“What was what?” Jaime stuffed a vinegar-soaked fry into his mouth.
“That look. I saw a look pass between you.”
“No look, Aoife, just a smile. What about you? What are your plans after graduation?”
“Moving to Dublin.”
“How about you, Owen?” I asked.
“Don’t know. I want to leave Galway, and try something new. I may head out to Dublin or maybe Cork. Wherever I can find a job, really.”
“What are you studying again?” My fish was nearly gone. I couldn’t stop eating.
“Commerce, so I can go anywhere, really.”
“Good luck, you guys. I know I won’t see you, so happy graduation day.”
“Thanks.” Owen raised his pint can. “What are you doing when you get back?”
I scrunched my face at him. “I don’t know. Marty and I are supposed to move into my old apartment, so I guess I’ll have to find another place to live.” I only had about three weeks before classes started to figure it out. My parents lived too far from school, and I didn’t have any other friends to speak of. “I’m kind of screwed.” Don’t think about it now. Don’t let Marty ruin your last night. I finished my meal and threw away the box.
As the three of them fell into their own conversation, I brainstormed. My list-making, type A personality was never too far, and with Owen’s reminder of the life I was returning to, I couldn’t shut it off.
Lost in my own world, Jaime nudged me. “Ready?”
We stepped outside, and I hugged Owen and Aoife goodbye. “It was so great meeting you. Thank you for being there this semester. It’s been a semester I’ll never forget.”
“Anytime you’re in Ireland, you have a friend.” Owen slipped me a piece of paper with his email address on it. “Keep in touch.”
“Good luck,” Aoife said. She waved and they both turned, venturing down the street together.
“Want to go home?” Jaime asked.
“Sure. We have an empty house.” I waggled my eyebrows at him and rubbed my hands together like I was making a fire.
“Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand, and we hailed a cab back to our place. Our place for one more night.
Jaime whisked me away to a place full of dreams and fantasies. We spent the night exploring each other like a newly discovered oasis. Like a tiny delicate bud, I had bloomed into a strong, beautiful flower under the care of Jaime’s gentle hands.
A heaviness descended upon me the next morning. Jaime’s beautiful pale, freckled skin and red hair peeked out from under the covers and I climbed over him, taking special care not to disrupt his slumber. I checked my armoire and desk one last time, making sure I remembered everything. The ring Scott gave me hid in my desk’s top drawer and I dropped it in the trashcan.
My Irish guidebook sat alone on the bare desktop, and I flipped through it, recalling the plane ride. I remembered the jitters acknowledging my unknown future, and the overpowering excitement for the magic of a new adventure. I shoved the book in my backpack, fully aware that I would scour the pages on the plane ride home.
Jaime and I still hadn’t discussed our future and the deadline to say goodbye was ticking closer. In approximately two hours, I would sit on a bus, and ride to the airport to restart my life. The quiet apartment, once filled with jubilant laughter, held onto our memories like a novel that was never published.
I carried my suitcase to the door and showered for the last time. The messy bathroom no longer bothered me, and I stepped over a large pile of dirty clothes hiding behind the door. I knelt down beside a napping Jaime and kissed him on the lips. He jumped, his eyes popping open, and he laughed. “Rory.” He pulled me close to him until I lay beside him. “You smell lovely.”
“Jaime, I have to leave in a few minutes.” My nose remained inches from his, and I saw sadness in his eyes.
He sat up in bed and hugged me tight. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I don’t either.” I bit my lip and analyzed his face, trying to memorize every finite detail.
He tickled my arms with his fingertips. “Stay here with me.”
I giggled and pulled out of his embrace. My courage to talk waned, and I hopped out of his bed, hoping the space would reignite my strength. “I can’t. What’s going to happen to us?”
“What do you want?” He somehow always put it on me to say the hard stuff.
