"I can't believe we've finished high school."
"I can't believe you're going to college," Lloyd mused. I smiled fleetingly, staring at my empty room nostalgically. "And I also can't believe you're moving into the Monastery just to leave in a couple of months to move into campus."
I lifted my shoulder in a shrug.
"Can't complain," I sighed and picked up one of the last remaining boxes to be driven to the Monastery. Mum had already moved to Jamanakai to be closer to the military base. Closer to dad, now that I was moving out. "I'm just happy I was accepted."
"Are you kidding me? You're super smart!" Lloyd gushed enthusiastically, hoisting up a suitcase full of my clothes. "You're the smartest person I know."
"I find that hard to believe," I smiled with a roll of my eyes as we approached the Monastery's van. "I doubt I measure up to your parents or Wu at all."
"Yeah, but they're smart in their old people ways," Lloyd half shrugged. I snickered, sliding the box into the back seat. "Is that all?"
"I think so," I nodded. My mum had left for Jamanakai the day before. We already had said our tearful goodbyes.
The house was sold, the new residents would arrive in the afternoon. After another thorough check of the place, Lloyd and I settled in the car. I watched the driveway disappear as Lloyd began the drive to the Monastery, to my new (official) home.
"I can't believe I'm leaving it," I murmured. "I feel like I only just moved there."
Lloyd smiled, taking a turn. I watched as a kid's ice cream fell outside. I grimaced.
"Time goes fast when you're having fun," he commented playfully. I snickered.
"Time goes fast when you're stressing me out and giving me grey hairs like your mother."
Lloyd gasped, taking a turn. I watched as a kid's ice cream fell outside. I grimaced.
"Whoa," Lloyd suddenly said with a wince. My stomach felt weird. "Déjà Vu."
"What?" I asked, glancing back at him. He hummed, shaking his head.
"Never mind," he waved it off. "I'm probably just imagining things."
I raised my brow. "Probably... you psycho."
"Hey!" Lloyd exclaimed with a biting grin before pinching my thigh. I yelped with a laugh, slapping away his hand. "Stop, stop, stop! I'm driving, Y/n, gosh."
I snickered. "Sorry."
Before long, we were pulling up outside the Monastery. Lloyd sent me a wickedly happy grin, grabbing my hand excitedly.
"Welcome home!" he said giddily. I giggled, sharing his enthusiasm as we slipped out of the car and began grabbing my bags and boxes of belongings.
I stared at the Monastery with a happy smile as I walked up the steps to the front door, greeting the various monks by name as they passed, either heading to other rooms or tending the gardens or sweeping the stone entrance. Lloyd walked beside me, looking as proud as a puppy with a steak in its mouth.
Speaking of puppy-
"Oh! Kashu, down boy!" I yelped as the large English mastiff came barreling up, wagging his whole body in excitement. He slobbered and drooled frantically.
Lloyd sniffed.
"It's so unfair that you're his favourite when you weren't even around all the time," he complained. I snickered, throwing him a teasing look over my shoulder.
"He just has good taste."
"So by that, you're telling me that you admit to having bad taste?"
My smirk dropped. Lloyd smugly chuckled.
"Hurry up, you dork," I grumbled. He awwe'd teasingly at my attitude plummet before directing me to my new room.
We dumped my gear, having to take a couple of trips to grab everything. By the end of it, we were both puffed and wondering why on earth the others couldn't of helped us those lazy jerks.
"No more flying to your house all the time," Lloyd sighed blissfully and folded his arms behind his head. Kashu pushing his body through the half-closed door and leapt up onto the bed, settling his large body over our own majorly smaller ones. We groaned at his weight.
"I thought you said you were going to teach him to not do that anymore," I wheezed, turning my head away from where Kashu was trying to lick my face. I was pinned I couldn't get away from his happy slobbers.
"I tried!" Lloyd insisted with a breathless voice. "He still thinks he's a puppy!"
I flopped my head towards his with a disappointed frown. He smiled sheepishly. I couldn't hold it, I broke into a breathless giggle. Lloyd chuckled.
"I love you so much," I laughed. Lloyd grinned playfully, tempting Kashu off with a nudge to the side. He got the message and lumbered off to slump at the end of the bed.
"I love you to infinity and beyond."
"I can't believe you just referenced Toy Story."
Lloyd shrugged. "Did you like it?"
"I loved it," I laughed, shuffling closer and dropping my face onto his chest. "I love you."
Lloyd smiled softly at the ceiling while I listened to his heartbeat contently. We held each other. We'd never let each other go. We literally couldn't. Kai had poured glue onto the duvet cover as a welcoming prank.
(We later got back at him by putting all of his favourite comic books in a waterproof container with a heavy rock and submerging it in the pond in the garden.)
But at that moment, we were oblivious to the PVA glue sticking to our shirts. Nothing could ruin that short, sweet moment, nothing, and of course, like how every true love story ends, we lived happily ever after.
At least, that is, for a little while.
The End.
