“Did you hear?” “What!” My Bestfriend—Jesseca—pleaded. “Your crush is switching schools, to yours!” I exasperated. “Oh my gosh! How did you find out?” “You remember James friend?” “The dude that Lillie’s friends with?” “Yes!” “Oh!” She squealed, and I joined in. Another guy was right behind me and I accidentally bumped him. “Sorry,” we said in unison. That clued an awkward laugh. My cheeks flushed pink. “I’m Jenna,” I held my hand out, flashing my teeth. “Oliver, nice to meet you.” He returned a smiled towards me. I felt Jesseca’s eyes on both of us. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I have your number?” “Sure,” I smiled, then swapped phones with him. My eyes widened, “Oh, sorry, this is my bestfriend Jesseca.” He shook her hand politely, but his gaze stayed on me. Stop making me blush Mr Oliver! __ Silence pursed the air. “Where are you from?” Jesseca asked, squinting at him. “Oh, I live in Germany.” My heart sank. I live in New York. “I live in New York….” This beauitful and kind stranger named Oliver, lives across the world!!!! Ahhhh! My future husband lives way too far. I giggled. He titled his head in confusion. “Oh sorry!” “Awkward,” Jesseca’s whispered in a singsong voice. I shot her a look. “What do you like to do for fun?” He asked. I suddenly realized he had a German accent! Oh my, he was perfect. “Reading, hanging out with this one,” I pointed to Jesseca and she waved, “I like to travel as well. Anyway what about you?” “I prefer being spontaneous over being inside, you know, traveling, visiting new places, hanging out with friends. Although, I do like myself a good cup of coffee while reading a book on my baloney.” “You have a baloney?” I asked curiously. He laughed lightheartedly, “Yes, I see all the best sunsets.” “If you were my travel guide, you could persuade me to visit anywhere! If you say anything about sunsets, count me in.” “That’s good to know. If you let me take you out sometime—_we’ll figure out the distance issue—_Then I’ll add sunset to the list. “How long have you two been friends?” He asked. “Oh, well, 15 years.” “Wow, a long time.” “She’s known me for so long that I see her as my sister. This one here knows every single thing about me. You can quiz her if you’d like.” “I have good memory,” She smirked. “Okay, what’s her favorite icecream flavor?” “Chocolate chip.” She answered confidently. “Correct.” “Favorite movie or drama?” “Gilmore girls.” “Correct,” I said, Again. “Worse relationship she’s been in?” He asked. “None, she’s never been in one.” “Nicely done,” I high-fived her. “Wow, she really does know you.” “Yea, I could do the same thing for her.” “I bet!” “Jenna you could do it in your sleep.” “I probably could,” I smiled. Instead of feeling left out, Oliver seemed delighted and indulged in the conversation. “Do you have any siblings?” I asked Oliver. “Yes, two, one girl and one boy.” “Is it a loud house?” “Not really actually, they prefer the silence for whatever reason. Although whenever we get together it can get very loud, especially on game night.” “I’d love to see that.” I chimed in. “You would.” He smiled again—Like sir? Please stop! You could cook eggs with that smile. After talking a while, our plane was called and we had to leave. We were bound by distance, but something about him intrigued me. I knew this wasn’t the last time I saw him… I don’t know how though.

Why? Why is it me who has to feel this pain? This heartache? I thought I found the one, sure, we only knew each other for a moment, but it felt like a lifetime. I feel the ache growing as we take off, flying farther and farther away from each other. I pull my knees up to myself, trying to become smaller. Trying to take the heartache away. Will I ever see him again? Probably not. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. But the thought of not seeing his face or hearing his voice again, his laughter, it makes me sick to my stomach. Does he feel the same way I do? Does he feel this pain? This hurt? I sit still, trying not to cry, to show, to feel. It doesn’t work. I feel wet, hot tears slide down my face. Why, why, why, why? I wipe angrily at my face, trying to stop the tears. I know my heart will never be the same, but I’m trying to tell myself It’ll be okay. It has to be. The pain only grows, I could have done something, should have done something. But no. Why? Why did it have to be me? I was happy. For a short time with him. For a moment, everything was perfect. But then he went one way, and I went the other. My heart breaking every step I took, taking us farther apart. Now, I just sit here, with my thoughts. My heartache. My heartbreak. Hoping, one day, I’ll heal.

