Wanderlust

It's not Goodbye

POV Meg

Wow. I was such a mess last night. It's 5:30am and Kate's still sleeping. I don't know how much sleep she's gotten, but I've been sleeping for over 12 hours. I have a massive hang over, but I promised Kate we'd go see the sunrise before she goes back to Georgia. I rolled over to face her and gently rubbed her arm. She grunted and pulled the blanket over her face. I ran my hands through her hair, trying to wake her up in the nicest way possible. She finally starts to open her eyes.

"Good morning pretty." I smiled and kissed her on the cheek. In a friend way, obviously.

"Ermmm what time is it?" Kate is definitely not a morning person. She rolled over so her back was to me.

"It's 5:30, do you still wanna go watch the sunrise?" I have no idea how much sleep she got, I barely remember anything from last night. Last night... Shit. What happened while I was drunk? I jumped out of bed and paced the room, trying to remember what happened. Hopefully nothing bad.

"Yeah we can go watch the sunr- what are you doing? Are you okay?"

"What happened last night? Did I do anything crazy? I have a history of doing stupid shit when I'm drunk." She sighed and sat up. That can't be a good sign. I probably should've let her wake up some more before dumping this on her, but I'm freaking out and I need to know now. Maybe nothing bad happened and I'm just over reacting...

"Come sit on the bed, it's a long story." Fuck. Something definitely happened.

*20 minutes later*

"I DID WHAT? Oh my god Kate, I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Meaghan, calm down. It's fine, you were drunk, shit happens. Don't beat yourself up about it." She gave me a sleepy smile to try to calm me down. She could tell I was still worked up about it so she put her hand on my knee and continued talking. "We all do things that we wouldn't normally do when we're drunk. It really is okay."

"I'm the most anxious person on this planet, telling me shit happens isn't gonna help. I'm so so sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable? Does Kasper know? Are you okay? Can we still be friends? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that." I can't believe I already ruined this. I ruin everything. I was stupid to think our friendship would last.

"Hey, calm down. You're rambling, you only ramble when you're nervous. Take a deep breath. You didn't make me uncomfortable, the making out was mutual, that part was while we were both drunk." How is she not upset? How is she not mad at me? She's so patient and she knows exactly how to calm me down. She doesn't get mad at me when I'm insecure or anxious. Anyone else would've yelled at me or got annoyed.

"I tried to have sex with you! That's a pretty big freaking deal dude!" I don't know why I'm still yelling. Maybe it's a defense mechanism. I looked down and realized I'm still in my boxers and a white T-shirt. Not only am I having a break down, but I'm doing it in my under wear.

"It's not like you tried to force me to do it, bub. You didn't disrespect me, I didn't disrespect you. I promise, it's okay. I'm sorry you're so upset but I just don't understand how this would ruin our friendship or whatever. That's what you're worried about, right? We don't have to stop being friends because of this."

"Can we just pretend this never happened please?" I asked. This seems like the best solution.

"Of course. Let's go watch the sunrise."
She got out of bed and we both got dressed. I don't get dressed in front of people. Ever. But with Kate I'm not ashamed or embarrassed. I'm so comfortable around her. I'm more than grateful to have her in my life and I don't know what I would do without her. I put my all white converse on and pair then with my ripped jeans and baggy sweater. I throw on a beanie real quick and we're out the door.

We got in the car and put some music on. I tried to forget our previous conversation, but I just can't get over the fact that I did that. After stopping for coffee, we arrive at the lake to watch the sunrise. I got out of the car and told Kate to follow me. I started climbing a tree and she laughed, asking me what I was doing. Once I got to the branch I was aiming for, I leaned over and grabbed for her hand.

"Don't lean that far over! You're gonna fall! Why are you up there?" She tried to make herself sound mad, but she smiled from ear to ear.

"Just grab my hand!" She finally did and I pulled her up. Once she got on the branch, she sat in front of me and leaned her back against the front of my body. I put my chin on her shoulder and wrapped my arms around stomach. I grabbed her hands and held them, resting our hands on her lap. Her ears were bright red from the cold air so I gave her my beanie.

We sat there in silence for a while until Kate said she had a question for me.

"Can I ask you something?" She continued looking straight ahead, her eyes fixed on a little family of ducks.

"You can ask me anything. " Usually I'd be freaking out and over thinking about what she's gonna asked, but I feel calm and at peace. I trust her more than I've ever trusted anyone.

She slides down a little bit so she's laying more than sitting. My chins now on her head and my arms are draped over her shoulders. We're still holding hands and she tucks them under her chin, as if she's protecting them. "Why do you love sunrises so much?" She finally asks.

I've been waiting years for someone to ask me this. I didn't think anyone cared. "I used to want to be a meteorologist. The sky has always fascinated me. When I was little, I begged my mom to take me to see the sunrises and sunsets as much as possible. They're a constant, ya know? I know that no matter how bad shit gets, the sun will always rise and set. Also they're just really freaking pretty." She smiled and moved our hands to her face, placing her lips on my hand and just holding them there.

"You're amazing." She put our hands back on her chest and pulled one of her hands away, keeping the other interlocked with my fingers. She took out her phone and checked the time. The sun has already risen so now we're just enjoying each other's company before she has to leave. "It's 7:15, we should probably go back to Kasper and Kylie, our flight leaves at 9."

I groaned like a little kid who didn't want to get up to go to school. "Five more minutes??" I whined. She laughed and I could feel her smile.

"Five more minutes." She replied.

Pretty soon, we're back in the car and on our way back to the Air BNB to get our stuff, clean up, and give the owner our keys. Suddenly, another car pulls out in front of me and I slam on the break. My arm went flying over Kate as a protective instinct. After it was over, we looked at each other and I asked is she was okay. She grabbed my hand.

"You didn't have to try to protect me you know. I appreciate it though." Our hands moved to the center console and we left them there for the rest of the drive.

"If something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."

*an hour later*

We're at the airport with Kylie and Kasper. I tried avoiding eye contact with Kate so I didn't cry, but it didn't work. She put her hand on my cheek and wiped my tears. I put my head on her shoulder and held her tight. "Please don't go!" I whined.

"Flight 36 now boarding."

Kasper and Kylie said their goodbyes and Kate and I said ours. "It's not goodbye, it's see you later. Maybe you can come to Georgia soon, my brothers will love you." She forced a smile and fought back tears. I watched as she left, pinching myself to make sure it was really happening.

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A lot happened this chapter so I'm sorry for that, but I was really motivated and just kept writing and I didn't feel like splitting it up into different chapters. Also I love reading all of your comments, you guys are so sweet 🥺❤