California

Mikey’s POV

The air was thick with sadness and quiet. I sullenly sat on the edge of my bed as I watched her gather all of her belongings. She walked from my room to the bathroom and back again what seemed like a thousand times. Neither of us spoke; there was nothing to say. We both knew what the other was feeling. She looked exhausted. The bags under her eyes had magnified and were puffy and purple, her hair was piled erratically on the top of her head. She still managed to look stunning.

She put the last of her items in the suitcase and attempted to zip it up. She tried for several long moments before sighing in aggravation and pushing it away from her. I silently walked over to where she was sat on the floor with her back against the wall. I kneeled down and pushed the contents in further, allowing her to successfully close it. Her eyes met mine and my breath caught in my throat. I leaned in and kissed her lips before sitting next to her and wrapping my arms around her body. She nuzzled into my neck and sighed again, both of us frowning at the luggage in front of us.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I don’t want to go.” I placed my head on top of hers and inhaled deeply, the smell of strawberries making me sigh in content. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table and glowered at the small red numbers that indicated we’d have to leave in about fifteen minutes in order for her to meet the guys at the airport.

“We’ll see each other in a couple months,” I stated, unsure if I was trying to reassure her or myself.

“A couple months,” she repeated and nodded slowly.

“I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too,” she said and pulled my neck down for a kiss. I rested my forehead against her and reveled in the feeling of her skin on mine, savoring it. She brushed some hair out of my eyes and smiled sadly at me. I tried to return it, but I just didn’t have it in me. She weaved our hands together and stroked my hand lightly with her thumb. Somehow parting ways this time was much harder than last. The dread and impending doom swarmed inside my stomach like bees hitting my insides repeatedly with tiny baseball bats. I felt more attached to her this time, if that was even possible. Or maybe I was just more upset because we got less than a week this time. Either way, it was eating my insides. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she slid it out, glancing at the screen before looking back to me glumly. “The guys are on their way to the airport.”

I nodded silently and stood up, pulling her with me. “You have everything?”

“I think so, yeah.” I ran my thumb along her jaw before grabbing her hand and her suitcase, starting to the door. When we got downstairs, Trixie appeared out of the kitchen with her tail wagging. It broke my heart to know she’d be sad when I returned without Skylar; they’d grown close these past few days. Sky leaned down and squished her into a hug, mumbling sweet things in her ear and giving her kisses. Trixie licked at her cheek enthusiastically before Sky stood up and smiled sadly at her. I held the door open for her, though she hesitated. She turned and let her eyes graze over every inch visible of my flat. When she was ready, she turned and gave Trixie one last scratch behind the ears before stepping into the sunlight. How ironic that it was such a beautiful day for something so dismal. I locked the door and headed to the car, letting her in before hauling the bag into my trunk.

I piled in and started the ignition, looking over at her. She was staring out the window at my flat with a frown plastered on her face. I grabbed her hand and pressed my lips to her knuckles before shifting into drive and signaling away from the curb. She turned her attention to the road in front of us once my street was no longer in view. She hit my bicep lightly and when I glanced over, she held her hand out. My lips turned in to their first genuine smile of the day as I took her hand in mine.

“Can I turn on the radio?” she asked after several miles in silence. I nodded and she switched the button on, my own voice filling the speakers and I cringed. She smirked at me. “I love this song.”

“Switch it, please. I hate listening to my own songs,” I groaned as the chorus to Getaway started. She smiled and turned to another station, a Pierce the Veil song coming on.

“It’s a good day for radio,” she commented and leaned back in her seat. I had never heard the song before, but it was quite catchy, although the lyrics were morbid.

“What’s this song called?” I questioned as I slowed to a stop in front of a red light.

“Bulletproof Love. It’s one of my favorites.” I nodded and listened to the chorus again, feeling sad that my friend had felt bad enough to write this. She hummed along quietly and I’m not sure she was even aware she was doing it.

The song faded to a close as I made the turn into the airport parking lot. There was a long line of cars stressing to find a parking spot, so we crawled along behind them. I bit the inside of my cheek as I glanced at the time. I adjusted my head to attempt to see around the cars. “At this rate, you’ll miss your flight.”

