This is one of longest stories I've written in a long time! I had this idea stuck in my head for a long time, so I finally decided to write it all out. It came out way longer than I first intended, but I'm glad I've finished it. Well, Kirron, as well as the small appearance of Vanemy, Bryson, Valerian, and Keily, belong to my friend Charmpanda, who was very kind to allow me to write with them.
Emily Evans sighed in content as she looked up to the sky above her. Her boyfriend, Kirron Hope, was laying by her side looking up as well. The sky, a glorious midnight blue looked down on the couple. Lots of shining stars spread out as Emily's azure eyes scanned them for any constellations. The blonde felt her partner shift next to her and move an arm around her and pull her in for a small cuddle. Emily responded with a little giggle. She was enjoying their little moment. Having left work together not too long ago the tired pair had been enjoying a calming walk through the park when they decided to take a break and sit at one of the benches around the paths since she wanted to talk to him about something. Eventually, they ended up in the cool grass looking up at the star-filled sky. Just lying there and quietly enjoying his company and the night air was enough the put her in a good move, though when she began to think about the thing she'd had to tell Kirron, it made the grin on her face fade.
"What's wrong Kitten?" He questioned, noticing her change in mood.
"It's just what I needed to talk to you about." She stated. Kirron sat up, pulling her along with him so that they could face each other. He had noticed how odd she'd been acting all day while working, in fact, her sister Lily had been just as odd, making him believe that whatever was on Emily's mind had been bugging Lily as well.
"What is it?" He questioned curiously.
"Lily and I...uh, we're going to be leaving for a bit."
"Vacation?"
"Not really." Emily's voice dropped. "We're going back to France for my grandmother. She's gotten older and isn't in good health as of lately."
"Why do you have to go?"
"Lily can't handle all that by herself. And our other family members there, they don't want anything to do with her, and somebody has to take care of her."
Kirron watched her for a moment, a million things rushing through his mind. "And you're okay with this?"
Emily was silent for a moment. "Yeah…" she answered slowly. "I mean, I'm not thrilled about leaving, but I've been thinking about it for weeks now, and I can't just ignore her."
Kirron ran a hand through his snow colored hair, his mind still trying to grasp onto what she was saying. Go all the way back to France? Or to put it more clearly, put her life here on hold for here? "Maybe I should go and let you have some time alone to think?" Emily shifting, standing up only to be stopped by Kirron.
"No. No, stay." He gently tugged her back down by her arm. Kirron was silent for a long moment, which sent small jorts of worry through her body. She'd been so nervous about telling him, perhaps she wasn't making the right choice? Kirron noticed her nervous gaze, "I'm not exactly thrilled about this, how long?"
"What?"
"How long will you be gone?"
"Oh, well, my father insists that we'll only be gone a few months until we can make other arrangements for her. I suppose, a year at the very least."
"A year!?" Kirron hadn't meant for his words to come off so harshly. He noticed Emily look down to the grass with a guilty expression. Kirron rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, I'm just surprised, okay? I'm not going to bed you to stay. If you feel like this is what you have to do then I'll support you on it." Kirrons hand brushed over hers. Despite not being too keen on the idea of her leaving just yet, he didn't want to be the one to tell her she shouldn't go since it was her family they were talking about.
"Hey, come on." Emily poked at his cheek, "don't look at me like that! We can make it work." Kirron gave her a small smile, lying down so that his head was on her lap.
"Well, of course, we will." He responded, his lavender eyes looking back up to the sky as Emily ran a hand through his hair and watched as well.
Kirron couldn't believe that this would be the last actual date he'd be taking Emily on. Emily would be leaving a day from now, and Kirron wasn't really sure how to feel about it. He was trying to be optimistic and supportive of everything, knowing that Emily had to go back to France for her family. So, he decided that he'd plan on the last date between the two of them, and he'd make sure it was extra special and lovely. He'd even enlisted the help of a few of their friends since they'd be working where he'd planned to have the date. He decided to have it at the cafe he and Emily worked at, and with permission from the owner they'd be having it after closing hours, leaving the space to just them
As Emily walked alongside Kirron she resisted the urge to rub her eyes. For once the young lady was wearing makeup, as she usually didn't bother with it at all. But thanks to the help of her sister she was all prettied up for her date. She tugged at the bottom of the navy dress she'd chosen to wear, it was probably just a bit shorter than she preferred, but she had expected it since she'd borrowed it from Brooklyn. Kirron smiled, looking over at the blondes bouncing curls as she walked. He laughed to himself, watching as she tried to avoid the cracks in the pavement as to not get her heels caught in them. With the black heels on she gained another three inches or, but he was still taller. Under the streetlights, his lavender eyes caught the slight shine of the necklace she was wearing.
