Bad Dates

News

     We were nearing the end of the school year, and, I must admit, Felix was acting kinda weird. I mean, he was still the same happy-go-lucky guy that he has been since the beginning of the year, but he seemed... off, in a way. We'd be eating lunch and he would suddenly just space out, looking off somewhere in the distance, or down at his tray. He'd hold his gaze in the same position for a few minutes, then he'd finally look up, forcing a smile onto his face. After catching him for the third time, I finally decided to speak up.

    "Earth to Felix." I said, waving my hand in front of his face. When he looked up to meet my eyes, I did a half smile, tilting my head to one side. "Somethin' on your mind, Dear?" He smiled as well, but his eyes went to show that he wasn't be sincere. He picked up his drink and began chewing on the straw.

    "Is everythin' okay?" I asked and he quickly nodded before leaning forward to close the gap between us. He gently pressed his lips onto mine, and held it for a few moments longer than the typical kiss, almost as if he were savoring it like it was our last. After pulling away, I chuckled and took his hand in my own. "Baby, what's wrong?"

    "Nothing." he replied with a shrug. "I just have a lot on my plate right now." I know he meant it as in he was going through alot right now, but, taking one glance at the tray of food in front of him, I scoffed and nodded in agreement.

    "Yea, I'll say you do." I then reached over, plucked a fry from the pile, then pushed it between my teeth with an additional smile, but he didn't return it. I then reached forward, and placed my hand over his. "Felix, please look at me." So, he did. "What's the matter? You seem distant."

    "I'm fine, I just don't feel like talking right now. I want to spend more time with you, first, alright?" he replied. I sighed and gave in with a nod.

    "Alright, that's fair." I went to pull my hand back, but he caught it before I could fully get away.

    "Hey," he said, gently pulling me to lean forward as he did the same. "You didn't do anything wrong, okay? It's not you, I promise." Yea, that's what they always say. I thought. But, everyone knows that's just code for it is you. I smiled, and he leaned forward to peck my lips.

    "So, what's the plan for today?" I asked, resting on my arms. He shrugged, finishing the last of his burger.

    "I was kinda thinking maybe we could go back down to the beach, then do a little shopping around the stores by the street, but I wanted to finish up the day by going onto the pier and finally using that photo booth." he replied. "What do you think? Sound good?" A smile crossed over my face and I bit my bottom lip lightly, nodding a few times.

    "It sounds wonderful, Felix."

    Time seemed to fly by when I was with him. We had a great time down by the water, and, although it wasn't as playful and silly as our last trip, it was still rather enjoyable. We walked around the shop, and Felix ended up buying me a couple of pins, which was sweet of him. They were cute, too! I got three total; the first one was a little fried egg with a grinning face, the second was a little cactus, and the third was a little rainbow with a pot of gold at the end of it. I'd have to say my favorite one was the egg.

    We had just started walking to the pier from the shops when he scooped my hand up in his own. I looked down at our fingers laced together, and smiled, looking back up to meet his eyes. I then stopped, placing my other hand on his cheek and placing a gentle kiss upon his lips.

    "You're so beautiful." he said after we broke. I felt my cheeks getting hotter and hotter as a smile covered my face. He smiled as well, then reached over to pull open the curtain to the photo booth. "After you." I ducked my head in attempts to hide my blush as I stepped into the booth with him following close behind.

    The day was over before I even knew it, and I was already missing Felix, even though I was still with him.

    "I had a lot of fun today, Felix. Thank you." I said with a smile, swinging our hands back and forth lightly as we walked back to his car.

    "Yea, of course. I had a lot of fun today, too." he replied, but his tone sounded more sad than anything else. It's not you, I promise. I heard him say once more. I was about to speak when Felix beat me to it. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, Jack." Oh, shit, here it is. "But, I don't think you're gonna like it." He stopped walking, letting go of my hand.

   "O-Okay. What's on your mind?" I asked. He dropped his gaze to his hands, and started picking at his fingernails.

    "I'm moving." he said softly. In that very instant, my heart collapsed. I felt like my legs were going to give out, but I held my ground.

    "What?" I questioned. "Where to?"

    "The US. LA, California, to be more exact." I gave him a confused look, so he continued. "My cousin, Marzia lives in LA with her grandparents. She's a few years older than I am, and for her high school graduation, she wanted to go to Disneyland since she's never been. She invited us to come along, and my mom fell in love with LA. So... we're moving."

    "When do you leave?" I asked.

     "This weekend." Today's Thursday... shit. I let my eyes drop to the floor, and nodded slightly. After a moment or two, I looked back up at him, forcing a smile onto my face.

   "Well, if you're happy, then I'm happy, too."

    "No, you're not, I can see the hurt in your eyes."

    "What else do you want me to say?" I questioned with an unintentional chuckle and a shrug.

    "Well, I don't want you to lie about it." he replied, but I knew he wasn't upset.

    "I'm not lyin', Felix." I said, looking up into his eyes. He then took my hands in his and sighed.

    "I don't want to lose you, Jack. I love being with you, and... and, I don't wanna lose what we have."

    "Then, you know what?" I asked. He looked at me, silently questioning me. "You don't have to. We can figure this out, alright?"

    We had to decided to continue our relationship long distance. He was hesitant about it at first, but figured we should at least give it a try. I mean, of course I was upset about the situation, but I wasn't gonna let five thousand plus miles keep us apart.