The End.

A hug That’s all I need A really long hug Please I know It’s hard Hugging me For longer than 10 seconds I need it But i can dream I can wish

I wrote this a week ago in drafts And it happened today It can be real Patience and hope is all that’s needed And God will make it true

As the final boarding call echoed through the terminal, they shared a lingering embrace, both reluctant to let go. She whispered, "I'll wait for you," and he nodded, though uncertainty clouded his eyes. He watched as she disappeared through the gate, feeling a strange emptiness settle in his chest.

The days that followed were a blur of routine and restless nights. He found himself constantly checking his phone, hoping for a message, a call, anything to bridge the distance. Despite their time zone difference, they managed to keep in touch, their conversations filled with longing and plans for a future reunion.

Months passed, and he decided he couldn't wait any longer. He saved up, working extra hours, and finally booked a ticket to her city. On the day of his flight, he felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. What if things had changed? What if the connection they felt in the airport was just a fleeting moment?

As he landed, he couldn't shake off the doubts, but the moment he saw her waiting at the arrivals gate, all his fears melted away. She ran into his arms, and they both knew that despite the distance, their bond had only grown stronger.

They spent the next weeks exploring her new city together, every moment reaffirming that they were meant to be. They discussed their future, realizing that sometimes love requires taking risks and crossing oceans.

Eventually, it was time for him to return home, but this time, their parting was filled with hope and determination. They made plans for her to visit him next, and for the first time, the future seemed less daunting. They knew that no matter the miles between them, their love would always find a way.

Planes are…fine.

Lou doesn’t love them. She isn’t afraid of heights. They are just confining without any fresh air. But they are temporary. They get you to a different place far away. So they are acceptable. As long as the place they touch down in has a lot of animals.

Another reason to not like them is because that her animal friends can’t come on the plane. She usually doesn’t get to bring them on vacations or trips. She begs her parents, practically on her knees. They’ve learned to not budge.

Ajax isn’t a service animal, though she wishes he was so that he could be with her all the time. She managed to convince her animal friends to not tag along (especially Greg) because of getting them food and having the time to care for them. She is thankful that Jones agreed to take care of them while she and her family were gone.

People are weird. There’s the awkward small talk and expectation to talk, depending on who you are next to. Actually, maybe Lou doesn’t like planes now that she’s listing the reasons.

Her parents really wanted to go on this trip to New York. They met there by chance and wanted to not only narrate the story to her and her brother but have them live it. She dreads it because there won’t be many wild creatures there. Big cities aren’t her favorite. They’re cold. Sterile. Dirty. Not very natural.

“I don’t know how you packed everything into a carry on backpack, Ladybug,” Fen, her brother, comments, lugging a suitcase that Lou doesn’t know how it counts as a carry on and a humongous backpack. The nickname slipping easily from his lips.

She shrugs. “We’re only here for a week. I’m surprised on why you need so much.”

“You never know when I need extras.”

He may sound over prepared to anyone else, but Lou and their family are very aware of his tendency to make his clothes disappear. Well, not quite disappear but lose them. His power is camouflaging inanimate objects by touch. That means a lot of items around the house go missing.

So she adds animals to the household and he disappears objects. Lou isn’t sure how her parents still have hair on their heads anymore.

Without the unnecessary weight, Lou easily finds and sits down in her seat, shoving her backpack under the seat in front of her. She preferred having her stuff with her in her sight.

Fen struggles getting his luggage in the overhead compartment but eventually does and collapses into the seat next to her. Their parents were a few rows up.

Looking down at her phone, she is hit with a wave of homesickness. Or the equivalent term for missing her animal friends. Her lock screen is of a group picture of most of them. The ones she couldn’t fit were on her home screen.

It’s almost as if she could hear Ajax’s loud meows.

To distract herself, she turns to Fen. “How is June? This would have been more fun if she came along,” Lou says. She doesn’t like many humans, but her brother’s fiancé is one of her favorite people. With her brother and June having moved an hour away, she doesn’t get to see them as much as she would like. She actually thought June would be with Fen until he showed up alone.

