My mom sat beside me on the couch, her folded hands resting on her lap. She said she wanted to talk to me. I had not seen my mom this serious in a while. Briefly I wondered what she wanted to talk to me about. A flash of panic surged through me when I thought that she knew that Colby and I, well, were playing hanky panky. I tried not to squirm in my seat.
“Kayla,” my mom started, her voice somber. “I am very—“
“Sorry!” I blurted out. So much for not squirming.
My mom raised her eyebrows. I felt like I just swallowed my tongue.
“I-I,” I sputtered. How did these talks go, anyway? I suddenly wished the couch would just eat me.
“Kayla,” my mom said again, seemingly choosing to ignore my behavior, “this came in the mail for you today.”
I watched as my mom fished out an envelope from behind her. A nice, thick envelope. It must’ve been wedged somewhere in the couch. My eyes widened as I caught University of Chicago printed on the envelope. My heart started to accelerate.
Acceptance letters usually come in thick envelopes, right?
My mom handed the envelope to me. I took it, and it felt heavy in my hands. I just stared at it for what seemed like forever until my mom cleared her throat and told me to open it with barely contained excitement. Or maybe nerves.
I knew my nerves were going on a haywire.
Carefully, with my mom’s eyes trained on me, I opened the package. There it was, poking through the slot in the envelope. The letter that would determine my future.
Just read the letter, Johnson.
With a deep breath, I flipped the letter open and when my eyes read the words we are pleased, accepted, and astronomy, my breathing literally stopped.
I got accepted to the university of my dreams and I was going to study the thing I had loved since I was seven years old. It must’ve been written all over my face because the next thing I knew, my mom had me in her arms and was squeezing the life out of me.
Hugging my mom back, a huge smile spread across my face. When my mom whispered her congratulations to my ear, and how proud she was of me, my eyes became a little watery. It was a really great moment for us both. Then I pulled away and held my mom at arm’s length.
“I have to call Matty!”
My mom laughed and let me go, and I proceeded to call my brother. He let out a whoop, right to my ear and I probably busted my ear drum just then but I was too happy to care. When we finished talking, I raced back downstairs and called out to my mom.
“I’m going over to Susan’s!”
I heard my mom said okay and I was out the door, jogging towards Susan’s house. I rang the doorbell, and my boyfriend was the one to answer.
His brows furrowed slightly, but there was a smile on his face. “Hey.”
“I got in!” I exclaimed, and threw my arms around Colby’s neck.
I felt Colby’s arms go around my waist and they held on tight. “Of course you got in. I told you, remember?” He said against my hair.
“Yeah, you did,” I mumbled at his neck, pressing my lips against his skin and then inhaling his scent. Boy he smelled good. I held on for a couple more moments before gently easing out of his embrace. With his arms still wrapped loosely around me, I stared up at him and asked, “How about you? Got any letters yet?”
Colby cleared his throat and shook his head. I thought I saw some form of uncertainty in his eyes, but as quickly as it came, it was gone. A slight frown graced my face, and I was about to ask him what was wrong when Cameron suddenly came charging at us, attaching himself to my leg.
“Kay Kay, Kay Kay, Kay Kay,” Cameron sang, and I chuckled, picking him up in my arms.
“Cameron!” Susan’s voice echoed through the hallway, and when she came out, she smiled at me.
“Hey Kayla! So nice to see you,” she said.
“Aunt Susan, she was just here last night,” Colby pointed out. He held out his hands for Cameron, and the little guy willingly went to his cousin’s arms, but not before giving me a big kiss on my cheek.
Susan raised an eyebrow at her nephew. “I know that.” She then turned to me again and I beamed at her.
“She got in,” Colby offered, and Susan let out a little squeal.
“Oh, sweetheart, congratulations!” She cried out, stomping over to me and swooping me in her arms. Cam echoed her, but only it came out as condratulatons, but I thanked the little guy as well, kissing him on the cheek.
