Disclaimer: How many more times? ::sigh:: I don't own these characters, nor
do I make a penny out of this.
---------
His things were all packed in boxes, and he was finally zipping up his
carry-on bag. He'd given his three-weeks notice to Kerry exactly 21 days
ago. He was free to go, now. He checked his pocket for the ticket; it was
still there. He was stuffing his keys in an envelope addressed to his
landlord, when a knock on the door interrupted him. "Come in!"
The door opened, revealing a nervous Abby. "Hey."
He was perplexed; what might she be doing there? "Hey." It was almost a
question. What brings you here, Abby?
But she didn't hear, and she didn't answer. She'd seen the boxes now, and
the bag, and the keys being shoved in the envelope. She was silent and she
looked surprised, as if at a loss for words.
"Abby?"
"Are you moving? Where to? Why didn't you tell me?" She was almost frantic.
"I didn't think you'd care." He slurred carelessly.
"Well, I do!" She insisted.
"I'm," he looked away briefly and sucked in a deep breath. "Going back..."
He trailed off, but she looked just as clueless as she had a second before.
"To Croatia." He explained.
Without her noticing, Abby's mouth dropped open. "Wh-" This couldn't be
real. Surely, she hadn't heard right. "Why?"
"Why not?" He mused. But she was not amused, she was looking at him with a
mixture of fright and anger in her eyes. "I... I don't know why I'm *here.*"
He said, and she said nothing. "I miss... I miss home, I miss sailing." He
added.
"Rent a boat!" She almost yelled.
"Abby," he soothed.
"I thought here was home!"
"Not anymore." He shrugged sadly, and continued. "I'm not going to miss
Chicago."
"You're not going to miss me."
"No, that's different. I've been missing you, ever since..." That sentence
needed not be finished. She knew since when. She gave him a sorry look.
"Since then." He nodded slowly.
"Is that..." Abby swallowed hard. "Is that why you're leaving?"
He looked her in the eyes, and let his eyes linger for a few moments. "Don't
do this to yourself."
"Then don't go!" She yelled. "I have a right to know, Luka. I do!"
"Why do you wanna know? You're happy now, you've got your life together. Why
does it matter?"
"It matters. It matters, and I care, and--
"Abby." He interrupted, as she was getting all worked up. "Abby, it's...
over." The word almost hurt to say. "Let it go. You've moved on, I guess I
should move on too."
Abby was looking elsewhere, focusing on some invisible spot somewhere
between two boxes lying aground.
"And here you know what I came here to say?" She asked bitterly, looking
right back at him. "I came here to say, that I don't love him."
Luka pondered this revelation for a little while, then almost lost his
temper and snapped. "And what, you love me?"
She didn't answer, but for a fragment of a second, he could have sworn she
was choking back tears.
"This has gone on too long, Abby. You don't need me, or anyone. You don't
have to have someone. Maybe you should be on your own for a while."
"I don't want to be on my own."
"And you don't really want anyone, and you don't love him, and you go on
living your life like you're happy, and you know you're not, but you
pretend, hoping maybe someday you'll eventually be happy with that. You're
good at that."
"Luka, I... I'm sorry." She hung her head and twitched her mouth.
"What for?"
"I don't know, everything, I guess. What I... did, to you."
He shook his head, smiling softly. "I quite deserved it, if I remember
right."
"Sometimes you did, yeah." Abby chuckled a bit, and a comfortable calmness
crept upon them unknowingly.
"I'm sorry too," Luka said earnestly after a while.
Abby nodded at him and smiled bittersweetly. He smiled back, and took a
glance at his wristwatch.
"I have a plane to catch," he sighed out.
"You mean tonight?" Abby asked, incredulous.
Luka shrugged, "Yeah."
"You... You didn't tell me it was tonight."
"10:37."
"It's nine-thirty," she stated sadly, a lump forming in her throat. He
merely nodded slowly. "Will I ever see you again?" He merely looked at her
fondly, as she turned her head to the side to hide the tear spilling over.
"How are you getting there? Let me drive you." Her voice was breaking.
As if on cue, the cab waiting downstairs blew his horn.
"Will you at least call me?" She let herself cry openly, now. "Will you
write?" She was even sobbing, now, right there in Luka's living room amidst
dozen of packed boxes.
He awkwardly ambled towards her and hugged her, rocked her, stroked her
shoulder to give her strength. "Shhh, I will." He kissed her hair softly. "I
will."