“She’s good, says hi by the way. She didn’t feel great leaving the state with her Nani’s condition not so good.”

Lou doesn’t say anything else, not knowing how to respond to that. She didn’t know about June’s grandmother. Maybe she should text her.

He must have read her mind because he warns her not to do the very thing she was thinking of. “Don’t text her. She doesn’t want anyone really knowing.”

“That her Nani is sick?” Why would that be a secret?

“That she’s worried,” he counters.

“Why?”

She probably sounded like a kid, but it confuses her. People often do.

“She was taught that being strong means taking everything on her shoulders. That’s how to not show weakness.”

“But it’s basic human emotion. Why would that be weakness.”

She is met with silence. Just like her feelings must be written on her face, so are her brother’s. His face looks drawn. Tight. High with tension.

“We were raised differently than June. With her culture, it’s different,” he replies after thinking for a moment. The way he says it makes her think the conversation is done now. Final.

Lou settles into her seat more and rests her head back, eyes closed. “You guys should get a cat. They help with stress,” she suggests.

She doesn’t see him, but he gives a light chuckle, a slight rumble that makes her feel a bit better.

People are almost all filed in now. This is the longest time, waiting for others to get seated. She sometimes falls asleep before the plane ever takes off, but when it finally does, then it wakes her and she can’t sleep.

She wishes she could be home with her animal friends. Her soul must be intertwined with Ajax because she can hear his meows. It’s even more clearly now.

“It’s ok. Everything’s going to be ok,” a voice purrs. Her eyes shoot open, realizing they aren’t the phantom noises from her cat friend, but of a cat on the plane in the seat across from her and Fen’s in the aisle row.

The kitty cat is a beautiful dark grey with the brightest eyes. This one is obviously a service animal if the nervous girl is anything to go by. She is pale, eyes screwed shut, frantically petting the cat, trembling. Looking to be twelve, Lou feels for the poor girl. The human and for the cat. The feline appears calm, being a perfect friend.

“Switch seats with me,” she hisses. Her brother had the aisle placement.

“And why would I do that, Loubug?” He teases, with an all knowing smirk. He must have noticed the cat before her, well aware of why she wants to be closer to the aisle.

“Because I met the love of my life?”

He laughs but complies like the good brother he is. She clamors into his seat, leaning over her armrest, partially into the aisle.

“Hi, my name’s Lou. What’s your name?”

The girl looks around her but answers when she is sure Lou is talking to her. “Mira.”

Her voice is so quiet, slightly shaky.

Truth be told, she wanted the cat’s name, but Lou supposes it would be helpful to have the human girl’s name as well.

“What about you?” This time she directly lowers her gaze to the animal in Mira’s lap.

“Storm,” the cat meows.

“Nice to meet you Storm and Mira.”

Mira’s eyes widen and her petting halts. In an instant, she stops quaking, almost like she forgot to. “How’d you know my cat’s name?”

“She just told me.” Mira continues with her confusion.

“My sister can talk to animals,” Fen interjects from her left, putting Mira out of her misery. “A bit obsessed as well.”

She can’t deny it, though she wouldn’t have used that word. What’s so obsessive about wanting as many animals as possible?

“Is it ok to pet Storm? I know some service animals, you shouldn’t distract.” Lou knows that Storm isn’t one of those kinds, but she does have to play nice with her human.

“No it’s ok. Storm is for my anxiety. Is it ok with her?” She has this curious look. No longer scared.

By now, Lou is practically hanging off her seat. People around them are staring at them, disapproving looks on their faces. People are just weird.

“Sure! I like pets. Especially under my chin,” Storm answers, tilting her head up, ready to receive the pets.

“She said it’s fine,” Lou translates, though that’s only to be polite since it is obvious that Storm likes her.

She reaches across the aisle and scratches right under her chin, purring so much that she feels it on her fingertips.

“You sure have a way with animals,” Mira comments.

“I understand them better than people.” Mira giggles like it’s a joke, but Lou is serious.

Fen leans forward and reiterates what Lou was thinking, “She’s not kidding.”

The flight isn’t so bad with Storm near her. Storm is such a good cat, calming her human and being quiet.