"You wore it." He commented, somewhat smugly.
Emily hummed, having her attention stolen away from the sidewalk before her. She'd been absentmindedly counting her steps. "Oh, of course, I did!" She exclaimed as she realized he was talking about the silver necklace she was wearing. "I love this thing!" Kirron smirked, he'd bought the necklace for her a year ago for Christmas. The lovely little necklace had a pendant attached. It was a bicolor blue and purple sapphire stone, made up of the girl's favorite colors.
Kirron forced Emily to cover her eyes the moment they drew closer to the cafe. He guided her, knowing that the clumsy blonde would find some way to trip over her heels if he didn't. He guided her inside, holding her hands over her eyes as he looked for Brooklyn, who was waiting towards the middle of the cafe next to the table. He also found their other friends, Jasper and Oliver, waiting towards the side of the room near the kitchen. "Whatever's cooking smells amazing" Emily commented, already feeling hungry as Kirron sat her down. Kirron hummed, pulling her hands away and telling her to open her eyes. At first, Emily was met with the loving gaze of her boyfriend, as at first, she was hesitant to even look away, but she did. Her eyes traveled around the familiar sight of her workplace, looking through the dim lighting to find the three of their friends watching with grins. Emily couldn't help but smile as she looked the nicely made table before her. The silky white cloth brushed against her bare legs as she scooted in to sit closer to the table. The gentile candlelight reflected in her deep azure eyes before they drifted to look at the white and red roses that had been set out. Kirron was sitting in front of her by now.
"It's wonderful…" She looked around once more with a new feeling of different emotions running through her mind. She'd miss working here with everyone, she'd miss these little dates Kirron always seemed to plan to perfection for her.
"Don't cry, you'll ruin your makeup," Brooklyn commented as she walked up to them, still dressed in her usual work uniform. The reddish-brown haired girl set down two glasses for the pair, leaving behind a small tray of fruit for them to act as an appetizer.
The couple spent their time waiting for dinner talking about anything that came to mind. Kirron had asked Emily to tell him more about her grandmother and what the area in France she'd been living in was like. She went on, explained that her grandmother was the only relative on her mother's side that she really knew and spoke too. That she spent her years until now running her own boutique. Kirron listened intently, wanting to know more about the woman she'd be living with and taken care of. "Now that she's older she has many medical issues, and no one else on my mother's side was willing to take care of her. It's really sad to think about, but I hope I can make her happy for the next few months that she has left."
"If anyone can make her happy, then it's Emily Evans." Kirron rested his head in his hand. "Man, I hope you don't get to France and forget all about me." Kirron teased.
"Who could forget Kirron Hope?" Emily questioned. "With such dashing good looks and exhilarating personality, no one could make the mistake of forgetting you."
"Well, all that is true."
"I don't mean to be rude, but enjoy your dinner." Jasper cut in, moving to set a pair of plates down, offering a little wink in the process. Kirron rolled his eyes at the other males action. Jasper grinned, "if you need anything we'll all be over there, totally not spying on you guys." Emily laughed a bit as Kirron have him a glare that seemed to tell him that he better now.
Soon after they finished up their dinner for the night, Kirron urged Emily to stand up. She did, noticing the movements of Jasper and Brooklyn in the background as they were moving tables off to the side. Kirron took her hand, pulling her along as the soft sound of music filled the air. Oliver had plopped down of to the side with the speaker playing the music since he was in charge of this part. Emily grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck, and Kirron did the same around her waist. Emily gladly followed Kirrons lead as they danced to the music.
"I'm going to miss this." Kirron sighed, keeping his eyes on her azure ones. Emily nodded in agreement.
"I'm going to miss you."
"We'll talk every day though," Kirron responded. "I'll be bothering you all day, just you wait, you'll get sick of me after a week."
"I could never get sick of you."
"What did I do to deserve you?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"You just being yourself is enough for me." Emily grinned, jumping to hug the taller tightly. "Love you, Emily."
"I love you as well." She sighed in content.
After a moment of silence, Kirron spoke again. "Emily?"
"Yeah?" She sighed, wondering what he could possibly say during an already perfect moment.
"You're standing on my foot." He spoke softly.
"Sorry!" Emily laughed lightly, nuzzling closer to him.