“Stay for dinner?” Colby whispered, his lips touching my ear as I retreated from Cameron.
“I’d love to, but I think I’m going to stay with my mom,” I replied as I repeatedly poked Cameron, making him squirm in my boyfriend’s arms.
Susan clapped. “Okay, Cameron. Would you like to help mommy make dinner?”
I watched as Cameron nodded and stuck his arms out for Susan, and as they moved to the kitchen, Susan congratulated me again. I smiled and gave her a little wave. Turning back to Colby, I caught him looking down the hallway, a distant expression on his face. My brows furrowed as I gently placed a hand on his arm. He jolted slightly and he blinked, as if he was just coming back to earth.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, concern lacing my voice.
Colby shook his head and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Nothing, just getting lost in thoughts.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. “You sure?”
He nodded and said, “You know what I need?”
“What?”
“A kiss.”
Colby wiggled his eyebrows, making me giggle, and then he leaned down and placed a kiss on my lips. It was soft but so full of something that it made me weak in the knees. When his hands cupped my jaw, I honestly reconsidered staying for dinner, but I felt like I need to spend time with my mom. Colby broke the kiss, his hands still cradling my face. I opened my eyes just as his forehead collided gently with mine. His eyes were still closed.
“I wish I could stay for dinner,” I said, my hands clutching the sides of his shirt.
He opened his eyes. “Me too.”
I was struck by the longing I saw in them, but then he smiled and added, “Now you get to eat your mom’s super good potato salad.”
I could not help but smile at that, too. “I’ll save some for you.”
*****
“Is it just me, or is Colby kinda out of it?” Cynthia whispered in my ear. It was graduation week, and it won't be long before we march out of high school and go straight into the real world.
I frowned slightly. “I know, he’s been spacing out a lot.”
The cheerleader pursed her lips. “Graduation jitters, perhaps?”
I watched as Colby stared into space while Tyler talked my boyfriend’s ear off. He didn’t even seem to notice until Tyler clapped him on the back. My frown deepened.
“I don’t know, it seems like he’s hiding something,” I murmured. “But I don’t want to push him to tell me, you know?”
Cynthia cradled her chin with her hand as she propped her elbow on our lunch table. “I understand. I wouldn't want to force Kyle into telling me something, either.” Then she wrinkled her nose.
“But he is out of it,” Cynthia added.
With worry filling my chest, I bit my lip. I did notice a change in Colby’s mood ever since that night after prom. He was distracted most of the time and just less himself. It was seriously making me worry, because I could sense that something was wrong, but then if that was the case, wouldn't Colby tell me?
Knowing my boyfriend, probably not, since he wouldn't want me to worry, but I was worrying already anyway.
Wow I was babbling.
I continued to watch as Colby jerked, and pulled his phone from his pocket. His face turned to stone as he abruptly stood up and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving his friends staring at his retreating back.
Tyler caught my eye and heaviness filled my heart. Something was wrong, and Colby wasn’t telling me anything, and it seemed like he had no plans to. All thoughts of me not wanting to force my boyfriend to tell me what was bothering him flew out the window. Cynthia squeezed my hand, but I barely felt it. Without a word, I stood up and followed Colby.
The hallway was almost empty, but I could hear his voice echo through the walls. He was talking in rapid-fire Portuguese, and even though I passed Spanish class, I couldn’t wrap my head around the words. His back was on me, and I was a couple of feet away but still I could see the tension in his shoulders.
Colby took his phone away from his ear and muttered a few words, which I was sure to be curses. He shook his head and turned, and froze when he saw me. A very forced smile then claimed his lips, and my brows furrowed, slightly in disbelief that he thought that smile would work. He realized it, too, and the smile slipped off his face. He blew out a breath and began walking towards me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.
“Nothing—,” he began, but I cut him off.
