Chapter 235: Picking Someone Up at 4AM
Franz woke up because his phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.
He was on top of the covers. Still in his clothes from the press conference. The jacket was wrinkled. His shoes were still on. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He’d just closed his eyes for a second, and then the phone was buzzing and the clock said 2:03 AM.
He reached for the phone without opening his eyes. Squinted at the screen.
Arianne.
Got a private plane. Gio and I land at 4AM. Can you send a car?
His heart started beating faster. He read the message twice. Three times. She was coming home. Not tomorrow. Not in five days. In two hours.
He typed back before he thought.
I’ll be there.
Her reply came fast. She was probably still in the air. The signal was spotty.
You don’t have to. Send someone.
I’ll be there.
He didn’t wait for her to argue. He threw the phone on the bed and stood up.
The room was cold. The left side of the bed was empty. The pillow still smelled faintly of her shampoo, but the scent was almost gone. He opened the closet and pulled out black jeans. A black jacket. A black cap. He dressed fast. Didn’t bother with a shower. There wasn’t time.
Then he opened the drawer and found a black facemask. He’d kept it from a premiere last year. The car had dropped him at the back entrance, but there were still photographers. He needed to get from the car to the venue without being seen. The mask worked then. He hoped it would work now.
He pulled it on and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. The mask covered half his face. The cap covered the rest. His eyes were tired. There were dark circles underneath them. He hadn’t slept well since she left.
He could be anyone.
That was the point.
He grabbed his keys from the nightstand. Checked his phone one more time. No new messages. He put it in his pocket and walked out.
The house was quiet. The hallway was dark. He passed the twins’ room and stopped for a second. The door was open. He could see Lily on her back with her arm thrown over her head. Leo was curled on his side. The whale was tucked under his chin.
They didn’t know she was coming. He’d tell them in the morning. Let them wake up to her voice.
He walked to the garage and got in the car.
The streets were empty at 2:30 AM. The city was asleep. The traffic lights were all green. He drove through intersections without stopping.
His hands were steady on the wheel. His mind was quiet. Not empty. Just focused.
He wasn’t thinking about what he’d say. He was thinking about seeing her. About the twins’ faces when she walked through the door. About the whale pressed against Leo’s chest. About Lily’s voice asking when she was coming back.
The terminal was thirty minutes away. He made it in twenty-two.
He parked in the private lot. The lot was almost empty. A few cars. A van. He didn’t see anyone else.
He walked through the entrance with his head down and his hands in his pockets. No one looked at him. The mask worked. The cap worked. He was just a man in black at 3:45 in the morning. No one cared.
The private arrival gate was at the far end of the terminal. He passed the regular gates first. Empty. The chairs were all lined up in rows. The screens were dark. The whole place felt like it was holding its breath.
He found the private gate and stood against the wall. Checked his phone.
3:47 AM.
Thirteen minutes.
He waited.
A few people passed by. Airport staff in blue uniforms. A cleaning crew pushing a cart. A pilot in a hat. No one paid attention to the man in black standing against the wall.
Franz watched the gate. Nothing else.
At 3:55 AM, a group of young women walked past. Four of them. Late twenties. Dressed for a trip. Rolling suitcases. Talking loud. Their voices echoed in the empty terminal.
One of them stopped. Stared at Franz. Elbowed her friend.
"Oh my god," she whispered. "That’s Noah Hart."
Her friend squinted. "No it’s not."
"Look at his hands. Look at his jaw. I’ve watched every interview. That’s him."
The other two stopped. They all looked.
"He’s wearing a mask," one of them said.
"Exactly."
She pulled out her phone. Zoomed in. Her hand covered her mouth.
Click. The first photo.
"Don’t," her friend said. "That’s creepy."
"It’s not creepy. It’s journalism."
"It’s literally not."
Click. Another photo. Then another. Then ten more.
The women didn’t approach. They just stood there with their phones up, whispering. Franz could hear some of it. Fragments.
"What’s he doing here?"
"Maybe he’s picking someone up."
"At 4 AM?"
"Celebrities are weird."
One of them tagged a gossip account. Typed a caption. Franz couldn’t see what she wrote. He didn’t know she was posting anything.
He was still watching the gate.
The women stayed. They weren’t going to miss this. Whatever was about to happen, they wanted it on their phones.
3:58 AM.
Franz checked his phone again. No new messages. He put it back in his pocket.
His heart was beating faster now. Not from the women. From the gate. From the numbers on the clock.
3:59 AM.
He pushed off the wall. Stood up straight. His hands came out of his pockets.
The gate opened.
Arianne walked through first.
Franz saw her and stopped breathing.
Her hair was shorter. Her dark waves barely touched her shoulders now. Before she left, it hung past them. Almost to the middle of her back. Now it was lighter. Fresher. It framed her face differently. She looked younger. Or maybe just less tired. He couldn’t tell which.
The ends curled under slightly. Like she’d had it styled recently. Like she’d done something for herself while she was away.
She was wearing a black long sleeve blouse. Simple. Fitted. The fabric was soft. It caught the light. And a beige skirt that hugged her curves. The skirt hugged her curves and swayed when she walked. It caught the fluorescent light and made her look like she was glowing.
Franz had seen her in power suits. In casual clothes. In pajamas at midnight. It reminded him of the first time he’d seen her. Her hair was shorter back then.
Gio came through behind her with the bags. Two suitcases. A garment bag. He saw Franz and nodded. Didn’t say anything.
Arianne saw Franz before he reached her. Her step faltered. Just for a second. Like she wasn’t expecting him to be there. Even though she’d asked him to send a car. Even though he’d said he was coming.
Then she kept walking.
Her skirt moved with her. The fabric made a soft sound. Swish. Swish. Her shorter hair bounced at her shoulders.
Franz pulled his mask down. Let her see his face.
She stopped in front of him. Close enough to touch.
Neither of them spoke.
The women with the phones were still watching. Still filming. One of them had her hand over her mouth. Another was typing something on her phone.
Franz didn’t look at them.
He was looking at her.
The shorter hair. The skirt. The way she stood there like she had been traveling for hours and still looked like she belonged on a magazine cover.
His cap was still in his hand. His mask was around his chin.
He didn’t move.
Neither did she.
The terminal was quiet. The fluorescent lights hummed. Gio stood behind her with the bags, waiting.
Franz’s heart was loud in his ears.
She was here.
That was all that mattered.