Emily shifted her feet as she stood next to Kirron. They were both waiting inside of the airport, Emily was due to board the plane any minute now. She's already said her goodbyes to her friends and family, who had left due to not being able to stick around, but Kirron had insisted that he stay with her until she got on the plane. The albino male was holding onto her bad for her with his right hand, allowing his left arm to remain draped around her shoulders. "Don't be nervous Emily."
"I can't help it." She stated. "You know I'm...nervous about leaving everyone. If I had it my way I wouldn't have to go, but she's my grandmother and I have to be there for her."
"I know" Kirron moved to rub her back in a comforting way. "I'd do the same for my grandfather if he were still around." Kirron was a bit taken back as he heard Emily burst into a fit of tears. He immediately pulled the blonde in for a hug, squeezing her tightly as she buried her face into his chest. It was that moment when he realized that he'd miss being able to hold her like this, Emily seemed to have the same realization.
"I have to go." She murmured as she listened as they called for her flight to board. Kirron didn't let go though. "Kirron I can't miss my flight-"
"Don't cry anymore," Kirron spoke softly. "Just don't." Emily tipped her head to the side, ready to mistake his words for rudeness. "When you in France and you feel lonely don't even think about crying. When you miss everyone just remember the good times we've all had and smile. When you're overwhelmed just take a step back and breath."
"Kirron-"
"The next time you cry it better be when you're walking through those doors again and you back here to stay, even then you better be smiling, because it suits you."
"I promise." The last call for her fight was called, and the blonde jumped slightly at the sound. Kirron leaned to give her a quick kiss before pushing her off in the direction of her flight, watching as the tapping of her boots disappeared into the crowd.
Kirron sighed heavily as he tossed the bag he'd been holding into the passenger seat of his car. It was one of Emily's, and he'd forgotten to give it to her before she ran off. He hoped nothing too important was in there, he'd have to wait a few days before sending it off to her. The albino male started the car, but instead of driving off immediately, Kirron sat there for a moment. It had felt odd to walk out without Emily. In fact, he could already tell that a lot of things would feel odd without her around. He already wanted to reach and hold her hand as he drove like usual. Kirron knew she'd be gone for a while, a year at the most depending on how things with her family there go. He wondered how exactly long distance would work between them. The both of them were always so affectionate and touchy-feely, he loved just being able to hold her, and he knew that Emily had grown used to attaching herself to him while they sleep. New they'd be reduced to video chats and phone calls, which weren't too bad, but Kirron wondered just how long that would last until things started to get difficult. Emily would be busy there with her grandmother, and surely he'd be busy with his own work and personal life, and with a slight time difference, he knew it'd be hard to match up with her.
Sighing, Kirron abandoned the thought, with the intention to talk to someone else about this.
When Emily first arrived in France, she'd been greeted with the familiarity of the country she'd been born and grew up in. It had been over ten years since she and her family moved to America, and she'd almost forgotten just how wonderful it was here. Emily had been here for about two days by now, and her sister had just arrived today. The Emily strutted through the streets, having lost the nervousness and gloomy attitude she'd had during her flight the other day. Her sister, Lily, was by her side as she spoke on the phone to their grandmother. They were on their way to the market to pick up a few groceries before heading back home.
The morning air was warm with the sun beaming down on them along with baby blue skies and fluffy white clouds. Many people were walking down the narrow streets despite it being early. Paris was no different from any other large city, with bits of trash occasionally spotted and the loud chatter of everyone around them. Dogs barking, the sound of vehicles passing, music that may have been playing from one of the cafes or restaurants were present as well. Most of the buildings lining the particular street were about the same height with a lovely cream color painting them. Water flowed down the gutters as the streets were flushed clean, and the smell of coffee and many other goods reached Emily's nose as she passed by a bakery. Women walked by with bags or walking their dogs. Children clung to them as to not get separated, there was an elderly pair across the way feeding the pigeons, and tourists could occasionally be spotted taking pictures or observing the lovely scenery.
Emily already had many pictures she'd taken to send back to her friends back home, but that was in the back of her mind at the moment. Even though she was absolutely enjoying the lovely scenery of the world around her she knew that these next few weeks wouldn't be easy. They had many things to help their grandmother with, whether it be navigating the streets to pick up her medicine, sitting inside with her to make sure she had what she needed, or running down the street look over that little boutique she refused to let go of. Emily was rather stressed despite seeming perfectly calm.
"Emily, grandma wants you to head to the shop for the day." Lily caught up with the blonde, having fallen a few steps behind. "I can handle the errands for today, so don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?"
Lily nodded, "I texted you the directions, I suggest you get there fast grandma sounds like she's about to blow a casket."
Emily sighed, "really? I thought she said she was going to stay home and rest. I get there as soon as I can. See you later!"
