Endless Love

Lyla snuck out of the bed early to pack her vehicle, and was surprised when Alex and Serena followed her out. The humidity from the following day still lingering in the air, “what are you guys doing out here,” Lyla huffed. She had planned to use the morning to spend with her friends before she drove home, but now seeing them standing there with her bags in their arms made tears roll down her face.

Lyla was really going to miss them, even Alex. She, of course, knew that she would be home before the semester started, but she had a lot of fun this semester. She had made her first love interest, and stepped out of her comfort zone. She was ready to be this new woman with the people she loved and had been learning to love.

Eventually, they finished packing the car, which didn’t take long since there were three of them packing it. They went back into the condo and made a pot of coffee, because the sun had been slowly creeping up the sky. Small yawns had been escaping their mouths, so they abandoned the coffee and went back to their beds; Alex following Lyla, no longer awaiting the request. They slept for a few more hours before they came out to socialize.

To their surprise, Lyla had gifts for all the ladies, and presented each of them to their new owner. For Carly, she had given her a new stethoscope; she had lost her old one during a clinical, so she got her one in her favorite color. Ann had received a bear who’s shirt read, ‘World’s Best Teacher’ and she cherished that immensely. She gifted Jessica with crystals, at least, ones she thought she might not have, and Jessica was delighted. Last, she had made a special basket with all of Serena’s favorite things, and she even had to run back up the stairs to grab it.

Once she had passed everything out, a group of arms consumed her. The girls loved their roommate, and she loved them, and they were all going to miss each other for the next few months. To soak up the time they had left with each other, the girls had gotten comfortable on the floor, and talked about anything they could. It didn’t have to be important, they just wanted to hear each other's voices.

In due time, Lyla made her way back to Alex, they headed out to the front steps of the condo and sat down. Lyla reached for his hand, and was the first to break the silence, “I didn’t think it would be possible since a week ago we were strangers, but I’m really going to miss you, Alex.” Alex turned to look at her, and he saw tears flowing down her cheeks, so he reached to wipe them away; instead moved in for a kiss.

Lyla pressed herself into him, with no regards to the world around her. She no longer cared if anyone saw her with Alex, and she was happy she cordially attacked him at the beginning of the week. This was her first love and was soon to be her first heartbreak the second she put her car in gear and drove home. When they broke from each other, Alex had been the first to stand up, and he had helped Lyla to her feet. They both headed back into the condo.

As Lyla collected the rest of her things, she hugged each of her friends, wanting to stay just a day longer, and wishing the time between now and when she returned would pass quickly. Jessica. ‘It’s only two months’. Carly. ‘I can text them whenever. It’s not that serious’. Ann. ‘But these girls are like my sisters’. Serena. ‘And I don’t even get to bring my best friend’. Lastly, Alex scooped her up into one more hug, nestling his face into her hair, “I promise this is not the end,” he whispered into her ear.

As she pulled away, his hand traced the length of her arm, and lingered on her hand; they weren’t quite ready to separate. She headed out the door, and out to her car, then drove it into the street and started home. The trip would carry into the next day, so she turned on her tunes and drowned out the ache that was starting in her chest; it grew with every mile she took away from the condo. Away from her friends. Away from him.

— — — — — —

The trip had finally finished and Lyla pulled into the driveway of her childhood home. Her mother was standing at the end of the walkway to greet her; she had called her half an hour before to let her know she was close. She placed the Camaro in park, then stepped out into the warm Colorado air.

Her mother threw her arms around her and pulled her into a hug, “Oh Lyla, I missed you so much this semester. Now, why can’t you be closer again?”

“Because Mom, absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Lyla chuckled, she could’ve gone to school in town, but wanted the distance. She liked the independence. As they chatted they walked into the house, and Lyla had been brought to a full halt by the sight of a stranger standing in her childhood living room.

“Who are you,” she demanded. The mystery man bounded across the floor, hand outstretched.

“Evening, I’m Clark. Your mother has told me a lot about you, but she never mentioned you were this gorgeous,” he mused. Lyla finally let down her guard enough to notice that he was actually pretty good looking himself. It almost ached within her stomach to think such a thing, when a day ago she was kissing Alex. She shook Clark’s hand and asked to be excused; she had bags to bring in.

He had offered to help bring the bags in with her, so he could get to know her better, and she couldn’t refuse the offer. Clark had followed Lyla out to her car, and they began grabbing luggage and heading back into the house and up the stairs to Lyla’s room. After a few minutes went by and the car was emptied, they found themselves on the couch, trying to catch their breaths.

They had actually gotten to know each other well, then Clark mentioned he had to go attend to some business, and left back to his home next door. Lyla was then left alone with her mother, who was nowhere to be seen at the moment, so she explored the house looking for her. Finally, she found her in the backyard; she had been on the phone talking to an unidentified person; she assumed it was one of the high schoolers who would work on the weekends, but she found she was incorrect.

“I love you, and I’ll see you tomorrow night,” she beamed at no one in particular. Lyla then made her presence known, which startled her mother. “Lyla, sweetie, what are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be talking to Clark,” she gasped, trying to collect herself. She had told her mother that he went back home for some business and that she was heading up to bed. She was wiped from her trip and her ambush from her mother and Clark, so she trudged up the stairs and fell into her bed.

She checked her phone, hoping for a message from her friends, and hoping even more for a text from Alex. When she saw an empty screen, she rolled over and went to sleep, not really sure if she was ready for the next couple of months. As she drifted off to sleep, she could feel the faint buzzing of her phone, but it wasn’t enough to pull her out of her drowsiness.