Virus 3 - The Final Chapter

27th August 2042

Harper 

I sit across from Luis in the jeep, half an hour away from Chicago. I haven't talked to him since he proposed, and was only made to sit in the front since Antoinette, Amelia and Margo all wanted to talk to each other about something I'm not allowed to know about. I'm gathering it's about the bruise on Amelia's cheek.

I can see Luis's eyes flick over to me every now and then. He was waiting for me to say something, but I wasn't going to. I don't know what to say; 'Hey, sorry for breaking your heart the other day, let's pretend you never proposed to me'.

"You're a quiet one lately." He attempted to spark a conversation. I look beside at him, his eyes trained on the road.

"I don't have anything to say." I sighed. He scoffed, gripping the wheel tighter.

"Come on," He said, "Once we hit Chicago I know you won't talk to me for weeks. Your parents blame me for leaving you alone so they won't let me see you. You won't come and see me because of the thing that happened a few days ago. Can't we just talk for the last couple minutes?"

"Of course you're going to see me." I scoffed.

"You really think that?" He said. "I don't."

"Come on Luis."

"Harper -"

"I love you Luis." I interrupted. "I'm in love with you."

"If you loved me, talking to me shouldn't be this hard." He said. "I mean, I love you too and you should've expected me to do what I did."

"Can we just forget it?" I asked. He clenched his jaw, turning the wheel to the left roughly so we pulled over on the side of the dirt road.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"What's wrong?" Amelia asked.

"Look I'm sorry I proposed Harper."

"You proposed?" Margo scoffed.

"I'm sorry, but I don't regret it." He continued, ignoring Margo's interruption. "I don't regret it because that was the only way I could see myself expressing the way I loved you."

"Luis please -"

"I love you Harper but I'm not going to stay in a relationship that is filled with silence and awkward glances at each other." He looked at me, his eyes filled with desperation.

"I don't know what you want me to say." I shrugged.

"I want to know whether you want this relationship or not? Whether you're going to put effort in." He asked.

"You shouldn't have to put effort into a relationship. If it's meant to be it will be effortless." I said. He smiled angrily, turning the car back on. He pulled back onto the road, not saying another word. "Luis?"

"I love you Harper," He sighed, "But I'm done."

"Done?" I scoffed.

"Luis think about this." Amelia said.

"I don't need to, Harper made this decision for herself." He said. "I'm tired of trying to make everyone happy all the time."

"I don't need you to make me happy all the time." I shook my head.

"Just stop," He sighed, "I don't want this anymore Harper. I'm sorry it took me so long to realise."

+++

We pull in through the gates of Chicago. Willow and Beau are the first people I see, and my heart drops. They lost Noah and they don't even know. Then there was Uncle Hudson and Aunt Emmeline, beside them Joe who has lost Lou and doesn't know either. My parents, Lincoln and Ruby stand next to Luis's parents, Alex and Grayson.