Avery glanced alongside at Taylor, who was driving her to the airport. She leaned her head back against the headrest, letting out a huge yawn.
"Thanks for getting up so early, Tay," she said, rubbing her eyes before slipping her sunglasses down over them.
Taylor
"I guess early morning radio came in handy for something, huh?" Taylor mused as he turned a corner.
"But how are you awake? The suspense? The excitement? The getting-out-of-Tulsa?"
Avery
"All of the above?" Avery let out a laugh.
"I'm probably going to fall asleep on the plane, I think. You guys going to miss me?"
Taylor
"We always miss you," Taylor shrugged as he pulled in to the carpark.
"I just wish we didn't have as many excuses to. Not that we're not at fault with the band or anything, but you know. It's kinda sad when we get home and you're not there."
Avery
"Well, I'm always just a thought away... not for Ike, I guess..." Avery mused.
She unbuckled her seatbelt once the car had stopped.
"I'm really excited to see what kind of work is going to come out of this."
Taylor
"So am I, actually. You've been getting really good," Taylor insisted, opening the trunk as he got out and going to fetch her suitcase.
Avery
Avery got out of the car and pulled her backpack up onto one shoulder. She closed the door and walked over to Taylor, waiting for him to lock the car. She reached for the handle of her case.
"Thanks," she said, shrugging slightly. "One of my professors did give me the contact details of one of her old colleagues and said I should look her up when I get to Italy, so I think I'll do that."
Taylor
"Sounds cool," Taylor nodded, closing up the car after grabbing her guitar case.
He idly mused anyone would think it was he who was leaving as he began to walk in with her.
"Nat and I really loved Italy, I'm sure you will too. And just so we're clear, you will call at least once a week, yeah?"
Avery
Avery looked over at him as they walked and she tapped the side of her head gently. "Do I have to call? Can't I just... you know? Call?"
She tapped her temples again.
"I'm gonna do rough sketches and then take a whole bunch of photos so I can capture the colours for when I get back here to paint."
Taylor
Taylor sighed dramatically, "fiiiiine!"
He stopped at the baggage drop and waited for her to put the case through first.
"Why don't you just do some painting over there? Or is that too hard logistically?"
Avery
Avery lifted her suitcase up, oofing slightly.
"Its just gonna be too hard, sketches are much easier to transport. You know how long it takes me to even finish a painting when I get stuck into it, and I don't have the time to do that there."
Taylor
"True. You have to hurry up and come home," Taylor teased.
He sent the guitar through, then moved his sunglasses onto his head.
"And it's not like you need more to transport. What did you pack, house bricks?"
Avery
Avery stuck her tongue out at him as she handed her passport over to the girl at the counter to have it checked over.
"You know very well that I need to have shoes for every occasion, Tay."
Taylor
Taylor rolled his eyes as he stood back and waited. When she was done, he held his arms out for a hug.
"Guess this is it," he sighed, "again."
Avery
Avery slipped her arms around Taylor's waist and hugged him close, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'll see you in a few weeks time," she reassured him. "And I'll... 'call' when I land."
Taylor
"Thankyou," Taylor gave a squeeze and kissed her forehead.
"And have fun. Have a great time!"
Avery
"I will, and take care of everyone here," Avery grinned.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek, and then stepped back, adjusting her bag on her shoulder again. She headed towards the security gates, stopping once to turn and wave, then continued on, taking her shoes off and putting them through on the scanner, along with her bag.
Taylor
Taylor waved back, waited until she was out of sight, then headed back to his car.