The District Sleeps Alone Tonight

I'm giving us one more chance. Our relationship is on it's last leg.

We've both tried, but long distance isn't as easy as everyone makes it out to be. Delly and I met each other the first week of college, and we've been inseparable ever since. All of our friends predicted that we'd be the first ones to get married. A lot has changed since then. We'd planned to move in together after graduation but Delly got into the residency program at Georgetown, and you don't just say no to that. So she left, while I stayed and took over the bakery from my parents, and we promised we would make it work long distance.

It wasn't so bad at first, we talked on the phone every night and texted each other nonstop, and she said she was going to come back and visit as much as she could. But we got busy, our phone calls became less frequent. After six months, our communication became almost nonexistent, we were lucky just to send a few texts back and forth. After a while it felt like we we're just settling with each other, that we both deserved better. I kept telling myself that it was just the distance, that once she came to visit that all my doubts would be gone, but she never came.

So I'm going to her. Delly has a few weeks before she has to start her second year, and asked me to come see her. So I'm going. Because I want to make it work, because I love her. I'm flying across the country to try to give my relationship one last chance.

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I'm waiting for my luggage when I hear her call my name. I turn around just as she jumps in my arms.

"Hey stranger." I say as I pull back to get a good look at her. She looks just like she always has, her blonde hair a little longer, and she looks tired, but still the same. Just as beautiful.

"I missed you." she says. I notice her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"Missed you too." I reply, looking into her eyes. They don't sparkle like they used to.

"So what have you been up to?" she asks as we get into the car.

"The usual. I took over the bakery for my parents so I've been pretty busy with that." I respond."

"So much for that business degree, huh?" She nudges.

"Yeah." I chuckle.

"Ooh I love the song!" she shouts as she turns the radio up.

I look at her in confusion "Are you joking? You hate The Chainsmokers." I remind her.

"I used to but they're not so bad now." she says as she sings along.

After listening to it for a few seconds I quickly decide that it's one of the worst songs I've ever heard in my life.

About 10 minutes later we pull into a parking garage of a modern looking building, made almost all of glass labeled "One Hill South" and take an elevator up to the lobby.

"You didn't have to get a hotel babe." I say, looking around the lobby in awe.

"This isn't a hotel it's my apartment." She laughs as we walk down the hallway. We stop at a door, and as she unlocks it a tall blonde girl walks out of a door from across the hall.

"Hey Dell!" She chirps as she walks toward us.

"She hates being called Dell"  I think to myself

"Hey!" She calls back. "Madge this is my boyfriend Peeta. Peeta this is Madge, we work at Georgetown together."

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend! What's your specialty?" she asks.

"Baking." I reply "I'm just visiting." I smile.

"Huh." she whispers. "You coming out with us tonight?" she asks Delly.