Chapter Thirty-Two - I knew before I came here

Brandon

I wake to an empty bed and sigh. Skyla must have already left. She usually wakes me up, but she didn’t this morning for some reason. I have barely seen here the last couple of days, but I knew it would be that way when I agreed to come. I respect it, but it doesn’t make it any easier.

I didn’t know what to do with myself. I have explored the last couple of days and went for lunch, coffee and drinks, but it just isn’t the same doing it all alone. I don’t regret coming because at least I get to see her at night and some mornings. If I stayed home, I would only talk to her via phone or video chat. I would rather be able to touch and kiss her.

Skyla feels bad; I know she does, but I keep telling her it is fine. I wouldn’t tell her I am a little bored and lonely because it would make her feel worse. I will find something to occupy myself.

I grab my cell and realise it is after ten. What the fuck? Since when do I sleep to this time? I notice a couple of texts from Skyla.

Hey, babe. I did try to wake you, but you must have been in a deep sleep xx

Oh, it explains why she left while I slept. I scroll down to the second text.

Hey, me again. I have free time from 11-1 if you want to come to meet me. We can do something together for a couple of hours xx

I will take what I can get!

Good morning, sweetheart. Yes, I will meet you at 11. I just woke up, so going to grab a quick shower and get ready. I will see you soon xx
See you soon, babe. Just get me at the office, please xx

I pull my ass out of bed and get ready. I know it is only a couple of hours, but it is better than nothing. I lay clean clothes out and headed for a shower. It would be a quick one because I need to leave in half an hour.

I am in and out within ten minutes. I need to shave, but I can do it later. Skyla likes my scruff anyway. I sit on the bottom of the bed to dry and change. As I do, I get lost in my thoughts. I hate I need to leave next week, and I don’t know if Skyla will come with me. I promised her we would make it work, and I mean it.

I sigh and stop thinking about it. I don’t want to meet Skyla with a lot on my mind, especially since it is only a couple of hours. I pull on my jeans, tee and hoodie. It is a lot cooler here than back home. I am ready to go in no time. I make to lift my cell in case I get lost and the housekeys, locking up behind me.

When I step out into the street, I pause for a moment because I forget which way to go. I glance from one side to another and finally remember. I chuckle to myself and shake my head. You would think after being here for a good few days, I would know straight away.

I arrived at the office ten minutes early. I could get her inside, but I will just wait out here. I rest against the wall and mess with my cell, checking emails and making sure there are no issues at work. Everything seems to be okay.

“Hey, handsome.” I hear a familiar voice say from next to me.

I turn around and see Skyla mimicking my stance. When did she get here?

“Hey, beautiful. How long have you been standing there?” I laugh.
“A couple of minutes.” she snickers and moves to stand in front of me.

I reach for her hips and pull her close to me. I press my lips to hers, and she instantly smiles into the kiss. I do the same and hold her tighter to me. I kiss her for a minute before I part from it.

“Sorry, you couldn’t wake me this morning.”

“It is okay. You must have needed the sleep.” She speaks.

“So, what do you want to do? I need food.”

I am hungry since I didn’t have time for breakfast.

“I have had something, but we can find somewhere for you to get breakfast. I will have a coffee.”

I nod, take her hand in mine and link our fingers. We stop at one of the cafés across from the office. The place is quite busy, but we manage to find a seat.

“How has your morning been?”

“Busy. I told everyone I was taking the day off tomorrow. I made sure to be firm and informed them I would be unreachable because my phone would be off. I need a break from it all, and I want to spend the day with you.” She answers.

“Don’t you have meetings?”

I want to spend the day with her too, but not if it is getting in the way of her work.

“One, but I have rearranged it for the following day. And the only other thing is going over a few things in the book. I would only be in for a couple of hours anyway, so they can wait.” She states firmly.

I can’t stop a massive smile from growing on my lips, “Yay! I have you all to myself.” I celebrate.

“We should take a day trip somewhere. How about Loch Lomond or Loch Ness? We can leave first thing and come back after dinner?” she suggests.

“I would love to! You can choose. Have you ever been to either?”

“I have been to Loch Lomond several times, but never Loch Ness.” She replies.

“Okay, we should go there. What time do you need to be at work the following day?”

“Eleven. Why?”

“How long is the drive from here to Loch Ness?” I ask.

“About three hours or so.”

“Maybe we can book somewhere for the night and leave early in the morning to come back?”

If she doesn’t want to, I will understand.

“Yes, we could do that. We can see if we can book something last minute for tonight and drive up after I finish. I should be done by four. We can go straight there and arrive at just about eight. We can have a late dinner and drinks, then no need to get up early tomorrow.”

“Yes, good idea. I will take a look while you are at work.” I say brightly.

“Perfect, and you can let me know. It will be nice to be somewhere quieter, just us and enjoy the beautiful views.” She smiles.

I nod in agreement and lean over to the table to kiss her. I am excited to disappear with her. Hopefully, I can find us something. It is something to look forward to and help destress Skyla. If she didn’t have work, we could have gone longer, but maybe we could do that another time.