Friday, November 6, 2015

Colorado: Part Three

On my last day in Colorado, well, my last full day, we slept in and cuddled. I think we both were determined to not bring up the fact that I was leaving in 24 hours. 'Cause it's the last day that makes you realize that you can't have any more adventures until the next trip or the next time he's home.
We were going to have breakfast at a highly reviewed place but the wait was exponential, especially for a little place in the downtown area of Fort Collins. We ended up having brunch at a place he had dined at before, but for their dinners, and we weren't sure if we would enjoy their breakfast-style options.

Along with two large glasses of mimosas, we had an amazing breakfast. He had a biscuits and gravy combo, whereas I had banana bread french toast with eggs and au gratin potatoes. 

But those mimosas were pretty awesome. 

We had decided that we would go for a shorter hike this day so we could see more but still relax most of the day. Plus, our legs and butts were super sore from the day before.

Horsetooth Mountain was a twenty or so minute drive away from Downtown Fort Collins. It was a bright shining day and not nearly as cold as the day before. It was a different overall experience compared to the Rockies.  It was up and down and up and down, flat to steep to steeper. Don't look over the edge because you'll get vertigo, I'd think.

I was grateful that we packed granola bars and lots of water in our little backpack. I'm so used to the humid Floridian heat, that dry air has a tendency to take more out on me than I realize. I had to stop to catch my breath more often than I would have liked, but Reese was alright with stopping when I had to. 
It turned out the falls we were trekking this mile-long hike for was a trickle of water that dribbled over the edge of a large rock. We were both pretty disappointed that we had chosen that path over going to the actual mountain, but it was a beautiful hike overall.

We went back to the hotel afterwards to shower and take a nap. Reese would be starting to do overnights at his job and wanted to stay up all night so he could sleep during the day after taking me to the airport. 

We watched t.v. for a bit when we woke up and it was a little bittersweet. You know you're leaving in hours yet you're relaxing as if that isn't the case.  But it is. And it's when that feeling begins to creep up that you want to do something to at least fill that time frame with a new memory, a new adventure, rather than just act is if you aren't leaving to not see him/her/them for another month or so.

Reese was asked to have dinner with his project manager, a man I had heard countless stories about, and I was okay with going out with this stranger. Well, he was a stranger to me. Still, I was open to having a meal with him. We left a little earlier than needed to get to the little brewery in downtown Fort Collins. It was a quaint, little hipster place. Thankfully, I was wearing a beanie the entire weekend so I at least faked that I belonged there.

A thing I hate about the North is that their iced tea is just brewed, no sugar, nothing. I forgot about this fact as I ordered a spiked peach Arnold Palmer and found it to be just, blah. And then I remembered. So I chugged it as fast I could despite is tasting just okay and got a blueberry based cocktail that was super good. Reese's project manager never showed up and I was kind of grateful that I didn't have to share my last few hours with a man I didn't know. After devouring burgers (mine was made of buffalo) we went to the grocery store and decided to get sweets and energy drinks to ensure we stayed up the majority of the night so he could get in the rhythm of overnights.

I remember falling asleep and waking up constantly. Like every other hour I could sleep, then I'd be awake. I tried willing myself to stay awake even longer, but by the time three in the morning hit, I couldn't fight it anymore.

And then the alarm went off.

When you try so hard to hide the fact that you're upset, it weighs you down. Literally, there's that constricting feeling in your chest because you're fighting how you're feeling. Crying while brushing your teeth is difficult especially when you try to feign that you're okay. I'm just super happy to go home, right?

I held his hand while he drove to the airport, suddenly grateful that it was an hour away from Fort Collins. I was beginning to be okay. The tears from knowing I wouldn't see him kept flowing on their own accord but a little saltwater never hurts. It was when a song about distance came on the radio that I just let them go. At six something in the morning in the middle of the highway towards Denver, I related to a song by the Plain White T's that every girl in middle school wanted to when it came out.

"Hey, there, Delilah, don't you worry about the distance; I'm right there if you get lonely."

I did not want to get out of the car when we arrived at the airport. Instantly I was thinking of how it would be just to stay in this beautiful place with this man. Reese looked me in the eyes before hugging me hard, almost as hard as the one I gave him when I arrived just two days prior.

"I'll see you sooner than you think."

And the tears kept flowing as I walked through the airport doors on my way to security check. It was aggravatingly slow that Monday morning and I nearly missed my flight. But in the last row of the plane, in the window seat, I looked out that tiny little glass and realized that I could see the mountains from the airport.

I cried for those mountains. I cried watching them disappear from sight. I knew as I did that I was leaving where I was supposed to be. I am not designed to stay in humid, hot Florida.

And when we landed, I knew that even more so.

I'll be back, Colorado; just you wait.

xoxo