Last Day

Two young girls held each other's hand while waiting quietly for the bus to come. Natalya felt worried, however, in this quiet atmosphere. Today had been long and emotionally heavy because of graduation and Natalya leaving town. She thought many years ago that graduation would be great. She wouldn't force herself to come to school every day of the week or spend countless hours studying for exams or having lonely periods of time for herself, away from everyone.

That life was in past, and it wasn't as easy to live alone as Natalya thought it would be.

When Natalya met Lili for the first time and asked her out after a few awkward moments together, the last year she had was the best she could ever hoped for. Going out with good friends, study groups who actually worked on homework and helped Natalya out (despite not wanting to feel dependent) and feeling every day, when she went to school, Lili and everyone would be there to say 'good morning' to her.

However, the wonderful last year came to its finale in the form of summer. Natalya spent her whole time with her friends and the whole last week with Lili only; her parents had their plan of sending her abroad tomorrow and today was her last day to say goodbye, at least for now. The days before, Lili and Natalya discussed how they could still use Skype and write emails and call whenever one was free. Lili saw the positive side like always. That trait made Natalya love her even more.

Natalya saw from the corner of her eye the bus coming down the street, stopping to their final station. Sighing faintly to herself, Natalya got on her feet, holding Lili's hand in expectancy to come along. She didn't. Lili sat there with her eyes on the concrete floor almost as if contemplating over a huge topic with herself. The bus driver stared at them with little patience.

"Lili, the bus is here," Natalya said softly, glancing over to the opened bus door.

"I know..." Lili said without looking up.

"Then why aren't you getting up?"

Lili, at last, looked at Natalya. With widen eyes, Natalya understood what she meant without saying a word. Two lovers who could tell what the other thought was almost magical, but the truth behind it was the shared understanding of time. Time slowly took them away and by the end of the day it would tear them apart. At least let them have their last day together.

Natalya sat down on the bench and the bus driver stared in confusion. When he got the idea neither wanted to go in, he closed the doors with his bus stick and drove off. Natalya and Lili watched the bus drive down in silence.

The sun behind them was warm; orange and yellow intertwined in a tango of summer glory and youthful shenanigans that would last for two months. Natalya squeezed Lili's right hand and felt hers squeezed back in acknowledgement. Smiling to herself, Natalya looked up and watched the fluffy white clouds flying past softly across the sky in bashful manner. Watching the skies was a hobby of hers when she was alone and now she has Lili to watch them...well, had, anyway...

"You know," said Natalya, "Vash is gonna panic if you're late."

"I know," Lili answered.

"So why didn't you come?"

Lili took her gaze off the floor and looked away, "I thought you, of all people, would understand why."

"I do. I know you don't want me to leave. But I'm leaving tomorrow and this is our last time together, and…"

"You're not making any sense."

"...You're right, I'm not."

The silence engulfed itself around the whole area without any interruptions. The sun's glow gave off a warm feeling behind them and if they took the moment to watch the sunset, it was a rather lovely sight. Instead they watched their shadows beneath their feet crawl gradually forward on the ground, the quiet atmosphere dancing in its own style when the two anxiously avoided conversation.

Natalya, after a lengthy period of muteness, spoke up while saying what she really thought.

"I don't want to leave. I want to start all over again; make my years of high school better than I made them. I should've met you long ago and we could've had more than just a year together, and I want to spend more time with your...our friends. They were different than what I thought from afar and made me feel happy…

"I remember how you came to our school and sat next to me in class when the teacher told you so. I really thought at first you would be miserable with me next to you...but instead, you tried talking to me.

At first I thought you were trying to do something devious but you began making me lunches when I told you one time I didn't eat lunch. It was nice how you showed to me you cared."

"Of course," Lili said. "I was so afraid you were hungry all the time, so I made extra lunches. Vash told me not to waste so much food but I told him they were going to someone special. Honestly, I thought it might change our relationship from sitting buddies to best friends."

