Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 9

He turned and grabbed Michael's luggage and carried it to his car. One quick PDA-approved kiss and Michael was driving away.
    Cole finished dressing and dragged his luggage to the car. He made one last sweep through the house to make sure everything was in its place. He was checking the lock on the French doors when he noticed Michael's flip flops sitting on the mat. It's not creepy if I take them, he tried to convince himself, I'm just holding them for him until he comes back in October. Eh, who was he trying to kid. It bordered on obsessive stalker tendencies, but he simply didn't care. It was a long time from July until October. He would need the souvenir.
    Cole was home, unpacking his suitcase and putting his souvenir in the closet when he heard the familiar Mario one up ringtone of his phone alerting him to a text message. It was from Michael and read, "Sitting at the airport. Presentation went great. Got the final approval. October is so far away." It was the first of thousands of texts to come over the next three months. Cole's thumbs swiped over the keyboard on his phone as he typed a reply. "Congrats. Knew you would kick ass. October is far, but at least we have text, email and Skype."
    Michael replied almost immediately. "True. But I have a question for you."
    "What's that?"
    "Which one of us is Meg Ryan and which is Tom Hanks?"
    Cole was laughing as he typed. "You can be Meg Ryan since you have the most kissable mouth."
    "I'm not sure if that's an insult or a compliment. Gotta go. Plane is boarding. Check in when I land."
    Cole sighed as he tucked his phone into his back pocket. It would be a long three months, but he knew they would make it through.
    ****
    It was the middle of October when Cole finally stood in the crowded Philadelphia airport straining to see around the throng of people that stood between him, and his first glance of Michael in over three months. The anticipation of seeing him again had every muscle, every nerve, every cell in his body on edge.
    Michael had texted him to say everything was fine, and he should arrive on time. Cole sent up yet another thank you to the geek gods that created cell phones, satellites, and the internet. He would not have survived the last few months without them. There was a day back in September when solar flares had made a wreck of satellites everywhere. He had become accustomed to the constant stream of communication with Michael and was bereft at losing that lifeline, even if it was only for a day.
    In the time since they were together at the beach cottage until now, they had gotten into a routine. Cole was always up before dawn so he could be at the bakery early to make fresh pastries and cupcakes to fill the cases at the front of his store. He would send Michael random good morning texts.
    Yesterday he sent him a picture of the timer on his oven set to 25:39 with a caption that read, "Is this: A, the countdown timer on the bomb I planted inside a cake I made for the FBI. B, the amount of time it takes to bake the world's largest cupcake. Or C, the number of hours that stand between me and seeing your gorgeous face in person again."
    Of course, Michael enjoyed teasing him and being a smart ass. He had replied back, "The answer is D, the number of minutes it takes each morning for you to pick a T-shirt from your collection." And it was always just like Michael to add something sweet and sappy after he sassed him. His second text arrived just seconds later and made Cole feel soft and gooey. "I've missed you, too, C. Terribly. Counting the seconds till I can hold you in my arms again and kiss you silly. See you soon."
    When the first passengers came around the corner, Cole's heart sped up. The moment he laid eyes on Michael's tall, muscular body and his perfectly carved face, his racing heart came to a full stop, unprepared for the full impact of seeing him again, having him so near. When Michael began scanning the crowd looking for him, he managed to get himself together and push through the crowd.
    Clear sky blue and emerald green clashed together and held. For what could have been an eternity, but was merely a few seconds, the world continued on around them as they stood frozen. Michael grinned from ear to ear, and the movement broke the spell. Next thing Cole knew he was being wrapped in heavy arms and squeezed within an inch of his life.
    "Hey." Michael knew it was anti-climactic, but it was the only thing he could come up with. His brain was too busy