When Emily stepped into the boutique was surprised to see the front room crowded with boxes. "Grandma?" She called as she weaved her way around the maze of boxes, spotting the thin frame of her grandmother standing towards the back with another boy.
Charlotte was the woman's name. She appeared to be in her late seventies with curly greying chestnut hair and matching brown eyes. Her skin was fair with a few wrinkles here and there. She was no taller than Emily with a thing, kind of frail looking form. She was dressed nicely in a long white skirt almost hiding the pair of sandals she was wearing. The pale pink of the blouse she was wearing could be seen under the white knit of the shawl wrapped around her shoulders. A string of pearls was around her neck with a pair of earrings to match, and her glasses were sitting on top her head. She wore a dark nude kind of pink lipstick, but other than that she didn't wear much makeup. As for the young man standing with her, he was wearing a simple attire made up of a white button up pairing with a black pair of pants and shoes. A grey apron was around him, likely because he'd been unloading these boxes earlier and hadn't wanted to get dirty or anything. The unnamed male had light brown hair that was slightly a mess and a pair of bluish grey eyes.
Charlotte turned quickly to meet Emily's gaze. "Emily, finally!" She exclaimed, "you won't believe what happened. The shipment of merchandise that was supposed to come at the end of the week has arrived early, as you can see." She gestured to all the boxes. "I need you to help get everything in order and unpacked, can you do that for me?"
"Of course I can, but shouldn't you be at home? The doctor said it would best that you stay home and relax. That means no working."
Charlotte brushed her off. "No doctor is going to tell me when I can and can't work! I've been running this shop for years, back when your mother was just a girl. It's my passion. I'd go mad if I had to stay home all day."
"I know" Emily frowned, "I'm just worried that's all. Here, I'll handle everything, so you can go sit and relax outside for a bit. It's really nice out today, and I'm sure you'd like to strike up a conversation with someone."
"Thank you, Emily." She smiled, "Louis is here to help you as well." Emily felt her grandmother's hand brush against her shoulder before the older headed outside. Emily was left along with the boy, Louis.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Emily. Charlotte was talking all about you in the weeks before you arrived." Emily took the males extended a hand with a kind smile.
'It's nice to meet you too Louis, so you work here?"
"Mhm." He hummed. "I have for a few years now."
"That's great. It's good to know my grandmother had some kind of help before Lily and I arrived."
"I'm sure it is." Louis gave a smile, "we should start going through all of this. Just watch for now, and I'll explain to you how we save and organize everything here."
Emily spent the better half of her day inside the shop. She wasn't quite sure how many boxes she'd gone through and unpacked, but she definitely wasn't in any rush to do it again. She and Louis had been the only one around the help, Lily seemed to have steered clear of the place on purpose to avoid doing work as well. Despite it being a lot of work Emily had enjoyed her time spent there. She'd gotten to learn more about Louis, as well as getting to spend more time with her Charlotte outside of home. Emily also grew a liking towards the kind Louis, who'd helped her through getting familiar with the boutique. The guy was sweet and funny, and she'd managed to befriend him quickly. However, now that she was back at home as late evening drew closer she felt rather lonely compared to how she had felt earlier today. The quick charm that Louis possessed only made the blonde think about her boyfriend back in New York. Glancing at the clock on the wall of her bedroom she sighed. It was almost nine PM, and there was a six-hour time difference between she and him.
Emily reached to grab her tablet from the nightstand and rolled onto her back as she scrolled through her apps. She sighed, looking up the screen above her as she watched the little phone make a ringing motion as it connected. Just before she was about to cancel the call she watched the screen change and the sleepy face of Kirron popped up. She flashed an apologetic smile as the male moved to flick his lamp on and reveal just how tired his lavender eyes looked. "Morning sleepy head" she sang softly, watching him drag a hand through his messy hair.
"It's three in the morning." He commented, "but I'm glad you woke me up." He smiled.
"I'm glad you picked up. Sorry for waking you, I'm still trying to get used to the time difference between us."
"Me too. How has your stay been so far?"
"Amazing. I forgot how wonderful it really is here. I never realized how much I missed it, as well as my grandmother."
"Is she well?"
"Mhm, she's insistent on not following the doctor's orders, but I think Lily and I being here for her is really going to be good for her." Emily laughed, "she already has me working for her in the boutique!"
"Working?" Kirron didn't laugh. " thought you were there to take care of her, not work for her."
"I am. If working in the shop will keep her from overdoing it then that's what I'll do."
"I guess." Kirron repressed a yawn. "Just don't overdo it, I want you home in one piece."