“I know it’s not nothing,” I said, my voice slightly cracking. “There’s obviously something off, and you can’t deny it, Colby.” I looked up at him and saw that his eyes were a dark green, almost like how leaves look in the middle of a storm.
I bit my lip and tried not to cry at the thought that entered my brain. Clearing my throat, I croaked out, “I-is there s-something wrong with u-us?”
Colby’s eyes widened and softened at the same time. His arms were around me the next second, and he mumbled to my hair that there could never be anything wrong with us.
“Then what is it?” I pressed, my words muffled by his chest as my arms tightened around him.
He sighed, then pulled back of our embrace just enough to look me in the eye.
“My father wants me to go back to Brazil.”
My mind went blank and I stared at him blankly for a few seconds before I found my voice.
“Wha..?” I managed to croak out. His father, back to Brazil.
It felt like I was in a middle of a prank, except that I wasn’t. I was standing in the school hall, in Colby’s arms, and this was very real.
His fingers dug gently on my back, and I blurted out, “When?”
Colby’s eyebrows lowered, and a look of concern and frustration graced his features. One of his hands retreated from my back, and he swiped his face with it in a tensed manner. I bit my lip to keep from doing something stupid, like tearing up or even stupider, sobbing openly. My heart thudded in my chest as I waited for Colby to answer my question, because he just had to answer.
“After graduation.”
The thudding suddenly stopped, and my heart fell.
Graduation was on Friday.
Three days away.
The bell rang.
*****
He assured me, hurriedly, that he wouldn't go, that he would keep arguing with and rejecting his dad. He wouldn't go back to Brazil. He wouldn't. I could still hear the desperate firmness in his voice.
The rest of the day flew by. It seemed like Colby didn't tell anyone else, because Tyler kept throwing curious glances at me while we were stood at the parking lot. Come to think about it though, I probably looked like a mess. In one of my classes, my seatmate had to call my name three times before I snapped out of it.
Colby drove me home and I could feel the stress from him, leeching out of his pores. I leaned my head against the window, my eyes trained outside. Slightly blurred trees passed by and I took deep breaths in an attempt to calm my nerves.
I couldn't even imagine Colby leaving. Sure, granted that he might leave for college, but the farthest he could get to was just a couple of miles away. And he would still be in the same country as me, not an entire continent away.
My heart seriously hurt just thinking about it.
We pulled up in front of my house, and Colby let out a sigh.
“This is why I didn't want to tell you,” he said quietly. “I don’t want you to worry over nothing.”
Okay, so my boyfriend thought that his father asking him to come to Brazil after graduation which was only three days away was nothing to worry about. I felt a surge of anger course through me, but I pushed it down, not wanting to yell at Colby for being momentarily dumb.
Instead, I took another deep breath and muttered, “Why is he asking you to come back?”
Colby blinked, and shook his head. “I don’t know.” Then his expression became hard. “It’s just how my dad is, he makes these ridiculous decisions and shoves them down my throat.”
He slumped down on his seat and added in a low voice, “Even when I’m a million miles away.”
I didn't answer. I didn't really know what to say. Should I tell him, yes don’t go, I probably wouldn't be able to bear you not being here with me, or should I go the practical route and ask him to find out first why his father wanted him in Brazil?
The selfishness in me won, but I didn't want to say anything, so that was what I did. I kept quiet.
“You know I’m not going, right?” Colby said a few minutes later, cutting through the silence. I turned to look at him and found his eyes, so green, so dark, so lovely. I nodded, because I knew he meant what he said.
“Can you please say something?” He asked, a hint of desperation clouding his face.
I felt my chest constrict, and I then realized how intense the blow of this situation was for Colby. He was doing excellent here in Chicago, about to graduate high school, had friends and me, and now boom—he was being asked to leave it all behind by his father whom he wasn't close to very much.
My hand reached out for his hand and I twined my fingers with his. He immediately squeezed my hand and held it up to his lips to give it a little kiss. My heart ached again.
