A Flight of Fate

Hi everybody! My school is creating a Literary Magazine where they're publishing students' work! Being published is a big deal anywhere so I wrote this short story as a submission. It was my first time doing a one-shot/short story, but I'm happy with the outcome and I hope you all like it too! Even if it doesn't get published, I loved writing this piece and it's something I wanted to share with all of you.

Just in case you cared about the background of this story, I thought of the idea of this story when I was telling my uncle about my love for writing stories. We were in an airport at the time and I jokingly came up with the idea for this. Now, it's one of my favorite works! Let me know what you think :)

xoxo Arielle

-----

           An airport is the most depressing place to be. If you ask anybody what they thought was the most depressing place in the world, I assure you nine out of ten times, their answers would consist following: hospitals, cemeteries, or nursing homes. I would have said the same thing a few years ago, but personal experiences compel me to believe otherwise.

           “I'll miss you,” I whispered.

           Losing Jason was going to be hard. Even if it was only for a year. But I wasn't going to let him miss out on an opportunity like this. Only five people were chosen to study architecture in Europe and Jason was deserving enough to be one of them.

           His breath was hot against my lips as he whispered back “I'll miss you more.”

           I wasn't going to start that with him. Especially at a time like this. Jason and I regularly fake argued about who loved who more – or in this case, who will miss who more – but as cute as it always was, it wasn't the time. I just wanted was to freeze time and stop that moment. That last moment where I was truly happy.

           “I don't want to get a letter saying you've fallen in love with some other guy,” Jason joked.

           “Oh, shut up,” I retorted, playfully rolling my eyes.

           I knew I shouldn't have forced Jason to watch Dear John with me so he wouldn't get those crazy ideas. Of course that wasn't going to happen. I'm pretty sure the whole world knew how madly in love Jason and I are. Were.

           I closed my eyes and pressed my head against his chest, soaking up his scent. It was a mixture of some Abercrombie cologne I got for our 6 month anniversary three years ago and his favorite Snuggle fabric softener.

           “What are you doing, Aspen?” he chuckled at my strange behavior.

           “Nothing,” I answered automatically as a flush of red crept upon my cheeks. Jason always had a way of making me feel timid around him even if we've been together for longer than most just-out-of-high school couples.

           He laughed again before he kissed my forehead one last time, unwrapping his arms from my body. Although I wanted them back around me, I let him go.

           “It's 9:24,” I said. My face fell as I announced the bad news. It was time for him to go.

           He caught the tone of my voice and comfortingly brushed the palms of my hands with his thumbs. “I love you,” he finally said.

           As much as I craved those three words, it wasn't what I want to hear at that moment. It just made his departure that much harder.

           “I love you more,” I choked out.