Never Let Me Go: A StarKid Fanfic

Chapter 12

That kiss seemed to last an eternity. For a while my mind was utterly numb just from the feeling of his lips pressed against mine coupled with the scent of his cologne. He was entirely mesmerizing.

Which made things so much harder for me.

I finally pulled away, in fear that someone would come outside for some fresh air and see me making out with their best friend.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered, running his fingers through his curls. This was the first sign of nervousness he had shown since we met, "I just..I didn't want to leave without...without doing that."

I gave him a sort of half smile, feeling my heart swell. I hadn't felt that way in a long time. Not since...

"I'm glad you did," I said, feeling my spirits droop slightly, "But..."

"Tell me what's wrong," he pleaded. I kept getting lost in his topaz eyes, which shone brightly under Walker's porch light.

"I just...I recently broke up with my boyfriend," I blurted, "It was just...really hard for me."

"Then why did you break up with him?" he inquired.

"I thought he would make me think I could actually love," I said, staring at my shoes, "And I thought...I thought for a while I was in love. But when I left home and didn't end up missing him...I guess I was just fooling myself."

"You don't think," he said quietly, "that you can love someone?"

I shook my head.

"Nope," I shrugged, crossing my legs, "It's hard for me to really, really trust someone new." He looked at me intently.

"Do you trust me?"

"I don't know yet," I said, raising an eyebrow.

He was just about to say something when Lauren popped her head out of the now open sliding glass door.

"Oh!" she exclaimed innocently, "Sorry, I just uh...didn't know where you guys were."

"It's all good, Lo," Darren said smoothly, still looking at me, "We'll be back in a few."

She nodded, giving me a small smirk and a wink. She so knew. I shivered.

Immediately Darren took off his coat and set it on my shoulders.

"Thanks," I said softly. Why must he be so perfect? I thought to myself, It's not fucking fair. He put his arm around me, his muscles relaxed against my back, his strong hand curving to my waist.

"So what are we going to do?" I asked, letting the scent of his coat envelop me.

He let out a heavy sigh.

"Look, Bernadette, I like you," he said. I could sense a 'but' coming... "But, you just got out of a relationship. I'm leaving tomorrow. Being together now wouldn't be fair to either of us. But maybe when I come back, we can give it a shot."

I nodded, completely understanding his perspective. I mean, he was right. Logically, I couldn't agree with him more. It hurt slightly, but I knew it would be for the better.

"You're okay with it, then?" he asked gently.

"Absolutely."

-oOo-

Flight 782 to Los Angeles, now boarding

The cold airport voice over the intercom made me tense up. It was the next morning.

Time for Darren to leave Chicago.

Time for him to leave his friends.

Time for him to leave me.