24 Hours (Wattys 2016)

Hour 24 - Part 2

Hour 24 - Part 2

(6:30 am EST)

    We were silent. Almost as if we didn't talk about what was about to happen, it wouldn't happen at all.

    "The sun's up." I said weakly, breaking the silence in the car.

    "It's really over." Beckett whispered, he was driving, but his eyes didn't seem to be focused on the road at all. In ten minutes, or less we would be at the airport. In ten minutes Beckett's parents would be waiting for us at the airport. In ten minutes Beckett would go through security, and onto his plane. After the twenty-four hours that we made into forever, ten minutes felt like a blink. As if I looked the wrong direction Beckett would be gone.

    "Pull over." I whispered, my voice thick and tears brimming my eyes. Beckett immediately pulled off the highway and onto the shoulder. "I can't do this." I muttered, covering my eyes to try to stop the tears.

    "We still have--" Beckett started, but I cut him off.

    "You have been saying that all night. That we still have time, but you can't say it anymore." My voice was heavy, choking up in places. "We are out of time."

    "No," Beckett shook his head, leaning over the consul to touch my cheek. "That's  the thing. Our time will never be up."

    "Beckett--" I tried.

    "Harlyn I love you." Beckett said, a small trace of sadness in his voice. "And a few months, and a few hundred miles isn't going to change that."

    "How do you know that?" I asked, my voice quavering.

    "Because nothing could change how I feel about you." Beckett murmured, brushing a tear away from my eye.

    "Maybe..." I broke off. "Maybe we should just break up, won't it make things easier?" My stomach knotted at the thought.

    "Harlyn."  Beckett said. "Do you love me?" He looked deep in my eyes, and I closed my eyes as if to hide from him.

    "More than anything." I whispered, my eyes still closed.

    "Then it will only make things harder to break up." Beckett whispered. "If we grow to not love each other in this way, over time. Then we break up, and the distance and the time will have made it easier. But right now. Right here. This. This is real. And until it isn't, I don't think I can bear the thought of not being with you in any way I can. We are both going to do amazing things in college, and the most amazing thing we will do is keep loving each other, beyond all odds."

    I let out a sob, but nodded, and leaned into his chest.

    We sat there, him holding me, or me holding him; I couldn't tell anymore. We had made the best of our time. I knew that, but it still felt too short.

    "I love you." I whispered.

    "I love you more." He murmured back. "But it's time for us to turn the page, to find out what's in the next chapter of our lives. Together, but apart."

////

    Beckett pulled up to the airport and stopped his car right in front of terminal number five. He shut off the engine and then we sat there for a while, trying to make our time together longer.

    "I guess this is it." I sighed. "I don't want you to go." I cried, looking over at Beckett.

    "We'll see each other again during Thanksgiving break." Beckett reminded me. "It'll be okay."

    "I'm scared." I whispered.

    "Me too." He replied, which made me feel comforted.

    "I can't believe how fast twenty-four hours go by."

    "It feels as if you just were at my house telling me about plans for today a few minutes ago." Beckett said.

    "Look at all these polaroids." I smiled as I shuffled through all the pictures we took.

    "The lake was probably my favorite." Beckett told me.

    "I liked the fireworks." I replied.

    "Everything about the last twenty four hours have been amazing."

    "If only we could have an infinite amount of them left together."

    Beckett looked down at his phone and then said, "I should probably go now." My eyes teared up and my stomach sank to the floor. We both got out of the car and Beckett took his suitcase out of the trunk. His parents waited by the door, and he made his way towards them.

    "Have fun. Study hard." His dad told him.

    "I'm going to miss you so much." His mom wrapped him up in her arms tightly.

    "Your stuff should arrive about when you do." His dad mentioned.

    "Thank you." Beckett replied. "I love you guys." They all put their arms around each other and said their last goodbyes.

    "We'll leave you two alone." His mom said before her and his dad got back in their car.

    I looked at Beckett and then made my way towards him.

    "Thank you for the best twenty-four hours I've ever had."

    "Thank you for joining me." I tried to smile but ended up crying.

    "Love you." He whispered.

    "Love you too." We took our final polaroid and kissed for one last time before Beckett walked through the glass doors and slowly got smaller and smaller. I stood still for a second and felt Beckett's lingering arms and lips before getting into the driver's seat of Beckett's car. I took the polaroids that were laying on the passenger seat and pulled a sharpie out of the compartment. And on the latest polaroid I wrote:

Before it all changes, before we go our separate ways,

In our time together we will spend it like it was days.

Because twenty-four hours can feel like a lifetime, as long as we are together.

The End.

*****
Goodbye :( We are hoping to write more this summer, and have a new story for you then!

<3 Eliza & Scarlett