8. Goodbyes
Goodbyes
The sky was beginning to lighten when I finally made my way back to the hotel. I slipped my keycard into the lock as quietly as possible. The green light flashed, the door clicked open, and I stepped inside.
A lamp immediately switched on.
I froze.
Claire sat cross-legged on the couch wearing pajamas and an expression that could only be described as smug.
"Oh, no."
"Oh, yes." Her grin widened. "I've been waiting three hours for this."
I dropped my purse onto a chair. "Please don't."
"I absolutely will."
I pointed at her. "You promised."
"I promised nothing."
I groaned and kicked off my sandals.
"I'm tired."
"Interesting."
I narrowed my eyes. "What does that mean?"
Claire leaned forward. "It means you left with Tyler around ten AM, you're returning at six in the morning, and your hair looks like it lost a fight with a hurricane."
I immediately touched my hair. Big mistake. Claire burst out laughing.
"Claire!"
"What?"
"Stop."
"I can't."
Eventually, the laughter faded. She studied me for a moment. "You okay?" The question caught me off guard. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor. The answer wasn't simple anymore. "Yeah."
Claire nodded slowly. For once, she didn't push. And somehow that made everything worse.
I slept through most of the morning. When I finally woke up, sunlight filled the room.
Reality returned immediately. We were leaving tonight.
The thought settled heavily in my chest. The trip was over; that was normal.
People went on vacation, then they went home.
Yet somehow this felt different, like I was leaving something important behind. Or someone.
By late afternoon, our bags were packed.
Claire glanced over. “Nervous?"
I laughed. "About flying?"
She gave me a look. "The other thing."
I looked away. Answer enough.
Claire squeezed my shoulder. Neither of us said anything. There wasn't much left to say.
The airport buzzed with travelers rushing in every direction. Meanwhile, my entire focus remained fixed on one question.
Would Tyler come?
I checked my phone.
Nothing.
Immediately, I hated myself for checking.
Claire noticed. "He said he was coming."
"He has practice."
"He'll come."
The certainty in her voice was annoying, mostly because I wanted to believe her.
Boarding was twenty minutes away.
Then fifteen.
Then ten.
Still no Tyler.
A sharp disappointment settled in my stomach. I hated how much I cared.
My phone buzzed. I grabbed it instantly.
Tyler
Traffic. Don't leave without saying goodbye.
A helpless smile appeared. Across from me, Claire looked entirely too pleased.
Five minutes later, I spotted him actually running through the terminal.
Hair messy.
Breathing hard.
The sight made my chest tighten.
Because he came.
Despite practice.
Despite traffic.
Despite common sense.
He came.
Tyler finally reached us. "See..." he said between breaths, "...I'm not too late."
I laughed. "No. You're right on time."
Relief crossed his face.
Beside me, Claire stood. "I suddenly need another coffee. You two behave."
Before either of us could stop her, she disappeared into the crowd.
Leaving Tyler and me alone, exactly where she wanted us.
The noise of the airport seemed to fade. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Finally, Tyler laughed softly. "I had a whole speech planned."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"What happened to it?"
His grin appeared. "I saw you."
My heart squeezed painfully.
A boarding announcement echoed overhead; time was running out.
Neither of us acknowledged it, not yet.
"You know," Tyler said quietly, "this wasn't supposed to happen."
I looked up. "What wasn't?"
A sad smile touched his face. "Any of it."
The club.
The conversations.
The beach.
Us.
None of it had been planned.
Yet somehow it had happened anyway.
"So, what now?" I asked.
Tyler looked around the terminal before returning his gaze to mine. "I think we remember this happened."
The answer hurt because it felt exactly right…And exactly wrong.
Another boarding announcement, final boarding.
Tyler opened his arms, and I stepped forward immediately. His embrace was warm, strong, safe. For one brief moment, everything else disappeared. When we finally pulled apart, neither of us moved far.
"Jennifer."
"Yeah?"
His expression softened. "Don't settle."
The words hit harder than anything else he'd said all weekend. He wasn't talking about him. He was talking about me. My future. My happiness.
"I'm serious."
"I know."
Final boarding echoed one last time. I took a step backward, then another.
"Take care of yourself," Tyler said.
"You too."
I turned and walked toward the gate. Halfway there, I looked back. Tyler was still standing exactly where I'd left him.
Watching me.
And suddenly I realized something terrifying. Some goodbyes are supposed to feel temporary. This one didn't.