She wraps her arms around my neck and returns my kiss, gasping into my mouth. But then, she cries out, sobs racking through her.
I pull away, looking down at the love of my life, tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t cry,” I plead, my voice cracking as I lift her chin to meet my eyes. Her blue eyes are filled with tears, and it tears at my heart. “Please. It breaks my fucking heart.”
She shakes her head, wiping away her tears. “I’m fine. I promise.”
“Make a joke,” I say. “Laugh. Anything. Please.” I need to see her smile, to hear her laugh. The thought of leaving her breaks me inside, but I can’t bear for her to be in pain.
I want Gabi to laugh. I want her to smile. I just want her to be okay.
Gabi lets out a shaky breath and shakes her head. “I don’t feel like laughing right now,” she says, her lip wobbling.
I wrap my arms around her, and just fucking hold her. Ineedto hold her. I don’t want to let her go.
But then the loudspeaker crackles to life. “Attention, passengers. This is the first boarding announcement for Flight 247 to London.”
We reluctantly pull apart, and my eyes lock onto hers. “I have to go,” I say, my throat tight with emotion.
She nods slowly. “I know.”
Fuck. My eyes burn and I look at my best friend, the love of my life, the only reason I want to breathe in this world. I grab her wrist, lifting up, and trace my fingers over her tattoo, keeping my eyes on hers as I spell out:
I love you.
Her chin wobbles as tears fill her eyes, but then she lifts her lips into a smile. “I love you, too.”
Her glassy blue eyes I love so much, completely shatter my heart. My trembling hand reaches for her face, my heart pounding furiously as tears stream down her cheeks.
Swallowing the painful rock in my throat, I shake my head, unable to tear my eyes away from her. “Tell me not to go, Gabi,” I manage to choke out, feeling my world collapse in my arms. “Tell me not to get on that plane.”
But she shakes her head, like I knew she would. Because she’s fucking amazing, and doesn’t care whether me getting on that plane completely breaks her heart. “I can’t do that,” she says, her eyes closing as she leans into my palm. “You need to go.”
A heavy breath leaves my lips. “I don’t want to.”
“I know,” she says, lifting her head to look up at me. “But you need to do this.” She reaches her hand out, brushing my hair back. “It’s only for one year. We’ll be okay.”
I take a step towards her, cupping her face between my hands, and lean down for one last kiss.
She responds with a soft moan against my lips, but then she pulls away. “You need to go, Chris,” she says, her voice thick with emotion as she subtly wipes under her eye.
“Not yet,” I murmur, looking into her blue eyes. “I don’t want to let go just yet.” I dive in for another kiss, feeling her body melt into mine as she opens up for me.
“You’re going to be late,” she mumbles against my lips.
Swallowing hard against the lump in my throat, I reluctantly release her and take a step back.
“Go,” she mouths silently, and I tear my eyes away from her, forcing myself to move towards security.
I can’t resist looking back, though. Every few steps, I glance over my shoulder at her, my heart aching as I see how small and distant she looks now.
“Sir, please place your bags inside the bins.”
I keep my eyes on Gabi, hardly able to see her face from this distance.
“Sir.”
“Hmm?” I ask, tearing my eyes away from Gabi, shifting my focus to the security guard gesturing towards the belt.
