Behind The Scenes

[Epilogue]

Epilogue

My gaze wandered nervously around the courtyard, darting through the masses of people. Ryan had promised that he'd be here, but after a few short texts yesterday morning, I hadn't heard from him and I was starting to get worried.

"He'll be here," Emily said, shaking her head as she watched me jitter.

I bit my lip. "How do you know?" I asked exasperatedly as possible scenarios began to race through my mind. "Maybe his plane was delayed, or his filming schedule changed. Or maybe he just changed his mind and wanted a clean break."

She rolled her eyes.

The night after Abbie's birthday, I had returned home conflicted. There was no question as to whether I wanted to make the relationship between Ryan and I work, but I was hesitant about doing it at a distance.

When morning came I was forced to tell Abbie, and Emily as she listened in, what the situation with Ryan was. I told her he was leaving, and I remembered the stab of pain I felt when I saw the frown gloss onto her features and sadness flood her eyes, but I also explained to her that I did love him. That even though he'd be thousands of miles away, we would still stay in contact.

With the little time Ryan had left in Los Angeles, the three of us – Abbie, Ryan, and I – tried to spend every moment together. He insisted on driving me to work every morning the following week, dropping off Abbie at day care on the way, and would be waiting in the parking lot after I finished. Some days we would go out for ice cream or an early dinner, with Emily, Dustin, and Dean tagging along near the end of the week, but other days we just wanted to spend time together relaxing.

It was a temporary routine, and the knowledge of his departure loomed over our heads until our time together reached its expiration date.

The following Saturday, just one week after we'd reconnected, his family and I gathered at the airport to send him off. Abbie had already said her goodbye and had stayed at home with Emily, and as I watched Dean and his dad wish Ryan well, his mom and I standing back as we held our tears at bay, I was relieved I'd chosen to come on my own.

His family took their time, but when they were done with their goodbyes, I stepped forward, taking my turn.

"Have fun in Europe," I had said tentatively, ignoring the tears that choked back my words, "And come back in one piece."

Trailing his hand up my arm, leaving goose bumps as he went, it weaved into my hair as his eyes memorized every inch of my face. "It's only a few months," he said, his voice was deep and quiet, a faint smile gracing his lips, "And then I'll be home."

"Until you get another job."

A startling heat flashed in his eyes. "We'll make it work," he had insisted before pulling me close and kissing me breathless. He hadn't cared that his whole family was watching our exchange, solely focused on giving me a proper and thorough goodbye.

And for the most part, we had made it work over the last three months. While the two of us had been optimistic about him having a few free weeks throughout filming, his schedule had been hectic, and he'd only managed to make it back for a quick two-day trip at the end of April. It was difficult, there was no denying that, and some times I wished that he was there to hold me as I fell asleep, but we both fought through.

The one good thing that had come out of our time apart was that the paparazzi had come to the conclusion that we had broken up, and had decided to let go of using me for a story. Once the news of Ryan's departure to Europe had spread, the spotlight only lingered on me for a few days before dimming until it was out, leaving me to live my life privately once again.