Kalon / t.j.

Nineteen

"Ill see you again before you know it." Tyler says as we stand in the airport once again. This is becoming too familiar.

"Let's hope." I mumble as my sad eyes meet Tyler's eyes that are so full of sorrow I don't know how slippery tears don't flow down his cheeks. In this moment he's so close but I know In seconds he'll be whipped away from me as if he was never there to begin with.

I glance around the light colored airport at the many families saying goodbye to loved ones, close friends clinging to each other as sorrow fills all the places they couldn't seem to grip.

I sit with Tyler as I listen to old stories of his childhood, the way he talks about it makes him seem as if he misses and old friend rather than the past. He tells me about how's he's lived in the same house his whole life, he told me about church on Sundays, the way snowmen he built would always melt the next day, how he wore his clothes, he told me about how the smell of oranges reminds him of his grandmother. He never did talk about his teenage years, maybe because we ran out of time or he didn't want to share- either way I've met the side of Tyler I've been wanting to since the first day I saw him.

I smile warmly at him as I go to give my goodbye hug. My breath hitches when he wraps his arms around my body. I gently close my eyes as I intake the moment.

"Bye pia" he mumbles as he gently pulls away from me, josh stood waiting for Tyler alongside Jenna. I smile sweetly at them both.

"See you soon Ty." I swoop up as my lips meet his cheek. I wave my farewell at the trio, they disappeared into the sea of other people leaving a loved one behind.

I sigh deeply as I make my way out of the airport, the sky a deep red as the sun sets below the horizon. I'm enjoying the view until something comes knocking into me. I stumble backwards as my eyes meet the person that knocked into me.

"Maybe you should watch where you're going." I say as my fist clench tightly.

His head shoots up at my voice, his eyes wide at my outburst. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." He starts to spit out quickly as he waves his hands around, apologizing multiple times . My anger starts to fade at his sudden state.

"It's okay." I mumble as I scratch my head as the moment becomes awkward.

"I'm sorry again, I'm Jack by the way." He says as he tries to make the conversation start again.

"Ruby, nice to meet you." I say with a grin.

"Well that wasn't a very nice way to meet but I'm glad we did." He smiles widely at me.

"Yeah me too." I grin. We exchange our phone numbers before we both take off in opposite directions- him back into the airport and me back to my small car.

I smile to myself at one of my first human interactions outside of Tyler and Josh in the past couple months. The drive home seemed awfully shorter than the drive it took to get the the white crisp airport.

I climb my stairs with more energy than I climbed down them earlier. It puzzled me why Tyler leaving wasn't taking as much as a toll on me than it did other times- maybe I'm getting used to him leaving. I shake the negative thought from my positive head as I decide I would text jack. I stepped out of my comfort zone as I click on his contact, swiftly typing a hey before shoving the phone into my bed.

Ding

My screen lights up as a reply comes awfully fast. I get giddy as I reach for my sleek phone.

Jack:Hey:)

the simple text read but somehow it made me smile widely.
How are you?

I said sounding blunt, I was new to this texting thing- this communication thing in general. In swift seconds a reply comes just as one left.

Bored out of my mind on this plane, how are you? Hopefully better than the last time I saw you.

I smile at the sentences that laid across my screen. As I start to reply another text sweeps across the top of my phone, Tyler's name filled the simple contact. I instantly felt guilty for texting jack. I push it away as I reply to jack.

Im doing a lot better- where are you going?

I didn't want to sound to invasive but I went ahead and asked. It took longer for him to reply and I instantly regretted asking. I sigh and push my phone away as I let out a yawn. I decided to go to sleep but before I fell asleep my phone let out a soft ding.