, here I come. Jared, I hope you're ready for me." I turned off the camera and leaned my head back against the headrest. "Jared, here I come," I said in a whisper, before closing my eyes and trying to sleep again.