They didn't discuss Joey leaving any more after that. The days ticked away, and they spent them exactly as they had the previous few weeks. They shouldn't have carried on the way they had been, but they couldn't help it. Part of it was that they wanted to make the most of the time they had left, not regret being distant and awkward around each other during the last time they'd see each other for a while. But most of it, Joey suspected, was a state of denial. Neither of them were willing to accept the fact that he was actually leaving, so they kept up their dates, shared many more kisses, had a bittersweet early celebration for Lauren's birthday even though she told him she didn't want a fuss, and held the tears at bay. The only thing that changed was the length of time they spent together; more and more evenings turned into late nights, talking for hours on borrowed time.
Because it did all have to catch up with them eventually. On the 5th of March, Lauren was at Joey's friends' apartment helping him pack.
"You don't have much stuff, do you?" she said, looking around his sparsely decorated room.
"I took most of it home with me to my parents when school finished, and I never got round to bringing any of it back here," he explained.
"I think you knew you weren't going to be staying here long term," she said after a pause.
"Don't say that."
"I don't mean it in a bad way. But... you're a California boy. I mean, look at you," she said with a laugh.
"Hey!" he said indignantly. "I thought you liked the way I look."
"Too much," she sighed, turning away, and he regretted the words. But then she started piling his clothes into a suitcase, and he set about packing up the rest of his belongings.
It didn't take long between the two of them. Lauren finished first, and sat on his bed, staring forlornly at the ground. As soon as Joey was done he sat beside her, putting an arm around her, and kissed the top of her head.
"I really do love you. You know that, right?" he whispered.
"I know," she said, matching his tone. "I love you too. But don't let that hold you back, okay? Because you're bound to meet loads of new girls in LA, and if you fall for one of them, then you should go for it, because I want you to be happy."
His heart told him he couldn't be happy with anyone but her, but he knew that arguing that with her would result in both of them getting more upset, and he didn't want to ruin their last day like that. So instead he said, "Then the same goes for you, okay?"
"Mhm."
They went out to the living room, where hours passed as they held each other in silence, Lauren's head on Joey's shoulder and his head on top of hers. When he felt her almost doze off, he gently sat her up.
"It's late," he whispered, reaching for his phone for the exact time so he could decide whether it was too late to take her home or whether to let her have his bed for the night.
"Can we sleep in your bed tonight?" she asked quietly, not looking at him.
The request came as a surprise. While they had begun sleeping in bed together for a while, that was the one thing they'd stopped after Joey told her he'd be moving back to LA, accidentally falling asleep on one another's shoulder after a late movie night aside. He had supposed it was an attempt to make it easier to adjust once they were apart. But he knew she must be feeling vulnerable tonight, aware it was their last night together, so he didn't hesitate in nodding and taking her by the hand back to his room.
They didn't even bother changing, simply climbed into bed and held each other. Lauren's head was tucked under his chin, and it made him grateful she couldn't see his face as he let a few tears of his own fall. He tried to remember as much of her as he could, the way she felt curled up in his arms, the way her hair tickled his face, the way she smelled. Eventually, though it seemed impossible, he managed to fall asleep.