Natalya felt her heart beating softly in her chest. She remembered those shy but sweet moments when

Lili would pass a box to her, hitting her elbow gently, and not say anything else until after Natalya ate the food. All the time Lili asked if today's lunch was good, and Natalya answered it was the best thing she ever had.

"...remember the time I asked you out, as a friend at first?"

"Yes, I do,"

"And then it turned into a date when you kissed me…"

Lili replied, "I was worried at first you would take it the wrong way but...you did kiss me back." Natalya wondered if she was smirking while her eyes averted timorously away.

"What was I supposed to do?"

She didn't say anything at first, but responded in a satisfied tone, "I don't know what you would've done back then with any other girl, but I'm glad you kissed me back."

Now Natalya looked over to Lili with a slight smile stretched across her face while watching Lili staring down the floor until she too looked at Natalya and gave a reminiscing grin.

"You know," Natalya said, taking both of Lili's hands and held them passionately, "if I hadn't kissed you

back, or if you hadn't made me lunches all the time, I wouldn't want the life I had planned before."

Lili gave a surprised look, "And what life would that be?"

"...being alone all the time. But I'm glad you got to be part of my life, and everyone else, too."

"I'm glad you got to know everyone, Nat,"

"Yeah…"

When neither knew what to say, Natalya promised she would always stay in contact with her in Belarus.

"You promise to stay in contact with all of them, too?"

Natalya was surprised when she said that. Then she remembered what happened when said she was leaving after graduation, how everyone came to hug her, almost crying while saying how they will miss her so much and giving her their email addresses and phone numbers and telling her she could come to visit anytime. It was strange what they did. Lili told her it afterwards it was because they, too, were her friends.

"Yes...I will,"

"Good. I don't want you to hurt their feelings by not staying in contact with them. It's always important to stay in contact with those you know you love or know who will worry over you countless times."

"But what if they forget me?"

"No one is ever forgotten," Lili said carefully.

Natalya didn't want to argue with Lili, feeling this fight was something she couldn't win today. Why

waste their last time together with arguments and instead of connecting one last time with her girlfriend?

"Well, I'll make sure they won't forget me, that's for sure."

"It'd be their biggest mistake not remembering the best person in the world!" Lili laughed easily to Natalya.

"Honestly, in my opinion, not knowing you would be the worst mistake in the world for anybody."

Unaware of Lili's shocked yet heartfelt expression, Natalya finally made her move and, looking down to her girlfriend, she leaned in and plucked her lips with hers. Lili's lips, soft and sweet, pressed willingly with hers. Natalya kissed Lili with gentle force as she continued massaging their lips into a luscious kiss. Never before had she felt such desire in her life.

Natalya didn't want to leave her, she didn't want to leave all her friends behind, and she never wanted her school life to end. But now...it was time to go, because when they ceased kissing and stared into each other's eyes for comfort, the bus was not too far down the road.

Time had flown so fast for the two. Neither wanted to leave, but time was never on their side as they get on their feet, hands holding tightly together, and prepared themselves to get onto the bus. Inside the bus was empty except the driver who nodded at them in silent greeting; Lili and Natalya could pick any seat they wanted.

But they took the very end of the bus like always; it was their favorite spot of the bus because whenever the bus had people in it, they had their special spot away from the crowd and have each other instead.

Natalya sat near the window with her forehead touching the cool surface while Lili's head rested on

Natalya's shoulder. The drive back home was something painful for them but they endured the hour spent together at that bus station's bench.

Lili probably fell asleep on Natalya's shoulder without knowing it; Natalya just kept her gaze toward the window outside. But when her eyes ached from the bright sunlight blinding her, she looked at Lili again and felt her lips purse into a smile.

Please don't forget me, Natalya said to herself. I don't know what'll I do without you...

However, Natalya deep down knew if she said those words, Lili would reply with earnest care...

You do know what to do...just work hard for me.