A Light in the Dark // Flicker Series Part I #wattys2019

See You Soon

Chapter 59
Niall's POV // See You Soon

Goodbyes don't get easier.

I've had Evie with me for 2 weeks, and while that seemed like a long amount of time...It wasn't. It flew by.

Now we have to go back to reality, and unfortunately for the time being our realities are different.

I'm immensely excited to spend Thanksgiving with her and finally meet her family.

I keep telling myself that the two weeks between now and then will go by as quickly as the two she's spent here, but somehow the time spent without her drags on much longer.

"Is everything in the car?" Evie asks as she walks down the stairs into the living room.

"Yep. All packed up." I nod, forcing a half smile.

"It will be here before we know it." She returns a half smile of her own and cups may face with her hand.

I kiss her palm, like she usually does to me and then hug her tightly.

"I know." I sigh.

I kiss her on the lips, taking my time and savoring every second.

Goodbyes never get easier.

I help her into her jacket and then put my own on.

She's leaving in the sweater I wore yesterday and that makes my heart swell.

Evie loves wearing my clothes and frankly I love seeing her in them. When she told me how much she loved having my hoodie with her before she came here, I pretty much decided then and there that she could take whatever she wanted if it made her happy and gave her some connection to me.

Selfishly, it also makes me feel connected when I'm not with her. It sounds dumb, I know... but if I can't wrap my arms around her then I image my clothing giving her the warmth I can't provide. 

When she looked at me after I took the sweater off yesterday, I knew what she was thinking. I smiled, spritzed it a couple of times with my cologne and set it next to her suitcase.

She smiled widely, confirming I was right and also solidifying that I will literally give her anything if it puts that smile on her face.

The usually crowded streets of London were remarkable empty, and it almost pained me how quickly we arrived at the airport.

"Goodbyes here?" She asks me from the passenger seat, as I pull up outside of the terminal.

"If we have to." I chuckle weakly.

"2 weeks. We've done longer." She says like she's trying to convince herself.

"One day we won't have to do this as often right?" I ask, with a pouty look on my face.

"I hope so." She smiles and it makes my heart flutter.

The thought of forever with someone has never excited me as much is it does with her.

I lean over, taking my time to show her how much I love her once again. I'm very thankful for whoever invented tinted windows.

"Does your family do that thing where you go around the table and say something you're thankful for?" I ask her.

"Yeah, it's not really formal but we do make it a point to say what we're thankful for." She explains.

"Good. I think the thing i'll be most thankful for at Thanksgiving will be that the next two weeks will be over by then." I chuckle.

"You and me both." She smiles, kissing me back, taking her time as well.

She insists that she can get her suitcase on her own so that I don't get any attention drawn to myself, but I refuse not be a proper boyfriend and treat her like a queen, for fear of being spotted. I know she's more than capable of taking care of herself, but I want to show her that she shouldn't always have to do everything on her own.

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, you know that?" She asks me, palms flat against my chest.

My hands are on top of hers. We're standing wide open on the sidewalk of the terminal drop of, but I could care less.

"Ditto." I wink, repeating her new little phrase.

"I'll see you soon, yeh?" She smiles up at me, continuing our deal from the very first time we did this when I left Nashville.

We don't say goodbye, we say see you soon.

"14 and a half days." I say specifically, which makes her laugh. "I love you. Call me when you land." I instruct, pecking her on the lips.

She slips away quickly but I pull her back, once more not caring who is standing around watching or who could be taking pictures right now. All I care about is showing this wonderful woman just how much I love her, because I never want her to forget it.

"I love you, more." Evie smiles up at me, eyes locked with mine in our own little trance for a few seconds. She squeezes my hand and lets go as she takes her suitcase and enters the airport.

I hear the gasps and whispers all around me, but it still takes me a few seconds before I'm able to remove myself from the sidewalk and get back in the car after watching her disappear out of sight.