Wayfaring Companions

The End

The final chapter of the story based off of the winning one shot;

The End

The sky was grey, dotted with thick clouds that loomed over the trees and buildings as they slowly transitioned from place to place in the sky.

Kira shivered from the light breezes that carried wafts of chills to and fro, and she frowned to herself as she grew closer and closer to the front entrance of Washington's  main airport. She willed for her legs to stop moving so fast and to turn around and save the heartbreak and distress from saying goodbye, but her heart pounded at the thought of seeing Xander's face in person, one last time.

Her stomach grew nauseous and her throat became constricted, making it harder to swallow and harder to breathe, as she entered into a mass of panicked and busy people, her eyes set on the search for one person and one person only.

She had dreaded the day since their previous date, which has ironically also been his last, when Xander had confessed his fear of losing Kira when he'd move away to England for university. Kira had convinced herself that it would be alright; that they loved each other and always will, and that everything would end up working itself out, but something about their last date had left behind an ominous feeling. The dreaded thought that long distance relationships rarely ever worked out hadn't left her mind since Xander had kissed her goodnight that night, and she had since been terrified and unprepared to say goodbye.

Kira's legs seemed to be moving at her own accord, as her mind had finally numbed from her own destructive thoughts. She carried herself and the weight atop her shoulders through crowds of people, all who looked anxious and eager to reach their destiations. As she maneuvered through numerous terminals, she wondered if Xander was elated by the fact that he'd be leaving, and she wondered if she was selfish for hoping that he wasn't. A part of her chastised herself for being so ridiculous and borderline pathetic, but the greater part of her reminded her that her best friend who also happened to be the love of her life was an hour away from boading a plane that would transport him to his new home.

She suddenly hated the thought of planes.

Before she could process her thoughts, she found herself a mere few feet away from Xander; he was sat lazily in one of the black leather airport waiting seats with his lanky legs sprawled out before him. A stuffed duffle bag, a large suitcase, a backpack and a messenger bag accompanied him from beside his seat. His dark eyebrows were furrowed as he scrolled through something on his phone, and she observed silently as the brightness of the screen reflected onto his skin, causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle by the slightest bit.

She willed for the pace of her beating heart to slow down, and she nearly stumbled as she took her first step forward into his direction, immediately catching Xander's undivided attention. He smiled softly as he nearly shot out of his chair, immediately collecting Kira into his arms, knowing how hard she had been taking the big change.

Though she hadn't properly voiced her distaste towards the changes that came with growing up, her demeanor and expressions she had been wearing like a second skin said it all. Xander caged her cozily in his arms, and Kira blinked back tears and swallowed harshly as a salty aftertaste collected onto the roof of her mouth, serving as a bitter reminder that this moment would be the last time that they would be in each other's embrace for nearly half a year.

She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, her shaky exhales tickling the skin of Xander's neck as he held her. He brushed his fingers through her neatly short hair, trying not to think too much of all the times he had wished he'd pull her to him but didn't.