In Too Deep. Klance AU

Chapter 21

The exam months passed quicker than I had expected. Once I had gotten into my routine of get up, eat breakfast, go to school, exam, lunch, home, it started to fly by. Then came results' day. I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with results' day.

There is no way to describe the nerves that bubble in your stomach as you tear open the envelope. I had Lance standing beside me, opening it as if the paper might disappear at any moment. He started to sob but I had only just gotten my envelope open.

In front of me laid my future. Anything less than As and I wouldn't get into Cambridge. I peaked at the text and my heart did its favourite gymnastics' routine. I started to cry along with Lance and we hugged, looking like very manly men with tears streaked down our faces. I had gotten As in Biology and Chemistry and A*s in Physics and Maths. I thought A*s were just some distant myths and I would never get one but there two of them were, sat on my page.

Lance had gotten As in psychology and maths and a B in art. No wonder he was crying. We went out to celebrate, both of our families coming along. Both Lance and I were eighteen so we cracked open two cans of beer and downed it all at once to celebrate. I remember solemnly swearing to never touch beer again but it was what got me my boyfriend so I had to thank it really. The only reason I didn't have any more was because Louise didn't want me to get drunk in the middle of a posh restaurant.

I got home, my body buzzing from the small amounts of alcohol. Louise gave me a card that basically said "we knew you were a genius so congratulations on getting the grades we knew you were going to get anyway" which was... thoughtful. I put it up on my desk like a trophy. Lance had given me a card too, thanking me for my help but I didn't accept the gratitude he was giving me. He was the one who had worked so hard so of course he got the grades. He should be thanking himself for persevering with his studies.

-

I completely forgot about university. I only remembered it because I got an email that informed me I had been accepted into Cambridge. I squealed and did a mini dance around my house but it didn't quite kick in that I was eighteen years old and due to move out of my house in a few months. Life seems to go so slow until you hit adolescence and everything then seems to fly by. I wanted to stay put where I was because I was happy here but it was inevitable that we had to grow up.

Lance and I spent most of the summer together. Whilst I was helping him in maths, I also helped him apply for universities so he had gotten into Bournemouth to study psychology. I was proud but I had done the research. Bournemouth was a three hour and a half train journey away from Cambridge. I didn't bring it up to him but I could tell he knew because every time we hugged or kissed, we did so as if it was the last time we'd be able to.

Then one time it was the last time we were able to. I was standing in my driveway, suitcases full of my belongings in the boot of John's old car. Our hug seemed to last for hours and our kiss was full of so much desperation that it didn't feel as good as the others. I sobbed and sobbed until I climbed into the backseat of the car. I waved out the back window until he was out of sight, even though I knew he probably couldn't see me. I could see his tiny figure in the street, waving too but he was obviously crying. Then he was gone.

Louise kept insisting I'd see him again but, for some reason, it felt like I never would. I texted him the entire drive to Cambridge but he felt like he was a world away. I met my new roommates and they were nice enough but they weren't Lance. There were two girls called Pidge and Harriet and another boy called Coran. The boy had the same eyes as Lance and it honestly broke my heart. I called Lance the night I realised and we said how much we missed each other in floods of tears.

The thing about being apart was that it made the moments when we were together sweeter. We learnt to appreciate the contact and it made it much better. Somehow, I found myself loving being with him even more after being miles apart. We'd cry at each separation but, in our hearts, we knew we would be able to see each other again in the future. My roommates learnt to roll their eyes at the mention of Lance because I would never shut up about him. I could talk about him for the rest of eternity; if only there was someone to listen.

"Hey," I whispered into the phone, laying back on my bed. I had brought my space bed covers with me when I left and I was still in love with them. I didn't want to admit it but I was wearing Lance's favourite baseball jacket. He had been distraught to part with it but insisted I took it so I would have it to wear whenever I missed him. In return, I gave him my favourite hoodie. I wondered if he wore it as much as I wore his jacket. "How's Bournemouth?"

"Amazing! The beach is literally just a bus drive away." If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine he was on the bed beside me.

"That does sound cool. I'll have to visit you sometime." I really did need to visit him. I could just imagine us going to the beach together, sitting with our hands intertwined as we watched the waves lap against the shore. We'd walk around the shops together, nibbling on fish and chips and buying pathetic souvenirs for each other so that we would never forget the day. I smiled just by imagining it.

"Hell yeah! My friends would love to meet you."

"Same here. I literally never shut up about you and your pretty face."

Lance laughed and his laugh was still music to my ears, even after all this time. "Me neither. I bet my friends already know everything about you and you haven't even met them yet."

It was my turn to laugh. "I love you, Lance."

"I love you too, Keith."

At that moment, everything was perfect. Lance might have been miles away in another university but that didn't matter. Hearing his voice was enough to make my day. Just the thought of us being able to meet up with each other again at the start of the Christmas holidays in a few weeks made me feel all fuzzy and happy inside. I sighed and rolled over on my bed, staring out of my window at the other buildings. Everything turned out just as I wanted it to.