Long Distance Love Letters

One Last Goodbye

Anne and Gilbert arrived at the train station the day of Anne's departure, neither of them necessarily willing to let go of each other.

Anne glanced at the train before turning to Gilbert.

"I'm a little worried," she stated, only half teasing. "Every time we're apart, you get into trouble."

Gilbert stared at her with an expression that tried to convey nonchalance but couldn't hide his sadness.

"Then don't leave," he said softly, clearly trying to joke.

Anne's heart broke and she pulled him into a hug. The two held each other tightly until the final boarding call was made.

Anne sighed and kissed him on the cheek before pulling away.

"I love you," she whispered, not being able to hide the tears in her voice.

He offered a weak smile and gave her a quick yet warm kiss. "I love you, too."

The two stared at each other for a meaningful moment before Anne forced herself to turn and get on the train.

As soon as she found her seat, her eyes found his from the window. The train began to roll away and she fought the urge to jump off and run into his arms like he had done for her months before.

They shared a wave goodbye and suddenly, he was out of her line of vision.

As soon as he was gone, the familiar pain reappeared in her heart. It was going to be excruciating to wait until June.

To pass the time and to distract her from the ache, Anne got put her notebook and her fountain pen and began writing.

My love,
As soon as I first put my pen to this paper, I feel like I travelled back in time. I have not written you a letter in months. I fear that I have forgotten how to do it properly. To righten this, I have made up my mind to forget about propriety. You, along with the love of my life, are one of my dearest friends, and I am going to talk to you as if you were right next to me, holding my hand.
It was excruciating to say goodbye to you. My sweet, passionate, caring, effervescent love. I am terrified that, once again, something will happen to you that is beyond my control. However, I have discovered a thought that soothes me: this is our last goodbye. When you come home for summer, we will never need to be apart again. I long for that day, I cling to it. I also fantasize about the day where I can call you my husband.
Do you ever dream about what our future will look like? I mean, I am sure it has crossed your mind once or twice but have you given it serious thought? I try not to dwell on it too much considering the future is an ever-changing ideal, but once or twice, I have allowed myself to daydream. I can imagine our kids running around the yard with the sunlight in their hair and smiles alighting their faces. I can imagine reading them stories at night then cuddling with you by firelight once they are all asleep. Every time I have these daydreams, love fills my heart so full that it threatens to burst. I simply hope that our children will inherit your genes, especially concerning their hair. I would not be able to sleep knowing that I passed even a single red hair down to them.
I am rambling, aren't I? I guess you must be used to this, but I'll stop now. I must retain enough of said rambling to fill six months' worth of letters, mustn't I? I eagerly await your response.
More than words can describe,
Anne
P.S. Good luck on your exams!