Minutes later, he was gone.
---------
do I make a penny out of this.
---------
His things were all packed in boxes, and he was finally zipping up his
carry-on bag. He'd given his three-weeks notice to Kerry exactly 21 days
ago. He was free to go, now. He checked his pocket for the ticket; it was
still there. He was stuffing his keys in an envelope addressed to his
landlord, when a knock on the door interrupted him. "Come in!"
The door opened, revealing a nervous Abby. "Hey."
He was perplexed; what might she be doing there? "Hey." It was almost a
question. What brings you here, Abby?
But she didn't hear, and she didn't answer. She'd seen the boxes now, and
the bag, and the keys being shoved in the envelope. She was silent and she
looked surprised, as if at a loss for words.
"Abby?"
"Are you moving? Where to? Why didn't you tell me?" She was almost frantic.
"I didn't think you'd care." He slurred carelessly.
"Well, I do!" She insisted.
"I'm," he looked away briefly and sucked in a deep breath. "Going back..."
He trailed off, but she looked just as clueless as she had a second before.
"To Croatia." He explained.
Without her noticing, Abby's mouth dropped open. "Wh-" This couldn't be
real. Surely, she hadn't heard right. "Why?"
"Why not?" He mused. But she was not amused, she was looking at him with a
mixture of fright and anger in her eyes. "I... I don't know why I'm *here.*"
He said, and she said nothing. "I miss... I miss home, I miss sailing." He
added.
"Rent a boat!" She almost yelled.
"Abby," he soothed.
"I thought here was home!"
"Not anymore." He shrugged sadly, and continued. "I'm not going to miss
Chicago."
"You're not going to miss me."
"No, that's different. I've been missing you, ever since..." That sentence
needed not be finished. She knew since when. She gave him a sorry look.
"Since then." He nodded slowly.
"Is that..." Abby swallowed hard. "Is that why you're leaving?"
He looked her in the eyes, and let his eyes linger for a few moments. "Don't
do this to yourself."
"Then don't go!" She yelled. "I have a right to know, Luka. I do!"
"Why do you wanna know? You're happy now, you've got your life together. Why
does it matter?"
"It matters. It matters, and I care, and--
"Abby." He interrupted, as she was getting all worked up. "Abby, it's...
over." The word almost hurt to say. "Let it go. You've moved on, I guess I
should move on too."
Abby was looking elsewhere, focusing on some invisible spot somewhere
between two boxes lying aground.
"And here you know what I came here to say?" She asked bitterly, looking
right back at him. "I came here to say, that I don't love him."
Luka pondered this revelation for a little while, then almost lost his
temper and snapped. "And what, you love me?"
She didn't answer, but for a fragment of a second, he could have sworn she
was choking back tears.
"This has gone on too long, Abby. You don't need me, or anyone. You don't
have to have someone. Maybe you should be on your own for a while."
"I don't want to be on my own."
"And you don't really want anyone, and you don't love him, and you go on
living your life like you're happy, and you know you're not, but you
pretend, hoping maybe someday you'll eventually be happy with that. You're
good at that."
"Luka, I... I'm sorry." She hung her head and twitched her mouth.
"What for?"
"I don't know, everything, I guess. What I... did, to you."
He shook his head, smiling softly. "I quite deserved it, if I remember
right."
"Sometimes you did, yeah." Abby chuckled a bit, and a comfortable calmness
crept upon them unknowingly.
"I'm sorry too," Luka said earnestly after a while.
Abby nodded at him and smiled bittersweetly. He smiled back, and took a
glance at his wristwatch.
"I have a plane to catch," he sighed out.
"You mean tonight?" Abby asked, incredulous.
Luka shrugged, "Yeah."
"You... You didn't tell me it was tonight."
"10:37."
"It's nine-thirty," she stated sadly, a lump forming in her throat. He
merely nodded slowly. "Will I ever see you again?" He merely looked at her
fondly, as she turned her head to the side to hide the tear spilling over.
"How are you getting there? Let me drive you." Her voice was breaking.
As if on cue, the cab waiting downstairs blew his horn.
"Will you at least call me?" She let herself cry openly, now. "Will you
write?" She was even sobbing, now, right there in Luka's living room amidst
dozen of packed boxes.
He awkwardly ambled towards her and hugged her, rocked her, stroked her
shoulder to give her strength. "Shhh, I will." He kissed her hair softly. "I
will."
Minutes later, he was gone.
---------