Page 66 of Loathing Ryan
Despite it being so early, the airport was buzzing. The terminal was split into two sections. We were standing at the crossroads of Arrivals and Departures. Baggage claim and arrivals were downstairs. Security for departures was upstairs.
I looked around and located where I needed to go next. Then, I turned to Bells. Her eyes were glassy as she looked at me and forced a tight-lipped smile.
“Well, I guess this is it,” she said, trying to make light of the situation.
I shrugged. “I guess so.”
Her smile fell, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. I moved swiftly, gathering her in my arms and hugging her close. Her heartbeat thudded against my chest a little too rapidly. “Shh, it’s okay.”
I felt her head shake against me as her shoulders shuddered. “It’s not, but I love you for pretending it is.”
I let her go and held on to her shoulders. “Wewillget through this, one way or another.” My fingers tucked a section of hair behind her ear. “You’ll be so busy with your first term at Princeton that you probably won’t even miss me.”
Izabel rolled her eyes. “That will never happen. I’ll always miss you.” She played with the small heart around her neck.
“I’ll miss you, too,” I told her.
“Look, Ryan. I know your mom told you to have fun and all….” she trailed off.
“But?” I prompted, knowing what was coming.
“But don’t havetoomuch fun. I secretly want you to be just a little miserable.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Trust me, Bells. I’ll definitely be miserable without you.”
She smiled. “Good.”
I wasn’t worried. We’d get through this. Izabel and I had already conquered so much together. There wasn’t any reason why we couldn’t survive this too.
The plan was that I’d come home at Christmas each year. Then we would alternate summer trips. I’d go home during the summer of the first year, and the following summer, she’d travel to Berlin.
There would be a seven-hour time difference, so talking on the phone or FaceTiming would have to be planned. We agreed to always try to set time aside during the week when we could talk and spend virtual time together. We could do this. I knew we could.
I kissed her deeply, my tongue swirling with hers as I tried to convey everything that I couldn’t say. She kissed me back just as ardently, pressing her body against mine.
When we pulled away, we both had tears in our eyes. This was it.
“I love you, Bells,” I said, leaning my forehead against hers.
“I love you too, Ryan, so much.” Her arms wrapped around my neck again, and she held me close.
“I promise you, whether it’s five years from now or a hundred, I will still love you. Distance or time is not going to affect that,” I told her honestly.
Bells smiled at me softly. I could tell she didn’t necessarily believe me, but that didn’t matter. I would prove to her as many times as she needed. We were each other’s endgame.
I grabbed my suitcase, kissed her one more time for good measure, and then turned and headed toward the escalators. Once I reached the top, I turned back to her. Bells smiled at me and waved, then brought her fingers up to her lips to blow me a kiss.
Pretending to catch it, I pressed my fist against my chest. I gave Bells one long last look, memorizing everything about her, and then headed confidently into my next chapter.
28
CHAPTER 28
Fall— Year 1 — Izabel
Shit.I was going to be late.
I threw my backpack over my shoulder and ran out of my dorm. How could I sleep in on my first day of classes? Actually, no, I knew precisely how. My roommate and I had been up till all hours of the night, gossiping, drinking contraband seltzers, and learning about each other. She fell head over heels for myepiclove story with Ryan. She wanted all the gory details.
