Chapter 214

I had a driver with an Escalade take me to the airport to pick up Kat. I didn't want to drive myself. I wanted time with her. I wanted to feel her close to me. An accident on the freeway to IAH had slowed us down, and I didn't get to greet Kat at baggage claim. Instead, we pulled up shortly after she walked out of the sliding doors at arrivals. Her new Dior sunglasses were perched on top of her head. Her face looked anxious in a good way as she glanced left and right for the car. She wore bright red lipstick and a short, flowing summer dress that cinched at the waist and clung to her breasts.
When I got out to greet her, it was like Kat and I had stepped back in time. I gave her a bear hug, and squealed as I lifted her up and twirled her around in a circle. I felt her nipple piercings poke through her dress. So maybe we had fast-forwarded in time. When I put her down, I kept my hands on her shoulders, and Kat gazed up at me with her TV smile. The anxiety and fatigue that had crept into her face over the past several weeks leading up to her LA retreat were gone. She looked refreshed, happy, and vibrant.
I stared at her for a minute before finally breaking the silence between us.