#imagine
"I'll be back before you know it. I promise."
You sigh sadly as your boyfriend of 5 years, Nathan, kisses your cheek before taking his luggage to the taxi that's waiting to take him to the airport. He's just about to set off on a 10 month world tour with the other members of the band he's in, The Wanted, and you know you're not going to see him again for the foreseeable future. You wave, fighting back the tears as Nathan's taxi drives away. The last time Nathan went on tour, he was away for 7 months and it was torture for you. You missed him so much and you couldn't call him as much as you wanted to because of the time zones and how busy he was all the time. Now you know that you have to go through it all again. There's nothing you can do about it; it's his job, he has to travel and it was something you accepted when you agreed to start dating him 5 years ago. Now you just have to wait.
*2 months later*
Nathan and his bandmates seem to be everywhere you look; in magazines, on TV, on the radio, everywhere. You can't get him out of your mind and you're missing him more than words can say. You're Skyping each other as much as you can, which isn't much because of Nathan's busy schedule and the annoying time zones. It's only 2 months into his tour and you're already falling apart without having Nathan with you each day, without waking up to his smiling, sleepy face and those gorgeous green eyes. You can't believe there's still 8 more months of his tour to go.
*3 months later*
You're hardly ever in touch with Nathan anymore. You haven't heard his voice in over a month, and you've reached the point where you need to do something about it. It was the same last time; you just sat about waiting for Nathan to phone or text, just so you could be reassured that he still gave a toss about you while he was glamming it up in foreign countries. You can't help but feel like Nathan's holding you back; you're letting your life go down the drain while you're basically at a standstill waiting for Nathan to get in touch, and before you know it 10 months of your life will have just disappeared. You know it's time to do something about it.
Taking a deep breath, you grab your mobile and call Nathan's number before you bottle it. You don't care about the time zones or how busy he is; you need to get this off your chest. You can't hold it in anymore. If Nathan doesn't pick up then you'll just keep trying until he does. Luckily, he answers the first time just as the phone's about to ring off.
"Hello?" he says, sounding distracted. He's obviously busy, but you need to do this now.
"Nath, it's me," you say, your voice wavering.
"(y/n)? What's up? We're just about to do an interview."
"I know that this isn't the best time, and I'm sorry if I'm holding you up, but I just... I have to..."
"What's wrong(y/n)?" says Nathan, his voice softening.
"Listen Nath, I have to be honest with you. I don't think you understand how hard it is for me to sit around waiting for you to get in touch with me. I know you're busy, I get that, but I can't help feeling like you're holding me back. Please don't think I'm blaming you, I'm not, this is your job and you can't help having to travel. I really don't want you to stop doing what you love because you're amazing at it, which is why I have to do this. This is the only way to keep us both happy..."
"What are you saying?" says Nathan quietly. Your eyes fill with tears at what you're about to do. You need to carry on with your life and move on, and you can't do that unless you leave Nathan behind. No matter how much it hurts, you know you have to do it.
"I'm saying that I can't do this anymore. I can't be with you, because it means having to deal with being away from you for long periods of time, and I just can't do it. I miss you so, so much that it actually hurts, and I think that... that if we weren't together it would be easier for me to just let you get on with what you do best."
"(y/n) I know you're upset, I miss you too, but please... don't do this," he says, his voice breaking. You hear the sadness in his voice and it causes the hot, salty tears to spill over your eyelids and down your cheeks. You feel your heart breaking as you continue speaking.
"I'm so sorry, Nath. This is so hard for me," you sob, "but I know I have to do it, it's the only way."
"No, don't..." says Nathan. He sounds like he's on the verge of tears too and this couldn't be any harder for you to hear him so upset.
"Just concentrate on your tour and being with the boys, okay? Promise me. I need you to forget about me. I'll be fine, honestly. I hope you understand why I'm doing this."
"(y/n), please! I love you!" he says desperately. The lump in your throat grows until you can barely breathe.
"I did," you whisper. "But I can't anymore. I'm sorry. Goodbye, Nath."
