You sat in the airport lobby, your flight to Los Angeles having worn you down to the point where even keeping your eyes open felt like a chore. Your backpack rested between your feet while your suitcase leaned against your leg, and you took another sip of your can of NOS, hoping the caffeine would win its battle against the exhaustion settling into your bones.
Any minute now, your three boyfriends—Schlatt, Ted, and Charlie—would be here.
Your phone buzzed.
Ted: Outside :)
You pushed yourself to your feet, dragging your luggage through the automatic doors and into the warm California afternoon. An old Toyota Tacoma rolled lazily up to the curb, looking exactly as well-loved as you remembered. Before the truck had even fully stopped, the driver's door swung open. An unmistakably tall figure climbed out, silver-framed glasses catching the sunlight as he spotted you. His face broke into an enormous grin. "There you are!"
"Ted!" You barely had time to drop the handle of your suitcase before he closed the distance between you, wrapping you in a hug so tight your feet nearly left the ground.
"Ugh," he groaned dramatically, burying his face against your shoulder. "It's so good to see you." He pulled back just enough to press a quick kiss to your cheek, smiling like seeing you had single-handedly made his week.
"You too," you laughed, wrapping your arms around him again for another squeeze. "I missed you."
"I know." He took your suitcase from you without asking. "You said it, like, seventeen times over FaceTime."
"I was counting," another voice chimed in. You looked toward the passenger side of the truck just as Charlie leaned halfway out the window, sunglasses slipping down his nose. "It was actually nineteen."
"You counted?" you asked.
"I keep spreadsheets."
"You absolutely do not."
"I absolutely don't."
The passenger door flew open and Charlie jogged over anyway, immediately pulling you into another hug before Ted had even fully let go.
"You smell like airport," Charlie said matter-of-factly.
"Thank... you?"
"It's okay. We'll fix it."
Before you could ask what that meant, the truck's rear window rolled down with a mechanical whine. Schlatt stared at you from the back seat. "...You gonna stand there hugging them all day, or are you getting in?"
You couldn't help but smile. "I missed you too." He tried—and failed—to suppress the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah, yeah." He reached over the seat to pop the back door open from the inside. "Get in before Ted starts crying."
"I wasn't gonna cry." Charlie tilted his head.
Laughing, you slid into the back seat beside Schlatt, who casually rested an arm across the back of the bench behind you as Ted tossed your luggage into the truck bed. The doors shut. Ted started the engine. And just like that, after months apart, it felt like you'd never left.
