Babygirl had started as a joke. A line from a movie neither of them can remember now. But it stuck, grew warm and worn like the hoodie she stole from his closet.
And somewhere, in the half-light of a bedroom or the glow of a phone screen, a door stays open. babygirl bd5
Now, bd5 is shorthand for I miss you . For remember when . For I'd fall asleep on a plane again just to wake up next to you . Babygirl had started as a joke
He doesn't ask what bd5 means. He knows. It's the row and seat on the last flight she took to see him. The one where she fell asleep against the window and woke up with a neck crick and his jacket draped over her. He'd walked down the jet bridge, waiting, watching faces blur past until hers — tired, soft, chewing a piece of gum like she'd been nervous the whole way. And somewhere, in the half-light of a bedroom
He texts back: Come home, babygirl. Row bd5's waiting.