She barely takes her eyes off of Storm. What can she say. She loves cats.

And when the flight ends, Lou isn’t lying in that saying goodbye to Storm was one of the hardest things to do.

Cassius looked over to see Griffin waiting in line for a flight far from home. He had sworn he would get a one way ticket to somewhere far far away. Griffin was tapping and waiting for the line to move. Cas wanted desperately to change his flight but he had his kids. Cas knew that Griffin was his love but he couldn’t find it in him to admit it. He touched his cross then touched the bracelet Griffin had made for him. One of those two people preached that they’d love all of humanity regardless of their sins. This was one sin he had to commit or he’d regret it forever. “Griffin!”

There’s always hope…there is. There has to be if this love is to remain strong and true. From the moment our lips embraced each other, I felt the truth. I didn’t just know…I felt it. Our eyes locked in before we separated our bodies from one another. This was the broken moment. This was the honest moment. This was the time to say goodbye to my one true love.

Your dark hair being carried off by the winds of the airport terminal, as your petite curvy body hustles through the security check points to gate 34. I watch you. Until I can no longer see your dark hair…your beauty…your eyes…I watch you go.

You might be leaving the United Kingdom, and you might be leaving for a while. But that smile, those lips, those tiny cute feet of yours will be landing in Malta…where my soul and my love will continue you to be with you…just until my hands, my lips, and my entire being will be one with you again.

The middle seat. Nine hours of subtle elbow fighting with my neighbors. Holding it as long as possible to avoid the awkward “excuse me.” None of it mattered. She was back. The spark was still there. I saw it in her eyes and felt it my heart.

I didn’t need movies to entertain me. The memories I’d long confined to a dark corner of my mind, I let them play freely for hours. Every walk, those first timid touches, a kiss, the first clumsy night. It was all back as though it was yesterday.

I’d let pride and ambition separate us once. The job with the big title in California had seemed so important then. I was such a fool. She found someone else and I survived in relationships that I knew deep down were poor substitutes.

Now she was off to Thailand. Alone. She was vague about why. Business. There was no ring on her finger. The warmth of her smile and the spontaneous hug when we saw each other in the terminal, it was like we’d never parted. She gave me her cell phone number without a word. I went to my gate and she went to hers.

The moment we landed in London I headed for the ticketing terminal. “Can I help you?” “Yes, when is your next flight to Bangkok?”

“I mean, is there any chance I can convince you otherwise?” Sam wasn’t desperate but she sounded so.

The dreamy guy whose name she still had yet to glean, simply smiled. It was perhaps a little condescending.

“I don’t think that’ll work. And deep down I think you’d agree with me.”

She thought about this, eyes averting from his inviting cheekbones, his broad shoulders. She found courage to speak in the scuffed floor.

“I don’t think I should have to convince you.”

Even in her periphery, she noticed a change in his body language.

“You wanted…this the same as I did. You were there, with me… if you’re going to fly home now, that’s fine, but your decision shouldn’t come down to me getting you to do it.”

She looked up finally expecting to see him at least affected by her words. Instead he hammered away at a text.

She peaked over the rim of the phone. Saw a contact name emblazoned with hearts and kisses.

Then she left. Before he could babble or beg. She was boarding before he even noticed.

“Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit.” Alana rapid-fire mutters through gritted teeth. She doesn’t realize that she has begun to speak out loud until the tenth utterance of shit.

The crowd around her, equally wrapped in their own busy lives (why else would they be at an airport?) makes no effort to move for her. Why should they? They don’t know she’s about to miss the love of her life forever.

The woman with the red headband and the soft lips and the adventurous nature and— well you get it. She loved everything but her name and that’s only because she didn’t get her name.

She shoved and hustled with just enough urgency to not summon up security (she hoped) and made for gate three, now departing in— shit!! Two minutes!

She grunted and shoved ahead, sending a luggage cart off balance and teetering.

“Sorry!” She screamed back.

If she could even just get her name as something tangible, something more real than a fling, she would be alright.

But she wasn’t. The gate, upon her arrival, was closed. The attendee looked at her with suspicion.

Alana exhaled into her shaking hands, remembered Her hands. Then she began to cry.