"Don't worry about me. Everything will be fine." Emily spent a moment and just looked at the sleepy gaze of his, feeling a small blush rise to her face she smiled. "I should let you get back to bed. Talk to you later?"
"I'll be waiting." Kirrons gaze softened a bit, "I miss you, Emily. I'll see you soon."
Emily watched the screen flicker black. She tossed the device to the side. "I miss you too" she muttered, now feeling even more lonely than before. Yes, she loved Paris and her family here, but she found that when she wasn't out doing running errands or just being out of the house she realized just how lonely she got. Her room was quiet despite outside shining with lights and the chatter of others. The house seemed empty as well. She was so used to being in his company, and now she was on her own yearning to call him back, but she ignored the feeling. Emily knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she hadn't realized just how much she'd miss everything about her life in America.
Kirron's fingers tapped against his keyboard, seemingly ignoring the world around him. His was currently stationed in a small internet cafe that was located just down the road from his apartment. His laptop sat in front of him, a notepad with a few scribbled words joined it as well. An empty cup of coffee sat on the table as well, it'd been drank a long time ago. Kirron was currently finishing off the last few of the Emails he needed to send out in order to finish preparing for his rather quickly approaching his first day of college. His classes started in one week exactly and he was rather anxious to get back into the learning field. He desperately wanted to jump into the writing field, and he saw this as his next step to develop his already exceptional skills.
The young man's typing slowed to the occasional clicks as his eyes strayed over to his phone that was off to the side. He tapped the screen to cause it to flash on. After unlocking it he went straight to his messages, though he already the answer, he wanted to make sure he hadn't missed a text from Emily. Just as he already knew, his message had been responded to. Checking the time he read two PM, making it about five Pm where she was. He wondered if she was busy working now, or if she was out with her family. He exited out of the messenger, allowing himself to gaze at his home screen blankly in thought for a moment.
"Refill?" Another male asked as a more muscular figure walked up to Kirron. "Kiiiiiron?" The waiter drew out Kirrons name in an attempt to get his attention. The young man, Bryson, was a good friend to Kirron. He was bigger than Kirron, with thick auburn-black hair and hazel eyes to match. Bryson noticed just how spaced out his friend seemed to be and reached to snatch his phone away, which usually caused Kirron to look up with a glare. Bryson grinned, holding up the phone. "What's up with you today? You seem really spaced out."
"Nothing's wrong." Kirron sighed, "I was just waiting for Emily to text me back that's all."
Bryson raised a thick eyebrow. "Don't get clingy Kirron." He teased.
Kirron scoffed. "That's not clingy. I simply just want to talk to her."
Bryson hummed, "you shouldn't sit around and just wait. It makes you look crazy just staring blankly at your screen for minutes at a time." The males hazel eye scanned the home screen of Kirron's phone. "When was this picture taken?" He asked referring to the wallpaper of his phone.
"Our first date." He answered. The photo was of he and Emily sitting in the park. It had been taken a few years ago though, which was probably why Bryson asked about it. They both looked the same besides a few small things, as well as looking a bit younger.
"Huh, you know sometimes I forget how long you've been with her." Bryson pulled a seat up to Kirrons table. "She messaged back." He stated, handing over the phone to reveal a short text accompanied by a photo. Emily stood with Lily and Louis, an arm around the both of them as they snapped a quick photo in the street they were on. "Who is that boy with them?" Bryson asked, leaning to try to look at the next few messages Kirron exchanged with her.
"He's a coworker at her grandmother's boutique."
"Just a coworker?"
Kirron looked up with a new gleam in his eyes. "Yes, of course, he is."
"Come on, you can't hide that look in your eyes from me," Bryson laughed, "I know you well enough to know when you're jealous." Kirron scoffed, though he had to admit that the thought that he should be the one with his arms around Emily did cross his mind.
"Get back to work!" A young woman's voice spoke, a menu whacking Bryson upside the head. Kirron's eyes met the waitresses big green ones.
"No need to abuse me Vanemy!" The woman, Vanemy, put a hand on her hip.
"Go serve those people Bryson, and stop talking about Emily like she went to France with intentions to cheat on Kirron!"
"I never said that…" He grumbled, getting up with one last wave to Kirron before he walked across the cafe to the new customers that had walked in. Vanemy looked over to Kirron, "You know she wouldn't."
"I know that," Kirron responded, he had complete faith in the blonde. "It wouldn't be Emily I'm worried about." He stated only to receive a whack of his own.
"Don't think like that Kirron. You're only going to make things harder for yourself." Kirron gave a half nod and let the girl return to her work.
