Simple Happiness

Chapter Sixteen

"Babe, there is something I have to tell you," Ethan said after the waiter cleared the table and left. They had just finished having their dinner.

"What is it?" she asked, leaning forward.

He outstretched his arm and took her hand in his. "I have won a master's scholarship."

"Congrats! That's a good thing," she said.

"Thanks."

"Why don't you look happy?"

"Well, I'm happy. Maybe it is separation anxiety."

"What do you mean? Are you going abroad for your Master's degree?"

He nodded. "Yeah, sadly," he said. "I'm going to Europe."

"So...Did you bring me here to break up with me?"

"No...Of course, not. I just wanted to know your opinion. I can give it up if you ask me to."

"Are you serious?" she asked. "What kind of person will that make me? I don't have the heart to stop you from pursuing your dream?"

"But our relationship is still young, and I am not ready to lose you."

"Who said I couldn't wait for you."

"What? Could you do that for me?"

Liz pursed her lips and looked him in the eye. "Why not? You think you can easily get rid of me?" She smiled and slapped his hand lightly. "I'll wait for you."

"Thank you so much babe; I love you."

"I love you too," she said. "So, when are you leaving?"

"Next month," he said.

"Then we have to make use of our remaining time together. We should make many more memories together."

"That's a good idea," he said. "Can you ride a bicycle?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I had this idea about us riding bicycles in the mountains."

She put her elbow on the table and lay her cheek in her hand. "Too bad I don't know how to ride a bicycle."

A smile curled on his lips. "I can teach you if you want," he said.

Her face lit up. "Are you sure about that?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Yay! Team Lithan, here we come!" she said.

"Team Lithan?"

"Yeah. Liz plus Ethan equals Lithan."

"Wow, that's cool. I like it."

---

As she ascended the stairs leading to Tamara's apartment, Liz couldn't help but worry about her relationship with Ethan. Was it going to survive the long distance between them? She had been quick to encourage him to go, but deep inside she was cold with fear. What plans did fate have for them? Was it going to take him away from her? What would happen to her if he fell in love with a foreigner and dumped her? Would she be able to handle the heartbreak?

She opened the door to Tamara's apartment and slouched toward a couch. She was lost in her thoughts. She didn't even notice Tamara, who was lying on another couch, watching TV.

"Huh, what's wrong with you?" she asked. "Why do you look like someone who has been run over by a bus?"

"Eh," Liz woke up from her thoughts. "Who has been run over by a bus?"

"You," Tamara said. "What is going on with you?"

"It would be much better if was run over by ..."

"God forbid!" Tamara rushed towards her. "That was just a joke. Don't take it seriously. Tell me, what happened to you? Did Ethan do something to you?"

"Ethan...!" Tamara said, clenching her fists. "I won't let you get away with it!"

"Hahahaha..."

"Why are you laughing?" Tamara asked. "What's so funny about me wanting to make him pay for what he has done to you?"

"Ethan didn't do anything," she said. "But you look very cute in beast mode."

Tamara pouted her lips and rolled her eyes. "Who looks cute in beast mode?" she asked. "I was afraid that something bad had happened to you." She leaned towards and held her hand. "Tell me the truth. Did something happen during the date that made you come back looking so sad and dejected instead of happy?"

Liz pursed her lips. "Ethan is going abroad for his postgraduate studies."

Tamara immediately pulled her into a hug when she heard that. "Are you afraid of losing him?" she asked. "Don't you trust him?"

She pulled away from the hug and looked into her eyes. "Do you think love is enough to keep us together despite the geographical difference?"

Tamara saw the desperation in her almost to tear eyes. She held her hands and nodded. "Love is enough. You have to have faith in his love for you. He will surely come back to you because he loves you."

"Men are visual beings. What if he meets someone more beautiful than me? Or what if another woman sets her sights on him and seduces him until he falls in love with her?"

"You have forgotten another possibility," Tamara said. "What if he won't fall for any other woman, however seductive or beautiful she will be? What if he only loves you? What if he comes back to you after two years and marries you...?

"You are right," Liz said. "I should think positive thoughts."

"That is more like it," Tamara said. "Don't burden yourself with negative things that haven't happened yet, lest you attract them."

"Okay. I will stop over-thinking."

"Plus, we are in the digital era," Tamara continued. "You can make video calls to each other on social networks like Skype and WhatsApp. If both of you cooperate, it will be like he never left. Just don't lose the connection between the two of you. Keep the fire burning and make your hearts grow fonder of each other with the distance."

Liz smiled. "You are a pro in this area."

"Ah...ha-ha-ha!" She waved her hand in the air. "Of course, not. I'm just repaying you for the relationship advice you give me every time I am in need."

"I see," Liz said.

After that conversation with Tamara, Liz regained her strength. She stopped worrying about the future and decided to make more memories with Ethan before he left the country.

***