"Here you go." River said, placing a tropical crush smoothie in front of me and sitting down across from me. I took a long sip, the sweet, cold fruity drink running down my throat, dragging memories back with it.
"How does it taste?" He beamed.
"Amazing!" I replied. He grinned, showing little bits of pineapple stuck between his teeth. I laughed, choking on my drink a little.
"You've got a little something there." I giggled, pointing to my own teeth. He blushed and wiped them away with the tablecloth.
"Better?" He asked. I nodded my response and took another long sip. There had been one questioned that had lingered in my mind since I was reunited with River, one week ago. I had been too afraid to ask, there was an answer that I did not want to hear. I decided that I had to ask him, I was running out of time.
"Uh," I began. He looked up from investigating his smoothie. His sweet, innocent face staring blankly at me. I gulped.
"Are we a thing?" I chortled.
"I mean, it's totally okay if we're not, that's completely fine, I just uh, was interested in knowing what you uh, thought of this." I babbled like an idiot. He leaned over and kissed my forehead, cupping his hands around my cheeks.
"I haven't stopped loving you since I first met you, Sidney." Riv confessed. I gulped again. This was the answer that I had been dreading. I hadn't told River that I was leaving today, because I just didn't want to hurt him. I was scared that leaving him again would damage him forever. Of course, I still loved him. But what good is love when you can't even see each other? I was having mixed feelings about this, I wanted to be with him but I had to go back to Canada. It just wouldn't work out, our two very different lifestyles couldn't mix.
"What's wrong?" He gawked. He look genuinely concerned. River meant the world to me, I couldn't hurt him again. I felt a pain in my stomach, the sort of pain you get when you feel bad about something, or when you regret something. I sighed.
"I have to go back to Canada today." I grimaced, biting my lip. His eyes started tearing up, he pulled me into another tight hug and cried,
"You can't go! You have to stay here!" I felt another knot of pain in my stomach. I felt guilty, I felt like the worst person alive. How could I do this to such an innocent person? I sobbed into his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Rio. I really am, but I have to go." He pulled out of the hug, holding my face again. His face was red and puffy from weeping.
"I love you, Sidney." He told me. I nodded and whispered,
"I love you too."
We sat in the smoothie bar for a while, just talking and tying to accept the fact that we may never see each other again. I felt so bad that I had done this but I couldn't stay in California. I couldn't change my whole life just for him, what if it didn't work out? Then I would have nothing left.
YOU ARE READING
diamonds | river phoenix
Romance"But all good things have to come to an end, right?" 6 years ago they thought they'd never see each other again. 6 years later they realised they were wrong. She was a girl who knew where she was going. He was a boy who didn't.
