Close As Enemies

Twenty-Nine.

Now Playing... The Other 

    As soon as I walked into my room the night before, my head hit the pillow. I wanted to get rid of the memories from last night as much as possible-- too bad I still had a hangover the next morning.

Unwillingly, I got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen, where Wes was sitting, eating a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch. I sat beside him, causing him to look at me, and he immediately stood, grabbed two ibuprofen and a bottle of water, and handed them to me.

I greedily took the items he brought, and he chuckled as I downed them in an instant. "This is why we don't drink, Molls."

I rolled my eyes, glaring, and he faintly chuckled as he sat beside me. I glanced at him. "So, when are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "How about I take you for lunch and I'll tell you there?"

I nodded, and Wes disappeared upstairs to get ready. I soon followed, slipping on a pair of skinny jeans and a loose v-neck, before braiding my hair and meeting Wes by the front door. He decided he was going to drive my truck, and as much as I protested, he ended up driving anyway.

Wes took us to Olive Garden, and once we got our table and drinks, he sighed heavily, unable to look at me. "I don't know how I'm supposed to tell you this, Molls."

"It can't be that hard." I mumbled, and he chuckled, finally looking at me.

"This is the hardest thing I've ever done." I grabbed his hand, drawing circles against his skin with my thumb. He shot me a faint smile. "I... I got a call about two weeks ago from a woman in London."

"London? As in, London in the United Kingdom?"

He nodded, his grip on my hand tightening as his eyebrows furrowed. "When I tell you this, please don't get mad at me." He sighed, looking up at me with those green eyes that seemed to pierce through me. "I'm going to school in London for two years."

My heart dropped in my chest. "You're serious?" My voice betrayed me as it cracked at the end, and he nodded. "Why-- When are you leaving?"

"That's the hardest part." He looked away from me, sighing, before his eyes met mine again. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

My heart shattered. We had been doing so well lately, minus the slip up the days before, and then all of a sudden, he was leaving. There was nothing I could do to stop him either. I wouldn't stop him, especially if it was what he wanted. But my heart still couldn't get over the fact that he was leaving me again.

"Tomorrow?" I glared, forcing myself not to cry. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He closed his eyes, looking down. "I didn't have the heart to."

"But you had the heart to tell me the day before you left, as if that would make it better? As if I would be perfectly okay?"

"I didn't expect you to be okay with it." Sobs escaped my lips, and he pulled me into a tight hug. I held onto him so tightly that nothing could pry us apart. He sighed, caressing my hair. "I'm sorry, Molls."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my head in his shoulder. "I don't want to lose you again."

"You won't." He kissed my forehead. "I'll still be your best friend no matter where I am."

Once we finished eating, Wes paid for our food, and we returned home. I went to my room to change my clothes, and when I walked downstairs, Wes had blankets, milkshakes, and movies ready.

"What's this?"

He smiled. "Since this is our last night together, I thought we would have a movie night like we used to."

As I sat on the couch beside Wes, the title screen for A Walk to Remember appeared on the TV screen, and I gasped, smiling widely. "This is my favorite movie!"

"I know, Molls." Wes smiled. "That's why I chose it."

As the movie started, we sipped on our milkshakes, our feet propped up on the coffee table, the blankets draped over our legs. There was something tragically beautiful about that movie, even with its sad ending. It was the way Landon loved Jamie, as if she had been the only girl in the world, and the way he was willing to do anything for her, especially in her final days. Their love story had always been one of my favorites, and I could only hope that one day, I would have someone who loved me like Landon loved Jamie.

By the end of the movie, I was hysterically sobbing with my head buried in Wes' shoulder, and he had his arm wrapped around me, chuckling as he held me tight.

"Why are you crying?"

"You know why. I've told you a million times."

He laughed. "You're right, and every single time, I question it more. It's just a movie."

"But they--"

"I know, they had such a beautiful love story, and Landon cared so much for Jamie, but Jamie died too soon, and they deserved a happier ending, but it's still amazing how even after she died, Landon still holds her in his heart like he does-- trust me, Molls. I've had that rant memorized since we first watched it on your thirteenth birthday."

I rolled my eyes, punching his arm. "You could show a little emotion."

"I would, but I'm not a hormonal girl who cries over ever predictable romantic movie."

"Shut up."

Wes busted out laughing, and seeing him genuinely laugh like that warmed my heart. He hadn't laughed like that around me since we stopped being friends, and it was enough to make me laugh too. We laughed until we physically couldn't anymore, and then Wes cupped my cheek, sighing as his thumb gently caressed my skin. I leaned into his hand, my eyes never leaving his.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Molls."

I wrapped my arms around him, burying my head in the crook of his neck. "I'll miss you too."

For a couple minutes, we were silent. He had his arms wrapped tightly around him, enveloping me in his warmth, and I tried my best not to let the tears in my eyes leave, but thinking about him leaving again... it was breaking my heart in a way I hadn't expected.

"Is this really the end?" I whispered.

"For now, but it's only two years." He caressed my hair, pulling me closer. "I'm not leaving you again, Molls. I promise I'll come back."

And that was the last night I spent with the best friend I had lost, gained...

And then lost again.