Eternal Ephemerals

Goodbye

The train station was quieter than it should have been for a Friday evening. The muffled sounds of distant announcements echoed through the vaulted ceiling, blending with the shuffle of luggage wheels and the occasional bursts of laughter from travelers who weren't holding back tears.

Aiden wasn't laughing. He was standing on the platform, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket, the cold metal of the ticket in his right hand crumpled from how tightly he'd been gripping it. He could see her just ahead, her dark hair swaying in the icy breeze as she spoke to the ticket attendant. She laughed at something the man said, and Aiden felt the sound ripple through him. It didn't matter that she was ten steps away; he would know that laugh anywhere.

She turned, scanning the platform until her eyes found his. When they did, her face lit up with the kind of smile that once felt like it belonged to him alone. For a fleeting moment, he let himself think it still did. But then she waved at him, gesturing for him to come over, and the illusion shattered. That smile wasn't his to keep. Not anymore.

He walked toward her, every step feeling heavier than the last.

"Hey, stranger," Mia said, her voice warm, teasing. Her suitcase sat at her feet, the worn leather bag he had helped her pick out three years ago when she'd said she wanted something "that felt like adventure." He'd thought she meant weekend trips to the coast or spontaneous road trips to nowhere in particular. He hadn't realized she meant across oceans, to places he might never see.

"Hey," he said, his voice coming out rougher than he'd intended. He forced a smile, though it felt foreign on his face.

She tilted her head, studying him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said quickly, too quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Her brow furrowed slightly, but she let it go. "I can't believe it's finally happening," she said, her voice filled with a kind of breathless excitement that should have made him happy. Should have.

"They're actually going to let me run the campaign, Aiden. Me. Can you believe it?" She laughed again, shaking her head in disbelief. "Six months in Paris, and then who knows where they'll send me next."

He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "That's... incredible, Mia. You've worked so hard for this."

"I know," she said, her eyes shining. "I still can't believe it. And Paris..." She exhaled, the word carrying all the weight of a dream come true. "I've always wanted to see Paris in the spring. Do you remember how I used to talk about it?"

"Yeah," he said softly. He remembered everything. The way her eyes lit up when she spoke about the Eiffel Tower, about cobblestone streets and tiny cafés. He remembered the nights they'd spent lying on the couch, her head on his chest, as she rambled on about the art museums she wanted to visit and the food she wanted to try. He remembered every detail because he'd always imagined he'd be by her side when she finally went.

But she was going without him.

He shifted on his feet, trying to find the words he needed to say. Words that wouldn't come.

Mia reached out, her fingers brushing against his arm. "Aiden," she said softly. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

He looked at her then, really looked at her, and he felt his heart ache in a way he didn't think was possible. God, he loved her. He loved her with everything he had, with every part of him that mattered. And that was exactly why he couldn't tell her the truth.

Because if he did—if he told her how much he didn't want her to go, how much it hurt to even think about her being oceans away—she'd stay. He knew she would. She'd cancel the flight, call her boss, and tell them she couldn't take the position. She'd stay here, with him, because that was the kind of person Mia was. She loved him enough to put everything on hold for him.