Emily and River meet in Miami, where they have the time of their lives, but it isn't meant to be: the next morning, Emily leaves for San Francisco, leaving both their hearts broken. They don't think they'll ever see each other again.
Emily goes back...
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"Are you okay?"
River asked it quietly, as if he was afraid, even though there was nothing he could be afraid of. He didn't have to take the plane in the morning to be greeted by his not-so-amused mother, to say it lightly. She wondered if he even cared that she was leaving tomorrow already.
"Just my mom," she said, averting her face and avoiding to look him in the eyes. "She's... not so pleased I left." She'd called three times yesterday, demanding her to take the plane back home, and Emily hadn't even checked her phone for any text messages her mother could've sent. Knowing her, it would be at least a hundred. Her mother was someone that tended to exaggerate things. Emily was just gone for three days. That her mother didn't like it because she'd been gone for three years before that, was understandable, but she needed this break - that was a concept that was hard to grasp for her mother, who always had her way.
"Why?" River asked her.
She took a deep breath. Could she even answer that question? "Because..." she started. "She's of the opinion that I should be with family right now."
He nodded slowly. As if he understood. Could anyone ever understand what she was going through? Jason came the closest, but he didn't seem to be bothered by the trauma they'd both gone through.
"It's a hard time for the family?" he asked.
'Hard' didn't even begin to describe it. "Yes." Both she and her parents suffered from what she'd been through, the memories haunting her dreams and her parents becoming overprotective of her, not wanting to lose her again. The second time could be for good.
"I hope you're okay," he said, and something in his voice spoke caring and lovingly, something that caused her to break. No one had ever told her that. They always asked her about what happened or how it was then—as if, now that she was out of her imprisonment, everything was alright.
Nothing about this was alright.
And even though he didn't know anything about her story, he understood more than anyone else. He asked her how she was and it was all she wished for.
"I will be." Hopefully. Not a day went by where she wished this all came to an end, or that she could forget about it. It would make everything much easier if she could just move on.
She picked her bag up, cleaned it of sand and put it on her arm again, ready to continue the walk in silence. It was what she needed; after a hectic and tense time, she wanted a break. That was what she was here for, and she wasn't about to let anyone, not her mother nor River, take that away from her.
"What time is it?" she asked.
He glanced at his watch. "Nine. Do you want to go already?"
She nodded. "I'm sorry..." She hated to disappoint him.
"That's okay," he smiled.
"I'm boring, I know," she said. "But it was nice meeting you." And it wasn't until she said those words, that she realized this was goodbye. Not only did they split up after this, she'd never see him again. Ever. What were the chances of her going back to Miami and bumping into him again?
