Dreams VS Reality--A Reynico AU

chapter six

PART 6: THEY SEPARATE

A/N: the above is @jesskwhite's awesome cover. 

[ university AU ]

The bus to the airport bumped shakily on the roads, mirroring Reyna's frantic heartbeat as they got closer and closer to their destination.

"You all right?" Nico's hand brushed against her shoulder, and she turned to give a shrug to the now-taller boy, smiling.

"I'm fine."

They both knew she was lying.

Reyna was about to go to finishing school in America. And Nico, staying here, in England, without any choice. He was planning to try for some schools near Reyna's after his final year had finished, but then again, this was a choice for the future.

Sometimes fate ruined their lives too much.

But it brought them together, so they'd nothing to say about that.

*

Nico stayed with her all through Departure Checkouts.

Truth be told, he needed the last moments. He wanted to remember the fleeting amount of time they'd been able to spend together. He wanted a real relationship to blossom out of it.

He feared that they'd be forced to separate once Reyna'd left.

They made time go as slow as possible, which was not easy considering Reyna's flight left at one in the afternoon. They made small talk about the weather and news, but neither of them could distract the other from what awaited them.

Separation.

*

Reyna wheeled her luggage to gate number 21, pausing to turn and glance back at Nico.

The 17-year old was sighing, hands in pockets, as he stared up at the departure sign for her flight.

"Hey, I'll miss you." Reyna came over, wrapping him in a hug, "We both will make it work, okay?" She tried to paste an optimistic smile on her face.

"Yeah. I know. I'll always wait for you, Rey, forever and ever." Nico roughly brushed the tears off the corner of his eye: he needed to be strong at this moment.

"Aw, that's cheesy! Just joking," she laughed, "and I you, Neeks."

"Guess what, we're both using nicknames," Nico grumbled, "I never did like them."

The corners of her mouth twitched, "Why are we talking about this again?"

" I don't know." Nico rolled his eyes.

They both watched the influx of passengers boarding the flight as they sat waiting at some lone chairs.

"I should...probably leave soon." Reyna swallowed, her mouth seemed to have gone dry. She had to fight the instinct to cry and melt into Nico's arms forever. She had a flight to catch.

"Mmhmm. Alright." He mumbled.

Reyna stood up, tugging the strap of her purple holdall.

"And Nico, just so you know...I...that is to say, I..."

She couldn't say it out loud, but he understood more than words could ever express.

He nodded with lips pursed. "Me too."

Then they were leaning in for a final goodbye, and to the both of them it felt like a special kind of farewell: the kind of farewell that never lasts forever, the kind of farewell that leads to more beyond, the kind of farewell that isn't really farewell.