Things between Emily and Kirron seemed to go remarkably well over the next few months, but eventually, things seemed to grow worse. Their usual daily texts were reduced to weekly messaged that barely went answered most of the time. Calls and video chats seemed to go missed regularly. Kirron began to grow more and more occupied with school and his writing. Some days he'd go hours without checking his phone, and when he did he usually found a few unread messages from Emily, who in turn wasn't very happy about being ignored. Kirron couldn't help that he was growing busier and busier as he entered into the working world alongside college. Of course, he didn't feel good about the lack of communication he'd had with his girlfriend, but at the same time, he could feel himself growing impatient. She'd been gone close to a year by now, and though missing her seemed to grow easier each day with the promise of being just a bit closer to her return, he still found himself up at night mulling over his worries for her. Emily too began to worry more, but she tried her best to ignore the feeling. Stopped bombarding the male with messages and calls, instead focusing on her work in France and taking care of Charlotte. She met more people there, made more friends, and tried to keep her worries at bay.
Though neither of them could deny it. They both knew things were changing.
"Emily, I think this is for you?" The scrawny figure of Louis appearing in the boutique's doors way, the door opening with a soft ring. He set the small box down next to Emily, who was leaning against the counter going over scribbled notes on several sheets of paper. She glanced over without much of a thought, but quickly looked again and dropped her papers.
"Oh!" She excited took the box form him. "This must be the stuff I left with Kirron back home by accident." She went to work tearing at the tape sealing it. Louis leaned opposite of her to watch with interest.
"Why did it take so long for him to send it to you?"
"We both just kinda forgot about it I guess." Inside was a few of her personal items including a few of her books, a sweater that she loved, a stuffed bear, etc. She excited focused on one item though, a framed photo she'd asked him to send with her other things.
"What's wrong?" Louis asked concerned as he watched the blonde's smile dropped. She lifted the black frame from the box. He could hear the sound of broken glass slide down the frame and fall into the box. Emily's azure eyes had grown sad at the sight of the shattered glass obscuring her view of the photo behind it. She picked away the glass until most of it was gone, cutting the pit of her finger slightly as she finished. She winced slightly. This photo had been one of her absolute favorites of them. It was taken late December, so the pair were surrounded with snow in the park. Emily was on her tiptoes hugging the taller, and Kirron was resting his chin on top her head with his scarf wrapped around both he and Emily.
"It's broken…" she spoke slowly.
Louis took a look at it, "Ah, no reason to get upset Emily. I'm sure I can find you another frame around here somewhere, as well as a band-aid. Just give me a sec." Emily set the frame down with a sigh. It wasn't really that big of a deal, she knew that, but she'd been missing him so much lately that she'd just kind of took it more to heart than she normally would. They hadn't spoken in a few days, and Emily was feeling a bit lonely despite having lots of company throughout the day. She did have something to be happy about though, Charlotte was beginning to get into better health, which was a relief to Emily. Thought, that too brought its own unpleasant feelings. It reminded of her the little argument she'd gotten into with Kirron just a few days ago.
When she mentioned the good news to him he had been happy for her of course, but he also questioned if that meant she'd be coming home soon. Emily's answer had probably been a bit more complex than what he was looking for. To put it short, their call had ended with a very ticked off Kirron. That's why she hadn't attempted to get in touch with him the past few days, as she wanted to let him cool down. She wasn't going to be home soon, and she knew how impatient he'd grown. In all honesty, she felt bad for making him wait so long. She knew that perhaps she was being a bad girlfriend, but she couldn't leave yet. She still had to be there for Charlotte.
Kirron was currently with Jasper, both heading down the sunny street side by side. Jasper hummed, his hands resting in the pockets of his jacket. Kirron followed silently. "You're awfully quiet today," Jasper commented. Kirron looked over to the other with a small shrug. Kirron had to admit that he wasn't feeling like himself, he hadn't in a while. In fact, he was feeling rather depressed. He'd missed Emily's video chat the previous night, and she didn't seem too happy about it. "Problems with Emily? Don't worry too much about it." Jasper's arm slung around Kirron's next, pulling him closer. "You clearly need something to get your mind off it."
"Like what?" Kirron asked, trying to wiggle away from Jaspers hold.
"Well, I've been wanting to get my hair done lately."
"You mean go to the salon?" Kirron questioned with a slight rise of the eyebrow.
"You're one to judge Kirron!"
"No, you just don't seem like the type."
