everyone stood silently, the busy airport seeming to move slowly around them. no one wanted to be the first to say goodbye to vanessa and julian.
they had spent the previous day at disneyland, riding every ride twice and eating churros. it was probably everyone's favorite memory of everyone together.
the intercom above them cackled into life, "flight 321 to new york now boarding at gate 7D."
the dreaded moment had arrived and it seemed like everyone was ready to cry. jc was the first to move, pulling julian and vanessa into a quick hug.
"i'm glad we were able to meet y'all." jc said, pulling back from the hug and giving them a smile.
franny stepped up and the tears in her eyes were visible.
"i'm going to miss you guys." she mumbled, hugging them both separately. they pulled away from their hug and franny wiped at her eyes.
"damn it, i said i wasn't going to cry." she laughed, trying to stop her tears.
"you guys are going to make me cry." vanessa's voice wobbled as everyone began to pulll them into a group hug.
everyone began to disperse, wishing them a good flight and telling them that they'd hope to see them soon.
crawford and kian were the only 2 who remained after the rest had left.
"well, i think that you're officially my new best friend and what kind of best friend would i be if i didn't come bearing a goodbye gift." crawford said, holding up a small pink bag in his hand.
vanessa smiled, shaking her head.
"you're ridiculous. you can't just keep buying me presents." vanessa laughed, accepting the gift and pulling him in for a hug.
"it's my money, so i'm pretty sure i can. but take care, ness. don't become a stranger." crawford jokes, before walking away and waving.
"i guess it's my turn then?" kian says, being the only one left.
vanessa nodded, biting her lip slightly, trying to stop it from quivering.
kian didn't say anything else, but wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. he knew it would hurt to see her leave but didn't expect to be so unprepared.
"don't cry, okay? it's not goodbye, just a see you later, literally. you're going to facetime me as soon as you step off the plane, got it?" he said, pulling away from the hug, but not fully letting go of her.
"i will."
"oh, and before i forget, crawford isn't the only one who brings gifts. i never got to give you my christmas present to you so here." he says, pulling out a small box from his sweatpants.
she grabs the box from him and was about to open it, but was interrupted by the intercom, once again, letting them know that her flight would be leaving soon.
"thank you." vanessa replied, pulling him into another hug.
kian quickly kissed her and slipped off his hoodie, holding it out to her.
"just so you can have me close." kian explains, making vanessa accept it.
she stands on the tips of her toes and plants a kiss on his cheek, before finally walking away, following julian's footsteps towards the boarding gate.
after the longest flight of her life, they finally stepped off the plane back in new york.
"we're back!" vanessa cheered as her and julian made their way out the airport.
"it's about time, i don't think i could've handled any more of the california heat, like it's january. i expect weather in the low 50s at least." julian complained.
the cold winter air bit at their cheeks, giving them a red tint as they waited for mallory and miguel to pick them up.
after a short wait, a familiar black honda civic pulled up in front of them. their two friends hurriedly exiting the car and engulfing them in a hug.
"we missed you!" mallory said, pulling away from their hug as miguel set their luggage in the trunk of the car.
"we missed you guys, too."
"you know what i missed? this weather." julian answered his own question, voluntarily standing in the cold air, ignoring how it was sending shivers down his spine.
they laughed and then entered the car, vanessa sitting in the passenger's seat next to mallory who was driving.
a random pop song played through the speakers of the car, filling the silence, apart from miguel and julian's small snores in the back seat.
the song ended and before the next one could begin, mallory spoke up.
"so, how was la?" she asked, trying to get the inside scoop about everything that happened.
"it was good, we hit a little rough patch but nonetheless, good." vanessa replied, stiffling a yawn.
she was more than glad to share every detail of the trip with her, but the jet lag was setting in and vanessa just wanted sleep.
"if you weren't as tired as you are, you know i wouldn't let you off the hook so easily." mallory teased.
"oh, i know, but i'll tell you everything in the morning." vanessa said as they pulled up to their apartment building.
entering their apartment gave vanessa a sense of relaxation knowing she was finally going to be sleeping in her own bed once again.
vanessa rolled her luggage through the small hallway, more than eager to head straight to bed.
she slipped off her shoes, not even taking the time to change her clothes and laid herself into the bed, under her covers, the memories of the trip circling through her mind, leaving a small smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep.
a/n: i'm trash at updating i hope you didn't think the last chapter was the end , because if i'm being honest, this is just the beginning ;)
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
