24 Hours (Wattys 2016)

Hour 24 - Part I

Hour 24

(6:00 am EST)

    As we got into the car the time on our phones went from five fifty-nine to six o'clock.

    "Our last hour together." I looked over at Beckett and sighed.

    "Let's just go have fun and not worry about the time." Beckett suggested. "Don't think about later because that'll make us sad. Instead let's just enjoy whatever is happening now."

    "Agreed." I nodded my head, as the car began to make a low humming noise.

    "So, where are we going?" Beckett asked me.

    "Somewhere meaningful to our relationship." I hinted.

    "Where we met?" He asked.

    "Nope."

    "Where I asked you to be my girlfriend?"

    "Nope."

    "Our first kiss?"

    "Ding ding ding we have a winner." I clapped my hands.

    "Isn't that place a little sketchy though?" Beckett asked.

    "Kinda."

    "How did we even have our first kiss in an abandoned building?"

    "I'm pretty sure you wanted to be spontaneous and adventurous."

    "I didn't want you to think I was boring." He said. "I had to pull out all the cards."

    "It worked." I smiled.

    "C'mon, I'm irresistable."

    "Sure you are sweetie." I joked.

    "Fun fact I almost peed my pants in that abandoned building."

    "Aw baby Beckett." I pinched his cheek.

    "Hands off the driver."

    "Okay." I pulled away my hand that Beckett lightly tapped. "Back to your fun fact."

    "Oh yeah that." He said. "I kept on hearing noises, and the day before I watched a lot of American Horror Story, so yeah."

    "I'm pretty sure those noises were coming from me." I laughed. "Remember when we sort of split up to explore?" I asked. "I was wearing boots and they had a slight heel on them." Beckett just stared ahead as if an epiphany had just happened.

    "So all this time it was you?"

    "I'm pretty sure." I laughed.

    "I need to stop watching that show."

    "Or grow some balls." I teased.

    "I'm perfectly fine with the amount I have, but thanks for the offer."

    "Turn right here." I told Beckett.

    Soon enough we were pulling up to an old worn down abandoned house that had vines all around it. There were holes in the windows and doors that were falling apart.

    "Looks different than when we were last here." Beckett pointed out.

    "You can barely see it anymore." I said. "I guess time has an effect on everything."

    "Should we go inside?"

    "Yeah." I nodded. "Need to hold my hand?" Beckett just gave me a glare jokingly and went ahead towards the vine covered house.

    "Right here was where we had our first kiss." Beckett said. He stood right in the center of the house, and I joined him. He took my hands and pulled me closer to him, looking straight into my eyes.

    "I love you." I said so easily.

    "I love you too." Beckett said.

    "I can't believe right here, in this spot was where we first kissed." Our eyes stayed connected.

    "And it won't be the last one we have in here." Beckett leaned forward and planted his lips on mine. We pulled apart and a smile grew on my face.

    "I'm gonna miss this." I said, looking at the ground. "It won't be the same over Skype." It was too hard to look at Beckett without my throat tightening.

    "Hey." Beckett lifted my chin. "Look at me." Our eyes met. "I know it won't be the same, but that doesn't mean things between us are going to change." He reassured me. "We're still going to be Beckett and Harlyn, and we're still going to be together."

    I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a hug. My eyes watered up and tears fell down like rain on a window. My head fell onto his shoulder, and we stood there tangled in one another. Time slowed down. Everything was silent. Nothing else mattered. It was just me and him.

    We finally pulled apart and sat down on the floor.

    "Are you nervous?" I asked him, breaking the silence. "For school I mean."

    "Yeah." He replied. "Sometimes more than other."

    "Me too." I agreed. "I'm just nervous that everyone else is going to be better than I am at everything."

    "Harlyn you have to stop doubting yourself." Beckett told me. "You're smart and talented. You got accepted for a reason."

    "I'm just stressed."

    "It'll be okay."

    "What if it isn't Beckett?" I asked him. "What if I get there and I hate it?" A single tear fell down my face. "What am I going to do then?"

    "Take a deep breath." I looked at him and slowly breathed in and then out. "You're not alone. I'm pretty sure ninety-nine percent of people are as freaked out as you are." He calmed me down. "You have people that care about you. That you can go to if you ever feel stressed or doubtful." He said. "I'm not going to leave you."

    "Thank you." I smiled. "I'm here for you too."

    "I know." He smiled back. "Should we walk around?"

    "Yup." We hopped up and dusted off our shorts before taking each other by the hand and exiting the house through the back door. The backyard had less grass than before. There was heavier amounts of graffiti and dirt.

    "Remember we sat right there after we kissed and looked at the clouds." Beckett pointed towards a short brick wall near all the graffiti.

    "You said a cloud looked like a smurf." I laughed.

"It did!" Beckett exclaimed.

"After we watched the clouds we did cartwheels over there." I pointed to the other side of the backyard away from the brick wall.

"I almost kicked you in the face."

"I almost stepped on you."

"Ah. Young love." Beckett joked.

"I wonder how long we thought our relationship was going to last back then."

"I'm pretty sure that I thought it would only last for a month max." Beckett said.

"Well here we are now." I said. "Way more than a month later." I laughed.

"Young Beckett would be proud." Beckett self high-fived himself.

"Young Harlyn would be happy." I gave myself a self high-five. We stood there taking everything in. I could vividly see young Beckett and Harlyn running around and laughing at the spots that we were at the day we first kissed. It made my face glow, knowing how long ago that was and what was yet to come.

"We should get going." Beckett looked at his phone's time.

"Okay." I said softly. We walked back into the house and then out the front door. Beckett swung his arm around my shoulder and we began walking to the car leaving the past behind, but knowing we would be back again someday.

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A/N: Only one more chapter!! :)))