C H A P T E R E I G H T ( goodbyes make it harder )
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WITH HER FINGERS TIGHTLY ENTWINED WITHIN THE HAND OF THE MALE BESIDE HER, Cameron Alyssa allows her gaze to flicker around the airport terminal in which can be found in the female's surrondings, the sensation of looking upon such a place no longer being one of joy, and instead, had morphed into something more solemn. The location signifies her oncoming departure from the breathtaking country of Japan, and with that comes her having to leave behind all the adventures that had occurred upon the island, along with Joe, the man whom miraculously managed to stumble his way into the heart of the writer, without ever truly trying.
In her hand that remained unoccupied by the auburn-haired man is a notebook, the same one in which had been within her possession upon their first encounter, and had been a constant throughout their many times spent together. And now, while the two are in the midst of experiencing their last few minutes spent together, at least for a long time, the item is once again clutched within the writer's hand. Yet this time, the notebook had been filled from cover to cover, words sprawled across the many pages within it, retelling tales from her times in Japan, and holding short writings that she would have never anticipated being read by another.
But as the two stand opposite one an another for one final time, after the initial boarding Cameron's flight home had been announced, she outstretches a singular hand in the direction of the man. The hazel tinted eyes that belong to Joe flicker downward to look upon her hand, and notebook offered up for solely his taking, his eyebrows furrow together in a manner of absolute confusion. The male had always known the item to be of the utmost importance of the female writer, and, although he may not know of what the words within it reads, he knows that they hold a sacred place within the female's heart.
"I wish for you to have it. Take it as a kind of memoir of our times spent together," The ghosts of a bittersweet smile dance upon the lips of the heavyhearted female as she gifts her most prized possession to the man that had settled deep within her heart, this expression only growing as he takes the item from her grasps. "Who knows, maybe one day you'll be able to return it to me."
"Surely you'd want to keep it. I'm sure you've worked hard on your writings," Joe inquires of the female with a singular eyebrow raised in her direction, his preconceived notion that the writer would never willingly depart from such a possession proving to be false. But the fact that she was willing to gift him an item of such personal value only made the impact it has upon him greater, a newfound wave of emotion flooding his eyes.
"As I've stated before, the memories of our times together are more than enough to satisfy me," The reminisce held within the tone of Cameron's voice as she speaks is of an undeniable level, the writer looking back upon the lessons the actor had unknowingly taught her through their experiences. "You can't possess anything better than a memory."
And upon hearing the words spoken by the soft appearing lips of the female, an uncontrollable smile ignites upon the surface of Joe's mouth, one which, regardless of how much he attempts to douse it, continues to morph into an inferno. However, before he is offered the opportunity to once again speak, his train of thought is interrupted by a voice coming over the loudspeaker, announcing the next few rows were to now board, one of which just so happened to be the row Cameron had booked a seat within.
"Well, I believe this is where we say goodbye," Cameron utters softly, her prior solemn attitude once again returning as the truth of reality strikes her. However, in an attempt to bring even an ounce of light back to the downhearted situation, she offers the male across from her a small, sheepish smile. "Or perhaps, maybe a see you better will be of a better nature. It'll keep the hope of another meeting alive."
"See you later works much better," A nearly humourless chuckle bypasses the lips of Joe as he adds upon the prior words of the female, having never been one to truly enjoy the nature of goodbyes. "And I promise you that we will meet again, at some stage in our lives."
Smiling widely upward at the man, with sheer admiration shimmering within her eyes, Cameron silently moves inward to be closer to the male, not missing a singular beat as she pulls him in for a tight, affectionate embrace. The auburn-haired actor quickly moves to wrap his arms around the smaller form of the woman, and once the two had been drawn together as one, neither ever felt the want to let go, and allow that moment of bliss to reach its conclusion.
But as the working of life state, all good things must come to an end, and the two are soon forced to drop their embrace. Cameron is forced to wipe away a singular droplet of sadness that had slipped past her eye and begun to cascade down her cheek, knowing that any onlooker may grow curious at such a sight. Her eyes then flicker upward to Joe one final time, the woman hesitantly uttering, "Well, I'll see you later."
With her last image of the man being of him offering a sad smile as a response, Cameron turns away from the man that had been by her side for many passing days, not daring to once glance backward as she begins her journey onto her plane, knowing that if she were to do so, their departure would only grow more difficult. And with his hazel eyes glazed over with a layer of unshed tears, Joe watches as the woman fades from his sight, whispering one final sentence beneath his breath, "See you later."
And it is only many minutes after the female escaped his sight for one, final time that his attention is turned toward the notebook that is still grasped within his hand; the only physical reminder left of their times together. Gentling opening the cover of the item that he had been gifted, the first thing within the notebook that catches his eye are words inscribed neatly upon the inside cover. Upon closer inspection, he is able to conclude that an address had been written on the surface, along with a small note saying, "Write to me some time".
With his lips adorning a small, bittersweet smile, which appears as a stark contrast to the emotions of solemn which swarm his eyes, Joe's eyes flicker away from the address written for solely him, instead, his interest becoming piqued by a singular piece of ripped our paper that had been purposely positioned at the front of the book to be read upon first opening. And so, he does exactly that, his eyes hovering over the words written upon it.
His eyes meandering upward to gaze upon the spot that Cameron had once stood, the words in which he had read from the sole piece of paper repeating within his mind, like the ballad of a broken record. A few stray tears had managed to push past the brave facade he had forced upon his features upon reading the contents the female had scribbled out, the previous sentiment that had brewed within him only now amplifying, like the want for a further encounter between the two of them doing being affected by the writings also.
However, the fate of what was to become of the relationship that had been built between Cameron Alyssa and Joe Mazzello now rested solely within the hands of the future, with only time holding the answers of if they'd blossom into something beautiful, or simply wither away, and be something that remained in only their dreams. But, if one were to say that the pair wouldn't try their absolute hardest to sway the tides of fate in their most desired direction, well, they would not be speaking truthfully.
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A/N
Holy damn, it feels so weird to think about how this is the final chapter of the story? Goddamn? Although there still is the epilogue to write, which will be of the page that Joe read within this chapter. I'm still debating whether or not to write a sequel, but honestly, I feel like this is a good place to leave their story, at least at the moment.
I'm still not all that sure about how well this works as an ending chapter, and I may eventually come back to rewrite it in some way. But for now, it's what we've got, so I hope you enjoyed! (:
Anyways, that's all for this chapter! Hopefully I'll see you in the next, and finale, update! 💛💫
