Soft (Kleinsen)

Bye

As the summer went on, the males got really close. At one point, they announced that they were officially dating.

Evan felt more confident with Jared. He felt proud and bold when he was with him. It was an odd yet amazing feeling.

Jared put his guard down when he was with Evan. He felt safe and not judged. He loved the feeling of being able to be himself without anyone hating him for it.

Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end. As the first day of classes creeped closer, Jared began to pack his luggage to leave for college.

They tried to make the most of the couple days they still had together, but Jared's departure was too soon.

Evan accompanied Jared to the airport, as well as his mom and Heidi. Many tears were shed, and repetitive "i'll miss you's." were said.

Jared and Evan seemed to be the most heartbroken. They repeatedly kissed each other and sobbed.

Jared wiped Evan's tears from his cheeks. "Hey, hey. Don't worry. I'm not going to forget about you." He sniffled as he caressed Evan's cheeks.

Evan simply nodded, holding on tightly to the boy. They didn't move or say anything. They just wanted the moment to last as long as possible.

"The flight to Toronto, Canada will be leaving in approximately ten minutes. If you have not yet checked in yet, please do so now," said a booming female voice.

Jared was the first to let go. He grabbed his suitcases, wiping off his wet cheeks. "Bye mom, Heidi." He nodded towards the two women. "Bye Evan," Jared gave him a small smile as he turned around and walked away.

Evan tried to stop himself from crying but he couldn't. It was like never ending tears. Before he knew it, he had caught up to Jared and grabbed his hand. He messily smashed his lips with the other's.

After a couple of seconds they parted. "I love you," mumbled Evan.

"I do too."

🌿

After Jared left, the days seemed to drag on. He worked at the only café that would hire him. There, he attempted to make friends, but all of them were mostly just teenagers who didn't care or college students who just wanted to get the job done.

He texted Jared every now and then, but it was rare if they had a normal conversation because he was always so busy with classes and homework.

Soon, they just stopped talking. Heidi felt devastated as she watched all of this unfold. She tried everything to cheer up her son but it was never enough.

It hurt to see Evan go back to who he was in high school. No pride, no friends and no one to talk to.

Jared promised him he would arrive for Halloween and Christmas and New Year's but he didn't.

He gave the same excuses to his mother whenever they asked. Too much money. He couldn't afford it. Staying for extra classes and work.

Evan's world was breaking apart until he ran into someone.

Zoe Murphy. She was as beautiful as ever, but his feelings for her had faded away.

After venting to her, she tried her best to make him feel better. They grew closer and were officially friends, something Evan had never expected.

~~~~~

Sorry for the super short chapter. But, I'm planning for something kind of dramatic for the next one. You could probably kind of figure it out already!!

Anyways, thank you all for voting on the covers, I'll be choosing one after publishing the next chapter.

Also, I have tests next week, so I'm guessing I'll probably procrastinate my studying and focus my attention onto this book!!

Hope you enjoyed. My name is Eli, and I appreciate your existence!