EVERY DAY WAS LIKE living a dream. So Art and I made sure we spent each weekend together, though we were hours apart in the distance.
Nobody or nothing can come between us.
It was a clear-as-day realization that dawned on us as days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and before we knew it, we were already in our junior year.
As Avery always says, our relationship will destroy others for her. She kept telling us we were challenging her future relationship because we'd been balancing college life and our love life like a walk in the park.
We made everything happen. Things that were impossible for other couples like us became possible for us. Each weekend and holiday we always spend with each other. It had been our rule. Whatever happens or the situation may be, we won't let a weekend pass by not seeing each other.
As we finished each semester leading to Art's internship year, an inner fear started crawling within me. He submitted applications to all the high places, within and outside the US. Yet, he kept assuring me that submitting applications for international internships was automatic, and he didn't have any plans to go somewhere else but Boston.
Wherever you are, I'll choose the nearest one. Art promised me over and over. And I believe him. In my heart, I knew he would stay true to that promise. The same how I knew I wouldn't let him hinder himself from reaching his fullest potential if ever an opportunity came to him. That's why the fear of not seeing or spending time with him like we always did stays in my mind rent-free.
***
"What's up?" Avery's voice woke me from my reverie.
I shrugged my shoulders and shied away from her eyes.
"Nothing," I whispered.
"You think you can lie to me?" My best friend's face was now a breath away from mine.
I sighed aloud. "Today, Art will know where his internship will be?"
"Are you afraid he won't get accepted?"
I shook my head multiple times. "He will indeed get accepted." I smiled. "I'm sure of that. The question is, where?"
"Oh, Shells." Avery's voice croaked. Like always, my best friend felt the tinge of sadness I'd been having for months.
"I'm fine. I should be, right?" The last sentence sounded more like a cry for help than a question.
When I looked at Avery's face, her eyes were glistening. She felt my heart. Feeling the bond between us, I let my tears fall freely.
In a second, my best friend's arms were around me. Though I felt our bodies shaking, Avery tried to be stronger by sounding calm.
"Wherever this internship will bring Art, nothing could stand between you guys." Avery's hand started caressing my hair while my cries turned into sobs. "Your relationship has been through a lot, and nothing can challenge it more."
My head kept nodding as Avery's whispers of comfort continued to my ears. This show of sentiments should be my first and last. I must fight the sadness and fear, especially when Art is before me.
It would only be a matter of hours before he would be here. We promised to be beside each other when he opened his emails. And I promised to be the best and most supportive girlfriend he could ever have.
I already thought of everything. Art deserves to grab the best opportunity that would come his way, career-wise. It would be his armor for our future. Trust and maturity to see things would strengthen us if he ever had to leave the country for his studies.
"The worst that can happen is you would live through face time and sex on video for a year."
Avery's giggles echoed in our living room.
"Avery!"
I pulled away from her embrace and started pinching her sides. Her giggles got louder as she ran away from me.
"Why? I'm trying to be the reasonable one here!" Her eyes widened.
After a few rounds of running after each other around the sofa, we slumped simultaneously on the floor. Avery cupped my face and looked me in the eye.
"Shells, wherever Art goes, he will be only a plane ride away. And you have me, always."
"Thank you!" I pinched her nose. "I guess I will have to remind myself I'll be stuck with you again!"
Avery grasped my hair. "And what is wrong with that?" she asked, motioning to pull my hair.
Before I could pretend to be hurt, I felt a mild pain in my lower tummy area. Then, a prickling and pulling feeling grew more assertive. Stress had been getting the best of me for the past months.
A month of on-and-off flu, and now possibly a stomach bug. Lucky me!
"Are you okay? Your face is so white!" Avery's brows furrowed, and her shoulders hunched.
"I'm good. I think I have a stomach bug this time." Avery helped me stand up and guided me to the couch. "Too much thinking is stressing me."
Avery nodded. "You bet. Since Art submitted his application, you started getting sick."
"No kidding!" I gave a half-smile.
"Why don't you rest in bed while I pick up our lunch order? I'll be back in a few."
I stood up and started walking to my bedroom without saying a word. Before I could close the door, I heard the main door shut. As I lay in bed, I decided a nap could help me relax in time for Art's arrival.
Art's soft kisses all over my face woke me. Seeing darkness outside my bedroom window surprised me since I last remembered Avery picking up our lunch.
"You're here?" I traced the soft stubble in his jaw.
He held my hand and kissed it. "I've been here for hours. Do you still feel sick?"
Immediately I sat on the bed. "You should have woken me."
Art smiled. "It's okay. Ave said you were still under the weather, and we decided to give you time to rest." His hand tucked the stray hairs on my ear. "I got the chance to cook your favorite."
"Adobo?" My heart felt like bolting out of my chest. This man before me took time to learn how to cook my favorite Filipino dish. It was our comfort food whenever we had an important event to address. And knowing his matched internship location is one of those events.
Art pulled me from the bed and covered me with warm arms. "Let's go eat before we open the email."
I pouted my lips which he met with a soft kiss. "Trust me on this. Whatever we read in that email will change nothing between us."
"I know." I cupped his face and kissed him back. "Let's go eat!"
***
We cleaned the kitchen and the dining area before we took our seats in front of his laptop. Even without saying anything, we both knew we kept finding reasons to delay the inevitable. But after washing several dishes and pots and putting laundry in the washer, I took Art's hand and guided him toward his laptop.
"We cleaned everything. Let's check your email now."
Art answered with a nod. His hands were shaking as he opened his computer. I could hear my heart beating. The moment he opened the email, it felt like all around us froze. All the words written in the email blurred in my eyes except for one word.
"Munich. Fuck!"
Art's voice croaked though he cursed loudly. My chest felt constricted. I couldn't look at him. I wouldn't want to shed any tears in front of him. He wouldn't need a girlfriend with a nervous breakdown right now.
Despite the overwhelming emotions that enveloped me, I knew better. Art deserved the opportunity. He worked hard to get this chance.
I hugged him tight as I whispered congratulations. He kept whispering no. But I did the only thing I knew that could calm him. I caressed his cheek and placed my lips on his. Deep inside, I knew it wasn't a kiss of just happiness. It was staking my claim on him while pouring all the sadness and fear.
"Congratulations, baby! You worked hard for this. You deserved this."
"It's fucking unbelievable! I can't believe Munich was the only one that matched me. This must be wrong!"
Art's chest was heaving. We both knew even if it was the only match he got; it was the highest rank in all the options he applied to. He couldn't pass this chance. An internship in Munich will seal his future job choices. Though it also confirmed what I'd feared, he would be out of the county for one year.
Realizing we would be three thousand plus miles away from each other for twelve months, my stomach panicked ahead of my mind. The prickling, pulling pain in my lower tummy returned. And it came with an ally. I ran for the kitchen sink as I felt my stomach flip and the taste of everything I ate rapidly coming out of my mouth.
***