Running Out of Time

Chapter Eighteen

I hesitated outside of the AirBNB. Lia was still inside, doing one last check for any left behind belongings. When she came out, I stopped her and stepped closer to her.

"I want to kiss you." I whispered.

She smiled softly. "Then do it."

I leaned forward and let my lips brush hers briefly, then stepped back, feeling suddenly drained. Her expression showed the same accepting sadness, and a lump formed in my throat. Was this really going to be goodbye, then?

"Can we come back again?" I burst out.

"Of course we can."

That was no promise, though. I swallowed, hard.

"Bye. I'll call you as soon as I get back." I told her, hoping she'd make a similar promise in return. She did no such thing. She merely smiled and stepped inside her car. I stood there, feeling once again like I had two years ago, when she'd stepped inside her car and let her mother whisk her away from the picture-perfect life we'd had. The car backed out of the driveway, and was gone.

I slowly got back into my car, and I sat in there for a long time. Did that mean I was going to see her again someday? My heart felt heavy in my chest as I finally stuck my key in the ignition. The car started, I backed out of the driveway, and began driving all the way back to campus.

***

"Hey, Willow. How was your trip?" Sophia asked as soon as I returned, lounging in the middle of my dorm, having got in with the key I'd given her a month ago.

I dropped my backpack on the floor. "It was alright." I confessed. I wondered if I should say more, but I decided to keep our secrets our secrets.

"That's nice to know."

I began unpacking, unloading the contents of my backpack onto the floor.

"Anything special happen?" She asked as she turned around with a bag of food in her hand.

"We fucked." I said dully.

"Ooh! That's really hot." She bounced on my bed excitedly. "Details!"

I gave her a strange look. "You're gay too. I'm not sure if I should tell you them."

She laughed and waved it off. "Semantics. Come on! For now, I'm just your best friend."

I pursed my lips. "I don't know. We got in bed, made out, and then fucked." My throat clenched suddenly, and I looked down, away from Sophia. That made our relationship sound so... basic. And it was more than that, surely.

"Hot damn." She said absentmindedly. Instead, her gaze was fixated on something outside.

"What're you looking at?" I sat back on my heels and looked up at her.

"Nothing."

I peered out the window. "You're not perving for one of the students down there, are you?"

"No." She answered, sounding suddenly pensive and quiet. "Just thinking."

"About?" I prompted as I folded some of my clean clothes and slid it back into my drawer.

"My sister."

My movements slowed as I inspected her expression. "What about her?" I asked cautiously. Now I'd come to think about it, I'd never heard her talk about her family. I suddenly felt a little bad for talking about myself all the time and never inquiring into her life.

"She's in her first year of high school now." Sophia mused so softly I could barely hear. "I wish I could be there for her to explain makeup, to help her around, to be there when a bitch hurts her feelings and to stomp that bitch underneath my feet. You know, sister things."