Escape

Lauren was big on first impressions, and Arizona State had not made a good one. She was sure the school was great, but her experience of touring it had been way less than excellent, so much so she found herself ending the appointment early. It had been a struggle to book a meeting with the head of the athletic training department, and then when she’d arrived, he seemed unaware she was coming. That—combined with the lack of facilities that USC had offered—she knew out of the two, she’d pick the southern California school in a heartbeat. Anze had been surprised to see her back at their hotel so soon, but when she said she was not interested in the school, he knew she meant it.

They spent the rest of their two days in Arizona lounging around the pool, soaking in the powerful rays of sun and the hot desert air. Just before they would reach the point of sun stroke, they’d take shelter in their room, blasting the air conditioning, ordering ridiculous amounts of food from room service, and watching all the PPV movies the hotel had to offer.

They quickly moved onto Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago, UIC for short. Having lived in Los Angeles for the past few years, Lauren found herself comfortable in the big city, making sure she and Anze did some site-seeing while they were there. “Just like home,” Anze commented as they walked along North Avenue Beach. Lauren smiled, nodding her head as the sand between her toes definitely reminded her of home. “You could even end up working for the Blackhawks,” he told her.

“I haven’t even seen the school yet, Anze! You sound like you’re trying to get rid of me,” she teased, slapping his arm.

“Never,” he told her, grabbing her hand and holding it. “My family’s so excited you’re coming to Slovenia.”

Lauren grinned, looking up to lock her eyes with Anze’s. “I am, too. I can’t wait to see your parents and your brother again, and to see your hometown.”

Anze grinned, pulling Lauren into his arms. She had no idea how much it thrilled him when she said things like that. He loved her, and he loved that she got along with his family so well, even thought of them as her own family. It reinforced their relationship for Anze, reminding him why he had spent so long taking things slow with her, building a strong partnership. They just worked.

He smiled down at her as they headed back toward their rental car. “What do you want to do tonight?” he asked.

Lauren shrugged, looking out at the water in front of them. She glanced to her left, the colorful and bright Navy Pier catching her eye. “Hey, how about that,” she said, pointing toward it. “Navy Pier; it’s Chicago’s number one tourist attraction. We have to.”

Anze smiled, quickly agreeing and following the road signs toward the iconic spot. The Ferris Wheel that stood at one hundred and fifty feet tall. They were quick to buy tickets and ride it, in awe of the doubly amazing view a rider got at the top. One side, all you could see was skyscrapers, the busy city, and on the other nothing but miles and miles of Lake Michigan. “This is beautiful,” Lauren commented as they began to descend again, earning a nod of agreement from her boyfriend. “Thank you for all of this,” she said. “It means a lot that you’re taking me to see schools.”

“Of course,” he grinned. Lauren shook her head at his short reply and the huge grin on his face. Anze had no idea how good he was to her. He had always been patient and understanding about her school work and the time she had to spend on it, and even a year and a half later, he showed no signs of losing his patience any time soon. He was encouraging her to go back to school, exceedingly proud of her academic success. She infinitely appreciated the support, and as she had thought many times before, that only made her want to stay in California regardless of how much she liked UIC and Penn State.

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The UIC campus was beautiful and surrounded by a million things to take up any of Lauren’s free time. The school and its program was what she really cared about though, and after nearly four hours with the head of the athletic training department, some teachers, and a couple students, Lauren had to put it at a tie with USC. The thought unnerved her, realizing she how much she loved the school and would no doubt excel while there. It was thousands of miles away from Anze, and that just wouldn’t do.

He looked at her expectantly as she approached him just outside the UIC Pavilion, a place Lauren had been told hosted concerts of all different kinds of bands. She laced her fingers with his and told him she loved it, motioning toward the folder and notebook of information she’d been sent away with. He grinned and pulled her across Taylor St. toward a restaurant called Pompei. It was an Italian eatery that had become one of the premiere places for the locals to go as it was often overlooked by tourists. Lauren and Anze were impressed with the old world Italian style décor as they walked through the revolving door, the sounds of laughter and voices hitting their ears.

They quickly moved into line, settling along the counter top where they looked at the food through the glass windows. Deciding on sharing one of the salads they boasted as a favorite and each getting a slice of pizza, they quickly paid and moved toward a table, waiting for their food to arrive. “I’ll grab drinks,” Anze told her, taking the two paper cups and moving toward the fountains.

Over their pizza, Anze indulged her for information about the school, listening intently as she talked of the teachers she had met, the resources they had, and the internships available. “They send students out to the local teams,” she explained, “Blackhawks, Bulls, and Bears since they play during the school year.”

“I told you that you could end up working for the Blackhawks!”

“My resume would look pretty good with stints working for two hockey teams, wouldn’t it?”

“You really liked the school, didn’t you?”

“I did,” she told him, realizing there was no point in lying like she had planned. She watched him smile and nod his head, taking another bite of his food. “I don’t want to come to Chicago,” she reiterated. Anze said nothing, but shook his head.

They finished up their food a few minutes later, taking their time and making the long walk back to their hotel rather than call a cab. The night stayed warm as the sun set and the millions of lights illuminated downtown Chicago. It reminded her of Los Angeles, beyond the big city. There were tons of people walking along the sidewalk with her and Anze, like the city came alive at night, just like LA. It wasn’t LA though, because it wasn’t home, and she knew, no matter how much she liked UIC, it wouldn’t ever be.

From their hotel room, they could see almost the entire city they guessed. “Such a beautiful city,” she mumbled as Anze’s arms wrapped around her from behind. His lips touched against the side of her head softly, making her smile. She turned in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck. “I don’t even want to go see Penn State,” she told him.

“But, it has the best program in the country…”

“Not if I’m twenty-five hundred miles away from you.”

“Lauren,” he started, but she cut him off.

“I knew from the start that it was between USC and Arizona, Anze. Arizona was as far as I was willing to be away from you. I would have been able to visit a lot, but that school isn’t for me. Chicago’s great and sure, Penn State may be the best in the country, but I don’t want to leave you.”

She had barely finished her sentence when Anze’s lips were on hers, and his arms wrapped around her tightly, pulling her into him. She felt every ounce of love and gratitude for her and her decision in his kiss. “You mean it?” he asked against her mouth.

She pulled away. “Of course, Anze, I couldn’t stand to be without you. I love you.”

His lips were on hers again, pulling her with him through their hotel room. The back of her knees hit the bed and before she could realize she was falling, her back hit the mattress and Anze was on top of her. “You have no idea how happy I am,” he whispered, pressing his lips to her neck. Lauren sucked in her breath, letting it out in a small moan as he kissed against the sensitive skin.

“Then why were you practically telling me to leave?” she asked, panting slightly.

“Me telling you to go only made you want to stay more, right?” he asked, his eyes twinkling as he smirked down at her.

“Sneaky,” she laughed, leaning up to press her lips against his.

With their trip to Slovenia in just a couple weeks, Lauren felt more sure about her relationship with Anze than ever. She lost herself as his fingers ghosted over her skin, pulling at her clothes until she was left in nothing. She smiled hazily up at him as he hovered above her. He kissed her hard, pressing his body against hers. The hotel room was dark, save for the lights of Chicago that streamed in from the window. It was a beautiful city for sure, but for Lauren, it wasn’t LA.

As she curled herself around Anze, she made a mental note to cancel their flight and her visit to Penn State. Los Angeles—with Anze—was the only place she wanted to be.