Nineteen
NINETEEN
FRANCESCA
A lexander packed his suitcase neatly, rolling pants and t-shirts into tight fabric sausages before fitting them in like a material-based game of Tetris.
‘Think there is room in there for me?’ I asked, toying with a roll on deodorant bottle and trying to hold myself together.
It could only ever be a summer romance. I knew that. It didn’t make it hurt any less.
‘Want to snuggle in beside my boxer shorts for a flight across to England? Just cosy right up with my socks for hours?’ His smile devastated me. Maybe I could just smuggle him back to my dorm. Hide him under the bed and keep him for good.
‘Yes. Well, no. But I don’t want you to go.’
Alex put his toiletry bag on top of his clothes before zipping the case up. He sat and pulled me into his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck.
‘I don’t want to go, but I have to get back to England. Go back to work. And you, sweet girl, need to go back to school to finish your degree so you can start your next chapter.’ His words were throaty, his eyes shining.
‘I want you in my next chapter.’
‘Then we’ll work together to make that happen. We can do a little distance, right?’
A beeping came from outside and my stomach dropped. His taxi had arrived.
‘Yeah. You promise you won’t go home and fall in love with some fancy English woman?’
‘There’s only one woman who’s going to plague my mind, Francesca. No one else has ever made me feel like you do. They never will. When you get over to Europe, I’ll be there right off the plane to meet you.’ His eyes searched mine as I fought back a wave of emotion. I didn’t want to look like some silly girl.
‘And what if I don’t make it? What if I just end up in my parent’s dentistry office?’
‘Then I’ll come find you. But it’s not going to happen. You’re going to be amazing. Keep working on your dream. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not worthwhile.’
The horn beeped again, more insistently.
‘You have to go,’ I whispered before pulling him to me, kissing him long and slow. ‘I’m going to miss you so fucking much.’
‘We’ll be back together before you can blink, baby girl. I promise.’