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The space next to her is empty. When Shane wakes is with this certainty and with a feeling of dread that chills her to the bones. A quick look to the bedside table tells her that Tess’ phone is gone, too, and she almost jumps out of bed, fully ready to jump in the car and drive straight to Vegas to talk to her, when she hears a thud and a muffled curse. She jumps out of bed anyway, and only manages to get out of the bedroom before she sees Tess, fully dressed, picking up her phone from the ground. Tess sees her too, and immediately takes a step back.
“Please,” she says, and her voice is so broken that Shane just wants to cry. “Don’t make this more difficult that it needs to be.”
Shane wants desperately to take a step forward, but only raises her hands. “Give me a moment. I’ll throw on a shirt and I’ll be back, but you can’t leave. Not yet. Please.” She jumps back in the bedroom and grabs the first t-shirt she finds, and when she goes back Tess is still there, the same torn expression on her face.
“What part of ‘I need to go to Vegas’ don’t you understand, Shane? Nothing you can say will change that, and you said you didn’t want to…”
“I’ll do it.” She says, before Tess can go on, because she can’t let her go. Her heart already feels torn out of her chest and she hasn’t even stepped out of the door. “The long distance thing. I mean, you said it yourself, right? It’s not that far, I could be there every weekend.”
Tess just stares at her, eyes wet, and for a single, excruciating second Shane is sure she’s managed to fuck everything up again.
“Do you mean it?” And Shane wants to laugh, because really? Ten years ago she wouldn’t have even dreamed of it, but now is different. This is different.
“Tess, when I said I loved you, what exactly got lost in translation? Of course I mean it.” After a moment, Tess is hugging her, crying on her shoulder.
“I thought I’d… I thought I wouldn’t see you again, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,…” and she keeps saying it, almost a prayer against Shane’s neck. “I didn’t wake you up because if I’d seen your eyes I would have never found the courage to leave.”
“Well, thank fucking God I’m a light sleeper, eh?” This gets a muffled chuckle out of Tess, who slowly disentangles herself from Shane’s arms.
“So, how is this gonna work?”
“Well, for starters I’m gonna drive you to the airport. Then maybe drop me a text when you arrive? And we’ll go from there.” Shane scratches the back of her head with an embarrassed expression. “I’m not really an expert in this kind of thing.”
“Yeah, ok. I mean, I could call you? If you’re free.”
Shane takes two steps forward before her brain can tell her otherwise, and cups Tess’ face with her hands. “Of course you can call. Call me whenever you want. And I could come over this Saturday if your mom is doing better?”
The smile that blooms on Tess’ face makes Shane absurdly proud, like a kid who’s gotten a ‘well done’ on a surprise test.
“Yeah, I’d like that.” And she leans forward, her mouth against Shane’s, so sweet that for a moment Shane forgets where she is, and when Tess draws back she stays frozen in place.
“Not to rush you, but my plane takes off in two hours, I kinda need to get to the airport.”
“Yeah, fuck, of course. Let me just get my pants…” and Shane starts looking around before making to go into her room.
“I think you’re talking about these?” When she turns around she sees Tess, with a big grin on her face, holding Shane’s jeans by the belt hoop.
“Har har, very funny. If I remember right, you were the one in a hurry to take them off before.” She’s taken them out of her hand and she starts putting them on when she sees that Tess’ eyes have gone sad again.
“You know why I was in a hurry. I thought it was the last time, I didn’t…” Before she can start crying Shane hugs her again, trying to calm her down.
“Hey, hey, no more crying, ok? We’re here, we’re ok, and when I get there on Saturday if you don’t tear my pants off like this I’ll be very disappointed.”
Tess laughs before she can control herself, and trails a hand in Shane’s hair. “You’re the only one that can always make me laugh, you know?”
“Yep, that’s me, the funny one.” Shane is smiling so hard she feels her grin is going to break straight out of her cheeks, but Tess throws a glance at her phone and her eyes darken.
“I should…”
“I’m ready, I’m ready.” Shane dives next to the chair and grabs her shoes, putting them on in a second flat. “Let’s get you in that plane.” She smiles at her again, and Tess beams back at her.