The morning of our departure arrived faster than I expected. The cabin, which had been filled with so much laughter and warmth just days before, now felt eerily quiet as we all packed our bags. The rain had cleared, leaving behind a crisp, clear autumn morning. But despite the beauty of the day, there was an undeniable heaviness in the air.
I stood in my room, folding the last of my clothes into my bag, trying to delay the inevitable. The weekend had been perfect, but now we had to return to our separate lives. The uncertainty of what would happen next lingered like a shadow, and I wasn’t ready to face it just yet.
A knock at the door startled me out of my thoughts. “Come in,” I called.
Martinus stepped inside, looking just as reluctant as I felt. He leaned against the doorframe, watching me pack for a moment before speaking. “You almost ready?”
“Yeah, almost,” I replied, zipping up my bag. “I just… I can’t believe it’s already over.”
He nodded, his expression softening as he stepped closer. “I know. It feels like it went by too fast.”
I sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “What happens now?”
Martinus crossed the room and sat beside me, his hand resting on my knee. “We go home, back to our lives. But we don’t have to let this end, Y/N. We’ll figure it out. We can make time for each other.”
I looked up at him, feeling a mixture of hope and fear. “I want that, but it feels like everything is about to change. What if it’s harder than we think?”
He turned to face me fully, his expression serious but gentle. “It might be hard, yeah. But if it’s worth it—and I think we both know it is—then we’ll find a way. I’m not letting go of what we’ve started here.”
His words were like a lifeline, anchoring me to the hope that this wasn’t just a fleeting thing. That what we had wasn’t going to disappear the moment we left the cabin. I nodded, taking a deep breath. “Okay. We’ll figure it out.”
Martinus smiled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to my forehead. “One step at a time.”
---
We gathered outside by the cars, the crisp morning air filled with the sounds of zippers and shuffling feet as everyone loaded up their bags. The goodbye was starting to feel real, and the tightness in my chest grew with each passing second.
Marcus and Nora were already packed and ready, standing by their car with Emma, who was chatting animatedly with them. They looked so at ease, like they’d done this a hundred times before. But for me, this was different. This wasn’t just saying goodbye to a trip—it felt like saying goodbye to something bigger, something I wasn’t ready to lose.
Martinus came up beside me as I loaded my last bag into the trunk. He slid his hand into mine, squeezing gently. “Hey,” he said softly, “we’ll see each other soon, okay?”
I nodded, trying to hold onto that thought. But it didn’t make the ache in my chest any less real.
Emma bounced over, interrupting the moment. “Alright, lovebirds, let’s get moving! I’ve got a million things to do once I get back.”
I rolled my eyes playfully, but deep down, I appreciated her energy. It made the goodbye feel less final, less heavy.
“Ready?” Marcus called out, already behind the wheel of their car. Nora waved at us from the passenger seat, her smile bright despite the looming end of the trip.
“Yeah, we’re coming!” Martinus replied, his hand still firmly holding mine.
As we all started to pile into the cars, there was a shared sense of reluctance. None of us wanted to leave, but we knew we had to. The real world was waiting, whether we liked it or not.
---
The drive back to Oslo was quiet. I sat beside Martinus, staring out the window as the scenery blurred by. My thoughts kept drifting back to the weekend—the laughter, the late-night talks, the moments by the fire, and, of course, that first kiss. It all felt like a beautiful dream, one that I was afraid would fade once we were back in the real world.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Martinus asked, glancing over at me.
I smiled faintly, turning to face him. “Just thinking about everything. It feels… surreal.”
He reached over, taking my hand in his again. “It doesn’t have to be. This doesn’t end just because we’re going back. I promise.”
His words brought me some comfort, but the knot of worry in my chest remained. I wanted to believe that we could make this work, that we could hold onto what we had. But I knew how life could get in the way—how schedules and distance could slowly pull people apart.
As we approached the city, the skyline coming into view, my heart sank a little more. The trip was officially over, and reality was waiting for us on the other side of the weekend.
---
When we arrived at my place, Martinus helped me unload my bags. We stood by the car for a few minutes, neither of us wanting to say goodbye just yet.
“So,” I said, breaking the silence. “I guess this is it for now.”
He smiled softly, stepping closer. “For now. But not for long. We’ll see each other soon.”
I nodded, trying to hold onto the hope in his words. “You better call me the second you’re free.”
He chuckled, leaning in to kiss me. “You know I will.”
The kiss was soft, lingering, filled with a promise of more to come. When we pulled away, I felt a little lighter, like maybe we really could make this work.
“I’ll miss you,” I admitted quietly, hating how vulnerable I felt.
“I’ll miss you too,” he replied, his voice low and sincere. “But this isn’t goodbye, okay? Not really.”
I smiled, feeling the weight lift just a little. “Okay.”
With one last kiss, he turned and got into the car. I watched as he drove away, my heart heavy but hopeful. The weekend was over, but what we had started wasn’t. And as much as I feared what came next, I knew that Martinus and I would face it together.
And for now, that was enough.