You end the call, drop to your knees on the floor, bury your face in your hands and sob. Loud, desperate, anguished sobs that rip your heart into shreds. That was the hardest thing you ever had to do; ending a relationship with someone you loved more than anyone in the world, but deep down you know it was the right thing to do. You daren't look at your phone in fear of any missed calls or texts from him. Forgetting that you'd left the TV on in the background, you hear the sound of a woman's voice and look up through the tears.
"...and today we're going to be chatting to them live from America, it's The Wanted!"
You don't want to look but your eyes are drawn to the screen. Your chest tightens as you see Nathan's face. He looks so heartbroken that you can't bear to watch it anymore. You switch off the TV as a fresh wave of tears sweeps over you.
*3 months later*
You're woken up by a knock at your door. You groan and check the time. Who could that be at 7:45am? It's your day off work, too; a few weeks after your split with Nathan, you got a job at your favourite fashion store and you've been so busy since then. You needed it really, something to take your mind off him.
You quickly comb your hands through your hair in an attempt to look more presentable before making your way to the front door. When you open it, you gasp in shock. Nathan is stood on your doorstep, and boy does he look good. You have to stop yourself from leaping on him and hugging the life out of him. You ended it, remember? You scold yourself. Stop it!
"Hey," he says gently.
"Hi," you squeak.
Nathan's eyes run down your body quickly then back up to your face.
"Sorry if I woke you. Do you mind if I come in?"
"No," you say immediately, opening the door for him. "I'll put the kettle on."
He takes his shoes off as you hurry to the kitchen and start making two cups of tea.
"So... you're back from the tour then?" you say, mixing the hot water with the teabag.
"Yeah, got back last night," says Nathan from the living room. You take the tea in and study him carefully.
"Last night? You must be jet-lagged pretty badly," you say, perching next to him on the sofa.
"I am," he chuckles. His face turns more serious as he looks at you. "But I had to see you."
You take a sip of your tea nervously before placing the cup on the floor by your feet.
"Well... I'm here," you smile.
"You are," he smiles back. He looks into your eyes. "You look more beautiful than I remember. It's so good to see you. I missed you so much."
You look away from his gaze and focus on your hands resting in your lap.
"Nathan..." you start.
"No, please (y/n), let me speak. I was heartbroken when you called me. We were in LA about to do an interview and when you said what you did, it was like my world just stopped. These past 3 months have been a blur."
You continue staring at your hands and begin picking at your nails anxiously.
"I don't think you realise how much you mean to me, (y/n). I understand this isn't easy for you, I can see that now. Which is why I'm going to ask you this. You don't have to agree to it, not if you don't want to, but just think about it?"
You nod, looking up at him.
"I can't be without you, (y/n), I just can't. And yes, my job involves travelling, but that doesn't mean I have to be away from you. If... if you want to, I want you to come with me next time I go on tour. I know you have a job of your own that you need to do, so if you'd rather get on with your own life instead of following me around I completely understand. If you think I'm being ridiculous just tell me, but I really want to give us another try, (y/n). We've had an amazing 5 years together and I don't think we should just give up now. If we really want to we can make this travelling thing work. And I know I want to. I love you so much."
You smile, a huge grin that breaks out on your face. "I love you too," you say. "I thought that ending our relationship was the best thing to do, but now I know it isn't. I tried to tell myself to get over you but the truth is I can't. I just can't. I love you too much to just forget about you. I want to be with you no matter what."
Nathan grins, then puts his tea cup down and pulls you close to him. You wrap your arms around his waist and bury your face in his neck as he does the same to you. "It's so good to be in your arms again," you say, close to tears - you're overcome with happiness and love for him, you can't fight the emotions.
"You can say that again," Nathan says into your hair. "You don't know how much I wanted to hold you in my arms like this when I was out on tour. I'm so happy right now. You make me happy, (y/n)."
You pull away from the hug. "You make me happy too," you say, looking deep into Nathan's eyes. Nathan's thumb caresses your jaw line softly as he leans into you. "I love you," he whispers against your lips before pressing them against yours. You fall deep into the kiss, engulfed by Nathan's passion. You feel like falling over but Nathan's arms are wrapped tightly around you to catch you. You've never felt like you belong anywhere else as much as you do when you're in Nathan's arms.
