The Other Half.

Nothing I could say or do could justify the excitement I have this very moment. Too many months have gone by waiting for him. To hear his deep soothing voice, to feel his arms tightly around me. He had only come back from university during Thanksgiving, so I missed him more than any one could fathom. All I could do as I waited for his bus to arrive, was stand anxiously tapping my foot rapidly on the concrete below me. His family and my own were waiting on a bench beside where I stood.

I listened anxiously for the loud sound of the large buses engine as I peered around the corner of the bus station. Satisfied with what I heard and saw pulling in the the large parking space in front of me, my heart began to thump vigorously against my chest. My body began to shake when the bus had come to a stop as the engine puttered and squealed until the only thing I heard, was his mother's voice whispering rapidly.

As the driver opened the door and stepped out to open the baggage compartments, people began to follow him all at once down the small steps, taking a deep breath of fresh air as they reached the outside of the bus. Ignoring the mass of people now crowding around me, I kept my eyes wide and still looking for that one familiar face. Finally Brian exited the bus, and his blue eyes sparkled, but even through his excited expression, I could see the slight hint of redness inside them probably from not being able to sleep the entire twenty-five hour ride.

I stuck my hands in my pockets trying to contain as much excitement as I could while his father gave him a big hug. I gazed at the pavement waiting for the parents greetings to be over. When their voices lowered, I looked up to see him scanning the crowd around him until his gaze met mine. The corners of his mouth raised into a slightly shy smile as my heart leaped for an instant. As he began walking towards me, I couldn't hold back any longer, so I leaped forward and ran into his arms. His hand clasped the back of my head as his other arm held me tightly around my back, bringing me up off the ground enough so he could spin me around.

I let out a small scream of excitement as he chuckled lightly at the gesture. The sound of his laughter made every muscle inside me melt like butter. His arms felt slightly bigger than I had remembered and his hair seemed longer and slightly darker. When my feet touched the ground, before I could say anything, he leaned back slightly so he could look into my eyes as if to make sure he was still in reality and not stuck in a dream. His eyes were the same as they always were, except the slight brightness inside them that I didn't quite remember.

My stomach began to flutter as he cupped my face with his slightly rough hand. I could feel its warmth sinking into my cheek as he brought his soft lips against mine. Taking a deep breath, I held him even tighter, not letting him break his lips apart from my own. The fullness of his kiss made everything around me fade as he sunk lower as if to reach me better than he already has. Moments passed until my younger brother cried out, “God guys, get a room!” Realizing I was holding my breath, I exhaled as his lips curled into a smile while they finally parted from my own.

His eyes met mine for a moment as his hand wrapped around mine. He then brought it to his lips where he kissed the back of my hand lightly as his feet began to move towards the small crowd our family occupied. With his other hand outstretched, my father grabbed it giving it a short firm shake followed by, “ Welcome home Brian. Its good to see ya..”

Knowing my mother greeted just about anyone with a hug, I gripped Brian's even tighter letting him know I wasn't ready to let go. Without bringing his attention away from my parents, he squeezed my hand in response as if to reassure me that he wasn't going anywhere. He wrapped his free hand around my mother's shoulder as she hugged his side awkwardly.

All their voices were a blur to me as I listened carefully to Brian's deep voice replying to everything he possibly could while everyone shot a hundred questions all at once about his experiences at university. Minutes passed until everyone talked as much as they could. Brian’s' dad took his luggage as we headed to his parents house for a nice big dinner to make the welcome home more official.

Brian kept my hand in his as he pulled me into his parents red Ford Focus. It felt as if I hadn't said a word the entire day as Brian discussed the exciting things about his school year that we haven't already heard yet. Things finally quieted down on the ride, so Brian slumped in his seat next to me as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. I rested my head on his shoulder, not losing my gaze on him. He looked down at me with reddened eyes, but with a smug smile on his face. “And how are you my lovely Georgia?” He asked lightly. A tingle crawled up my spine when I heard my name roll of his tongue so freely.