Below the Sky

Chapter 37: Lila

Three Weeks Later

It had been three weeks since me and Riana had stumbled into Elijah's apartment for the first time. Three long weeks of searching for jobs, and figuring out our lives.

I was still looking, but Riana had found work. She was a barista at the Happy Brew, and earned not much but enough to help Elijah support us.
Being a barista just didn't seem like a fulfilling job to me though. I wanted to have work that I loved, something to do that made me love my life. And therefore I was still looking for a job.
Over the past few weeks something had started to seem off with Riana. She had been acting distant from me, pushing away my touch. Every time I asked her if she wanted to be intimate with me, she had replied with no. It seemed crazy but also not to believe that she was falling out of love with me.

I laid on the couch, reading. This had been one of my favorite pastimes lately, relaxing with a good book. I loved to lose myself in the words on the page, forgetting about any other worries.
Suddenly Riana walked in, some aggression in her step. I looked up, noticing that she wore a large t-shirt, and sweatpants, unlike her usual style. Her brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and her face wore an expression of exhaustion. She slumped on the couch next to me, snuggling her head on my shoulder, and curling up to me. I fingered her hair, twisting it around without losing focus on my book.
"Lila, I have something I need to tell you," I dropped the strands of her hair, my heartbeat speeding up.
"What is it?" I asked.
Riana sat up so she had a clear view of her face. She wore an expression of pity, and intense anxiety that had clearly been plaguing her for a while. "This is really hard, I think, we aren't meant to be together forever."
"What do you mean, we're barely adults how can you possibly know what our future will be like now?"
"It's just, I don't know."
I took Riana's hands in mine, pulling her so our faces were inches apart and our foreheads were touching. "I love you Riana, and even if we're not meant to be forever, we're meant to be together now, so let's just enjoy that, okay?" Riana smiled, and then leaned in so our lips were touching. "I love you too," she breathed through my lips.
We kissed for a few minutes, then as I went to pull off her shirt, and move farther, she moved away from me. "What's wrong?" I mumbled. Riana pulled away from me, looking away.
"I'm just not in the mood," she said.
"Okay, do you just want to relax?" I asked. Riana nodded, leaning back so she was resting on me again. I picked up my book, resuming my reading, and Riana closed her eyes, attempting to sleep. It was peaceful, but I was still slightly disappointed that Riana hadn't wanted to go any farther with me. Still, I had to respect her, and her body, and though I craved it, I didn't pressure her.

A few days later me and Riana were on a walk. It was later in the day, and the sun was starting to sink below the horizon already. Riana had gotten home from work not that long ago, and now we were just spending some time together.
"Lila, remember a few days ago when I told you that I don't think we're going to be together forever," Riana said suddenly. She dropped my hand, and it fell by my side.
"Ya."
"Well, the reason I said that is because I think I want to go home early." Riana finished her sentence, and I felt as if my heart was fracturing. I knew that this was going to happen eventually, me and Riana parting ways, but why did she want to leave me sooner than she had to? We still had at least two weeks left of summer, meaning she didn't have to go home yet.
"Why Riana, remember back before we got kicked out when you were saying how bad it was going to hurt when we have to leave each other, and now you want to leave me before you have to."
"Look Lila, it's just, I'm homesick, I haven't been studying in more than a month, and I'm just not happy here. I hate working at the Happy Brew, and no matter how badly I love you, I just can't be here anymore. This town is so small, and it holds no promise for me."
"When will you leave?"
"In the next few days." My breath caught in my chest, and I looked away from Riana, holding in tears. A single drop fell down my cheek though.
"Riana, why?" I mustered out.
"Lila, I'm really sorry," she said. She pulled me so our lips were pressed together, but that kiss held no meaning to me. All I could think was that Riana was leaving. This crazy, incredible summer was about to end, and Riana would be gone.
Riana left me standing on the sidewalk there, dumbstruck. I watched her walk away, staring longingly as she receded out of my sight. Then I sunk to the ground, putting my head between my knees, trying to contain my sobs. Riana was leaving, she would be gone, I would't see her again. What if I never found love like this again? What if I would never be happy with another person like this again? What if, what if, what if?
These thoughts plagued my mind, making me go crazy. It just hurt, so badly. I still had a few days with her, but those few days would be over in a blink of an eye. No matter how much I loved Riana, no matter how badly I needed her to stay, she was leaving.