He asked me to say something, so I did.
“I love you.”
We parted ways after that, him placing a lingering, toe-curling kiss on my lips before he walked toward Susan’s house. Now I sat on my bed, trying hard not to think about Colby leaving. Because he wasn't leaving. He told me he wasn't, and I believed him.
Flopping back on my pillows, I felt across the top of my bedside table for my phone. I had left it at home during the mad scramble to get to school this morning. It wasn't my fault Colby decided to honk like a possessed man.
One voicemail received
I held the phone against my ear to listen and as I did, my heart jumped to my throat.
It was Lea. Colby’s mother. She told me how Colby’s phone was off, so she decided to call me instead. She told me how Colby’s dad asked for her help, and now she was asking mine.
And she told me exactly why Colby was needed back in Brazil.
When the voicemail ended, my ear felt like it was on fire. The hand holding the phone went limp by my side, and it took me a few minutes before my brain told me to call Lea back. It rang twice before she picked up.
“Kayla!” She exclaimed, a little frantically. “Is Colby with you?”
“Hi Lea,” I said quietly. “No, Colby isn’t with me right now.” I paused and nibbled on my lower lip a little before asking, in the same quiet voice, “How bad is it?”
Lea sighed, and said, “Let’s just say Carlos wouldn't insist Colby to go home if it wasn't that serious.” She sighed again, and added, “I know they talk sometimes, and Carlos was okay with Colby being independent, but… he even asked for my help.”
I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding in, and my voice shook as I whispered, “I see.”
“Oh, Kayla,” Lea gushed, and she sounded like she was in tears. “I’m so sorry, but I have to agree with Carlos here. Colby needs to come home. She’s asking for him, baby girl.” She paused, then she added in a broken voice, “She doesn't have time, sweetie.”
I heard her sniffle, and I bit my own trembling lip as I struggled to keep my tears at bay.
“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll talk to him.”
“I know it’s hard, sweetheart,” Lea said. “But it won’t take too long.” She offered, but I could hear the slight hesitance in her voice. “He will be back before you even know it.”
We hung up, and that was when I finally let go. I cried for me, I cried for Colby, and I cried for his grandmother and his family. His dying grandmother in Brazil, who was asking for him. As I laid in bed, I thought of all the things Colby had done for me. It was like a movie in rewind, and I couldn't stop it.
He had given me some of my best days, and he had made me feel special. He had done so, so much for me.
This time, it was my turn.
****
There was clear surprise in Colby’s face once he saw me at Susan’s front door. He blinked, then a smile graced his face. It made a sharp pain shoot at my chest, but I smiled back. He was beautiful, how could I not smile back?
“Hey,” he said, stepping aside to let me in. I nodded my thanks.
“Susan’s out?” I asked, though I knew she was because her car’s not in the driveway.
“Grocery shopping,” Colby answered as he stuffed his hands on his front pockets. “She took Cam with her.”
I nodded again, and suddenly felt anxious. I wanted to run out of there and not talk to him about leaving, but I had to. My feet stayed put even though they very much wanted to move out the door.
“We need to talk,” I blurted out as I turned to face him.
His eyebrows rose, then furrowed almost immediately. “Okay… is the den okay?”
“Yeah.”
We made our way to the den and sat on the couch. He turned to me with an uncertain expression while I just stared at the TV, my right leg bouncing.
Just say it, Kayla.
“You need to go.”
There was a sharp intake of breath, and Colby said, “Look, we've already talked about this—“
“Your mom called me,” I said, cutting him off. I turned to look at him, and I saw the curious expression in his eyes, mixed with a bit of panic. I almost burst into tears then, but I took a deep breath, and it helped. Sort of.
“Colby, your grandma,” I began, and the panic began to overtake the curiosity, and the green of Colby’s eyes turned murky. My hands started shaking, and I stuffed them under my legs. “She’s really, really sick and she’s asking for you.”