"Well, you're kind of right." Jasper ran a hand through his raven locks. "I just wanna get it dyed. I'd do it myself, but I did not go well the last time. Anyways, why don't you come with me and just relax for a bit? You could even get a little work done. I will admit that you'd look pretty hot as a blonde!" Kirron rolled his eyes but decided to follow Jasper.
Despite not wanting to get anything done Kirron went along with Jasper to try and kill some time. He was leaning back in one of the chairs in the waiting area towards the front. His nose crinkled slightly at the scent of hair dye and other products in the air. He sat back, watching as Jasper chatted up a storm with the hairdresser. He sighed internally, he thought maybe this would distract him from everything, but it was doing just the opposite. Just sitting there with his own thoughts and nothing much to do his mind couldn't help but wander back to the subject at hand.
For once he was actually worried for what was happening. They hadn't spoken in probably a week or so. Maybe that was normal for other couples in similar situations? Perhaps it was something he was supposed to get used to and accept? Kirron certainly couldn't couldn't. He wanted to hear Emily's reassuring voice and see her face every day. He wanted to wake up with her cuddled up to him, or stay awake late with her just talking through the night.
It had been almost a year by now that they'd been keeping up the long distance, and everything had been going so good in the begging, so why was it getting so complicated now? He missed Emily so much. He wondered if after these next few months she'd make her return to the US, but inside his chest, he had a sinking feeling that the worst of things were only just beginning.
It was a few weeks later when he was pushed to make a decision.
"If you want my opinion on the matter, then I say you just break things off with her." Kirron's eyes widened at the young woman's words as he scooped up another pile of plates and glasses from the table, pocketing his tip in the process.
"What do you mean by that Brooklyn?" He asked with slight irritation as his coworker rested her head in her hand behind the counter of the now empty cafe.
"Listen, she's been gone for what, a year now?"
"Year and three months." Kirron corrected, causing brooklyn's sky blue gaze to soften a bit upon hearing his slight change in tone.
"Lots of things have been changing and happening in both your lives the past year or so." She began, "I mean, just last month you sent your book off to the publishing agency. You're still making your way through college as well and Emily's been getting quite deep into the business world don't you think? She basically runs her grandmothers shop at this point. She's working, taking care of Charlotte, and reconnecting with the family she didn't even know she had. Do you ever think that a relationship just doesn't add into that equation anymore?"
Kirron scoffed, "you don't know what you're talking about Brooklyn."
"Kirron!" The brunette snapped at his stubborn tone. "I think both you and Emily are unintentionally hurting each other at this point. Both your lives are clearly pushing the two of you into different directions, onto paths that I think just don't meet."
Kirron had slipped his apron off and set it down over the counter, his hand clutching the fabric. "Emily won't be there forever."
"That was my next point…" Brooklyn looked away from the albino male, unsure if she really should mention her thoughts to him. She hoped he'd keep his temper in check and opened her mouth to speak. "Do you ever think that maybe Emily likes it there enough to you know...not move back?" She twirled a strand of her hair nervously. "She grew up there originally, she has more family there than here. Every time I do get in touch with her she just gushes about the country and what she's doing there. She may not realize it, but she's making a life for herself there, and you're doing the same here as well. Don't let this hold either of you back in life."
Kirro glared at her. "So, you think we're holding each other back?"
Brooklyn hummed, "just think about what I told you, okay?" She pushed off the counter, ready to lock up and leave for the night. Kirron pursed his lips, taking in every word she'd said to him. Breaking it off? Hurting each other? Different paths in life? As much as it pained Kirron to admit it, but maybe Brooklyn had a point. The idea of breaking up hadn't even crossed his mind, nor had he thought much about the life paths they were setting out on, and how neither of them really fit into each others. In his mind they were perfect together, so breaking up hadn't even been on the table and now that Brooklyn had brought it up he was stuck mulling over the idea of it. Not that Emily seemed to e shaping into a little business woman alongside Charlotte, he wondered if that or anything would ultimately hold her back form coming home. He couldn't help that wasn't giving him the time anymore. Time to wait up until she could video chat him, or time to play phone tag all day. If he felt so strongly about what was happening, then he figured Emily must be pushing through the same ordeal.
It was hard to admit to himself, but Kirron certainly didn't want he nor her to feel this way, or hold each other back from where life was taking them. He didn't want to let go of her, but he also knew that he had to do something.
Three weeks after Kirrons talk with Brooklyn Emily found herself bouncing excitedly as she closed her bedroom door. Kirron was waiting on the other line on the phone in her hand. She'd missed his call earlier while out with Lily and Charlotte, but she managed to call him back at just the right time. The blonde flopped down onto her bed, sighing in content as she'd been out on her feet all day. "Okay, I'm back." She lifted the phone back to her ear. "So, what's been going on lately over there?"