“Wouldn’t be so bad,” she smiled and pulled out her phone. “Can we take another picture?”

“Again?” I asked, referring to the fifty pictures we took that morning. She batted her eyelashes at me and gave me puppy dog eyes. I sighed and grinned at her phone, the flash going off. She looked at the finished product and smiled, setting it as her wallpaper.

“Send that to me, please,” I said as I found a parking spot and squeezed in. I attempted to open my door but there was about five inches for me to try to get out of without scratching the car next to me. I looked over at Sky and she was in the same predicament.

“How are we supposed to get out?” she laughed. I smirked and pointed up at the sunroof.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not, darling,” I grinned and opened it, stepping on the center console and standing up into the fresh air. I could hear her giggling from inside the car as I struggled to climb out. Eventually she got tired of waiting and pushed my butt out, making me nearly roll off of the car. I landed with a thud on the trunk and turned to see her smirking at me from inside.

“Get your arse out here,” I laughed and got the baggage from the trunk. I smirked as she got stuck in the same position I was in. “Stuck there, are you?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest. She was laughing uncontrollably and wiggled around.

“Mikey, help me, you dick,” she wheezed. I saw several people staring at us with confused looks as they passed us. I smirked and grabbed her arms and pulled, making her fall onto the trunk as I had. She sat up and brushed her bangs out of her face. She smiled at me and hopped onto the ground, walking past me. “You laugh all you want, but you’re the one who is going to have to crawl back in.”

I huffed and took a couple strides to catch up with her, grabbing her hand. We walked within the large crowd towards the airport. We checked her baggage in and walked into the vast open waiting area. We spotted the guys scattered on the chairs and Tony was sleeping on the floor. We sauntered over to them, taking our time.

“Hey, guys,” she said. Vic looked up with dark circles under his eyes and smiled at us. Mike nodded and Jaime waved slightly.

“Did you have fun?” Jaime spoke. Both of us nodded.

“Thanks for giving her a few days off, guys. It’s much appreciated,” I spoke.

“Thanks for making her happy,” Vic smiled again and then yawned, making Mike yawn as well.

“Flight 42 to San Diego, California is now boarding. I repeat, flight 42 to San Diego, California is now boarding,” a woman’s voice filtered out from the large speakers. I squeezed Skylar’s hand tighter and Jaime gave us a sad smile before nudging Tony to wake him up. Neither of us moved as the guys got up and grabbed their carry-ons.

“See you, man,” Vic shook my hand.

“Take care,” Mike said and gave me a hug.

“See you soon,” Jaime smiled and gave me a hug. Tony was still groggy from waking up so he just mumbled something unintelligible and started towards their gate. I said farewell to the guys and watched as they handed their boarding pass to the stewardess and boarded the plane.
Sky turned to face me and frowned.

“I guess this is it.” I nodded and connected our lips, attempting to etch into my memory how amazing it felt. She traced my lower lip with her tongue and soon our mouths were moving in perfect synchronization as our tongues danced together. I cupped her cheek and pulled her closer to me, pouring every emotion I had into the kiss. She tangled her hands in my hair and I swear the world stopped. The hub of noise surrounding us drifted away until the only sound I heard was her heart beating against my chest. Our arms were a tangled mess as they roamed each other’s bodies, desperate to cling to each other.

It felt like it lasted mere seconds, although it must have been much longer because Jaime’s hands on our shoulders made us break apart. “It’s the last call. Sorry, guys.” He patted my back and walked back onto the plane. The stewardess looked at us expectantly.

“I love you with every fiber of my being.” I whispered as I kissed her temple.

“I love you with my all my heart and soul,” she whispered back and pecked my lips.

“Call me when you land safely.”

“I will.”

The stewardess cleared her throat and I sighed. I kissed her once more and poured as much passion as I could into it. She pulled away and smiled softly at me before turning and walking towards the entrance. She handed the woman her ticket and then took a few steps to the plane before she turned. She blew me a kiss and I caught it, resting my hand on my heart. I could see the shimmer in her eyes from here and wanted nothing more than to run to her and beg her to stay. She smiled at me and turned her back towards me again. I stood there for several minutes after the plane left, staring at the place I saw her last. I sighed and headed towards the exit, not looking forward to the coming months without her.

Notes