His face crumpled, and he asked hoarsely, “What?”
“She doesn't have much time,” I whispered, though all I wanted was to scream away the heaviness in my chest. This was hard—so hard—but I would not let Colby not spend time with his grandmother. There was no way I was going to let that happen.
Colby ran his hands through his hair and stuttered, “B-but—“
Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed his forearms and brought them down, sliding my hands until I reached his own. I looked down at his hands, cradled in mine. They were big and a little calloused and strong, and they were cradled in mine.
I looked up, a sudden bolt of determination rushing through me, and I told him, “I won’t let your grandma be another Sondra in your life.” I then cupped his cheeks and looked straight to his eyes.
“I won’t let your grandma be another Sondra in your life, you hear me?”
Colby’s eyes turned watery, and his own lower lip trembled. I felt tears spring in my eyes, too, but I continued talking as I stroke his cheeks with my thumbs.
Closing my eyes, I touched my forehead to his. “Your family needs you, Colby.”
I pressed on, talking gently. “Then, after you had made your grandma happy, you can go on and travel, just like how you told me. You can explore the world and go to Bhutan and learn and make friends and memories and have the best time of your life.”
“It’s not fair,” he croaked out. “It’s. Not. Fair.”
My heart felt like it was slowly breaking, and as dramatic as it seemed to be, it was the truth and boy did it hurt. I pulled away from him gently, and when I saw the defeated expression on his beautiful face, I just knew.
His nostrils flared a little and he asked, sadly, “What would I do without you?”
In that moment, I swore my heart exploded. I swallowed hard and let my hands trail down his neck. As tears fell down my cheeks and his, I whispered an answer.
“We would always have each other.”
*****
It was set. Colby was going to leave on Sunday. Everything between that night and that Sunday was a blur. All I remembered doing was spending as much time with Colby as possible, and crying when I wasn't with him. I told my mom and Matty, and they had been nothing but supportive of both what I did for Colby, and what I was going through. Matty even drove back home and brought me a huge tub of Pringles and a big bottle of Coke and just stayed with me, with us sprawled up on my bedroom floor for hours. I had never loved my brother more than at that moment.
Colby finally talked to his father, and that was when he fully realized and understood that yes, he had to go to Brazil. He didn't like it, but he had to, and he had accepted that he had to.
The moments Colby and I spent were some of the best, I’d have to say. It seemed like nothing was going to change, except that we knew it was, so each minute was more precious. Every word, every movement, every hug, and every kiss. He couldn't take his eyes off me, and he wouldn't stop touching me. It was as if he was trying to commit every corner of me to his memory. The thought made me both happy and sad.
Graduation came and went, and that was when Colby decided to tell Tyler, Kyle and Cynthia that he was leaving. They threw an impromptu bon voyage party that night, just the five of us. Tyler got a fire going on his backyard, and we just hung out. Ty even got marshmallows and though they were delicious, the taste wasn't enough to push that thought that Colby was leaving soon.
Cynthia called my boyfriend an ass for telling them two days before he was scheduled to leave, and then hugged him so tight that I felt my chest ache. She started crying, and Colby was shushing her. Tears prickled my eyes and I blinked rapidly until my sight blurred. A warm arm settled over my shoulders, and I automatically leaned in against Kyle.
I couldn't believe Colby would be leaving.
Just then Tyler stood up and walked near the fire, then he faced all of us. He looked a little ridiculous since he was still wearing his toga and he held out a stick of marshmallows as he said, “You guys, this should be a fun bon voyage party. Let’s save all the dramatics until later okay? Colby is still here for Santa’s sake.”
Before any of us could say anything back to Tyler, he took the last piece of mallow in his mouth, spun and walked over to the cooler, dragging it in front of us. He then fished out two wine coolers, tossing them at Kyle and Colby, then grabbed another two and tossed them at me and Cynthia. Luckily, we've entangled ourselves and caught the bottles.
Tyler got his own wine cooler, and as he twisted the cap, he smiled. He held his wine cooler up, and tilted it toward us.
“To friendship.”
I heard a low chuckle beside me and saw Kyle step forward and raised his own already opened bottle. He shot me a wink, which actually made me smile, and he said, “To friends.”
Cynthia slipped an arm around Colby’s waist and raised her bottle, too, and she looked at me and smiled as she dragged Colby forward as well until they were standing near Tyler and Kyle. Colby turned and our eyes met, and he gave me a look so full of everything. It overwhelmed my heart.
As I walked to the group, I felt truly thankful for having these people in my life.
We formed a circle, and raised our bottles filled with multi-colored liquids.
My friends.
Our circle.
Never ending.
Never broken.
*****
I had never really cared much for airports. I hadn't been to many, and I hadn't flown since I was a little kid. Now, though, as I neared the looming structure, I couldn't help but feel a very deep dislike for it.
It was my decision take a cab by myself to the airport. I didn't think I could handle being in the car with Colby and not cling to him or cry my eyes out. He understood, and he said that he wouldn't want to see me cry, either.
“You okay, miss?”
The sound of the cab driver’s voice almost made me jump. He looked at me sympathetically over his shoulder and gestured outside with his chin. I turned my head and saw that we were already in front of the airport.
“Yeah, sorry,” I mumbled and held out the fare. He smiled at me softly as I got out of the cab. There were a stream of people that entered the same time as me, but I spotted him almost immediately, just as he did with me.
He looked so handsome and so somber that I just wanted to bawl. He was leaving. Leaving. I didn't want him to, God no. But I refused to be selfish. His grandmother needed him, and even if he didn't see it now, he needed his family, too.
I walked over to him. His backpack was slung over his shoulders, and he was wearing a beanie over his head, flattening his hair against his forehead. His suitcase was perched right beside his sneaker-covered feet. Tears lined my eyes, but I didn't look away. I couldn't look away. When would I see those green eyes again? That face, those lips? That little, almost unnoticeable scar just above his right eyebrow?
He took a step closer to me. I could feel heat radiating from his body, and I could sense his smell.
“The guys were just here,” he said, his voice a little scratchy. It made my lower lip quiver, and my chest ached so painfully I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my ribcage. When was I going to hear that voice again?
“Hey,” he whispered, closing the gap between our bodies. “No crying.”
I managed to huff and roll my eyes at the absurdity of his request. “That’s impossible.”
He closed his eyes and a tiny smile appeared in his mouth, before his forehead touched mine. Our noses brushed, and his hands cupped my face. I grabbed his wrists, my own eyes closing, tears falling despite his (absurd) request.
We stayed like that for the longest time. One of his hands curled around my neck and his fingers pushed inside my hair. Our breaths mingled together. My hand rested on his chest, right above his heart. My own heart breaking all over again.
Suddenly I was in his arms, in a tight, tight hug, the kind of hug that can crush your lungs but I reveled in it, wrapping my arms as tight as I could around him, as if he wouldn't fly away from me if I could just hold on to him.
I felt his lips brush my ear, then down my cheek, and finally his lips reached mine. It was a slow, gentle kiss, and then he pulled away and pressed his lips against my forehead.
“I love you, Lala.”
A quiet sob escaped me.
“I love you, too, Beebee.”
He kept whispering, over and over again, until my heart felt a little bit better. Until he gently pulled away, brushed my nose with his, and reluctantly let me go.
My heart started to beat erratically, and every beat sounded like a resounding no.
Nono no no nono nono no no no.
He looked at me, his green eyes shining with unshed tears while a few more escaped from mine. His thumb brushed one away and I leaned into his touch, knowing it was one of the lasts.
“Close your eyes.”
No!
It was a frantic plea, but after one last look at him, I closed my eyes.
“C-count to ten.”
That break in his voice shot right through my chest, and I was crying and I knew I wasn't going to stop, especially after ten.
“One,” I breathed.
Memories flashed behind my eyelids.
“Two. Three.”
Our first meeting.
“Four.”
Our moments with Cameron.
“Five.”
I heard a shuffle, a suitcase slowly being dragged away. I sobbed the next numbers out.
“Six. Seven.”
Those days at the park where we got to know each other.
“Eight.”
How he sang that song for me.
“Nine.”
Our first kiss.
“Ten.”
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
He was gone.
My hand clapped over my mouth as I cried. This hurt like a motherfucker.
“Kayla.”
I whirled around and fell right in Susan’s arms. She was crying, too.
She stroked my hair as she let me cry, and after what seemed like hours, she whispered in my ear, “Let’s go home.”
I didn't want to. As ridiculous as it might seem, there was a part of me that was hoping that Colby would come running out of the gates and tell me that his grandma wasn’t sick, and that he could stay. Or I would wake up any second now and Colby would be next to me, and this was all just a dream.
But he didn't come bursting through the gates, and I was awake all along.
And so we went home.
*****
“Can I go to Colby’s room for a bit?” I asked Susan quietly as we neared my house. She shot me a sideways glance and nodded.
“Of course,” Susan said gently.
It was silent drive home, but I was sort of thankful for that. I didn't think I could handle talking much.
Susan let me in the house and when we were inside, she turned and looked at me. A small, sad smile appeared on her face and she drew me in for another hug. Without a word she released me and made her way to the den. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to not cry again.
The walk upstairs to Colby’s room had almost seemed normal. I had done it a lot of times these past couple of months. There were the same wooden boards, the same wall adorned with family pictures, the same citrusy smell that Susan and Cameron both loved. It was the same hallway leading to the bedrooms, the same navy blue door.
But there was no Colby trying to tickle me while climbing up the stairs, or trying to carry me on his back. And there would be no Colby to open this door.
My hand twisted the door knob and pushed open the door. His room was still the same, though I knew that there were no more clothes in the closet, his CDs were no longer complete, and so were his books. I wouldn't spend time with him in this room anymore—and I didn't know how long that would be.
I walked over to where his CD player was, and I pushed play. When the first bars of My Girl floated through the speakers, I burst into tears as I was once again flooded with memories.
Memories. Sometimes, they could be your friend, but at times they could also be your greatest enemy.
Shuffling over to the bed, I plopped down on it and his scent filled my nose, prompting more tears in my eyes. Then I noticed something peeking from beneath his pillow. I reached for it, and felt my heart grew heavy, both with an overwhelming sadness and affection.
My name was written in Colby’s scrawl on a yellow post-it stuck to the envelope. I turned it around, and there it was, the emblem and the name.
The University of Chicago.
Colby got accepted. He was going to take Chemistry, and he was planning to surprise me with it. Despite my tears, I had to smile a little. That little sneak.
A note was stuck in the inside of the envelope’s flap. With slightly shaking hands, I plucked it out.
I hope my surprise worked. Follow your dreams. Stay beautiful and strong. I’ll see you at university soon.
I love you, Lala.
Yours, BeeBee
It made me cry harder, but it also filled me up with hope and love, love for this incredible boy that would never, ever cease.
Even now that six months had passed.
Because I know, in my heart, that we would always, always have each other.
_____________________________________________________________________
It's done. :') Now, don't kill me. Hehe. This has always been my plan for the story.
Writing about Colby and Kayla's story has been such a wonderful journey, and now, it has come to and end. Gosh, I am getting teary-eyed.
Thank you for being amazing. The support and encouragement you guys have given me has been overwhelming. When I first started the story, I had never imagined it will be this loved and cherished by readers. You guys are incredible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Maraming, maraming salamat.
Sending you guys love, wherever you are.
Xo, Myca
Oh, and watch out for the epilogue *wink wink*