Kirron, who was currently outside leaning on the railing of the balcony in his family's home, took a second to answer. "Nothing much. Just the usual." Emily, who wasn't used to such a dull answer pressed forward.
"Your book, it's still going through the editing company, right? I'm sure you're excited about that!"
Kirron hummed in response. "What about you? Last time we spoke you had a lot of things going on."
"Oh yeah!" She chimed. "I've been working a lot more for my grandmother lately. I'm learning a lot from her and Louis." Kirron had scoffed bitterly, causing her to him in confusion. Was he still mad at her?
"Emily we need to talk."
"About what? I've been trying to talk to you this whole time." She spoke with a tinge of irritation in her voice, something that he rarely heard from her.
"I've been thinking a lot about us recently." He began, leaving a quiet Emily to listen carefully on the other line. "You clearly aren't going to be coming him anytime soon." He stated. "And I think that it's best for both of us that we break up."
She was silent for a long moment. "What?"
"Life is clearly pulling us into different directions. I can't put things on hold just to wait for the plane that isn't coming, and I don't want you to either. From what I can tell you have many great opportunities in France. To be frank Emily, I don't think you've had the time for a relationship for a long time now."
"Are you trying to say this is my fault?" She snapped on the other line, the clear sound of tears in her voice.
"I didn't say that!" He snapped back. "I don't have the time either. This isn't anyone's fault Emily, we've just grown apart. It's best if we just break things off now before we really start hurting each other."
"I-I can try harder!" She blurted out, clearly crying by now. "You can't leave me-"
"Please Emily, don't make this harder than it is," Kirron spoke, a piece of him breaking on the inside at the tone of her unsteady voice. "Em-" his eyes widened the sound of the call being hung up, he looked at his phone for a moment with a look of surprise and sadness on his features. While Emily had tossed her phone onto the bedside table and had buried her face in her pillow. Her phone hit sometime, causing it to fall and the sound of glass shattered on the floor. She jumped slightly, leaning over the bed to see the picture of she and Kirron had fallen, and what seemed to be a million cracks split up the glass. The sight caused her to break out into more tears.
The first few months were the worst for Kirron. He spent at least two months feeling guilty daily over how things had turned out. He'd really thought he was doing what was best for the both of them. Eventually, those guilty feeling faded away, and he went on keep going through the motions of his everyday life. He went to his classes, hung out with his friends, worked, etc. anyone around him could tell that he was upset though, even if he only really spoke to Bryson and his family about it. He began to toughen up again after those two months passed. He spent more time than ever getting his book completed and perfect for it goes through editing. Despite doing good and slowly moving on, he rejected the idea of dating someone new. He still couldn't manage to see himself with anyone besides Emily.
Emily went through a long rough patch as well. For a few weeks, she didn't really go to work, in fact, she left her room as little as possible. To make things worse Lily had ended up heading back to the US a few months later. Leaving Emily alone to take care of things. But like any break up she slowly began to pull herself out of it. She put all of her efforts into helping the boutique and taking care of Charlotte, who'd been better than ever health wise. Over those months she'd see the progress Kirron was making over his social media and their shared friends and instead of feeling saddened she began to feel happy to see him succeeding. After six or so months passed the topic of dating had come back up to Emily, as Louis had offered to take her out. She agreed with slight hesitation.
When it came time for the date Emily had spent what felt like forever getting ready. She'd braided her hair and did her makeup. Her black heels had a very small heel, and the new red dress she was wearing flowed down past her knees. As she stood in front of the mirror she looked down at a certain necklace that was sitting her jewelry box. That pendant that Kirron had gifted to her those years ago sat unworn for many months inside. The last time she'd gotten this dressed up had been for her and his last date before she left two years ago, but to her, it felt like it had been just yesterday. Sighing lightly Emily grabbed a different silver necklace and left to meet Louis outside.
He took her to a nice restaurant and the chatted through dinner. Afterwards, they stuck to walking around the city in the chilly night air. Emily couldn't help but remember that this felt just like the night she'd told Kirron she was leaving. She scolded herself mentally. Looking over to Louis she couldn't deny that he was attractive to her. He'd been such a gentleman to her this whole date, too bad she couldn't shake the nervous feeling inside of her. He took her to the park, eventually stopping on a bridge that sat above a small pound. They spoke for a bit in the calmness of the empty park and Louis eventually went into what Emily had been so worried over; a kiss. Emily had lifted her hand out to stop him before he got too close. She looked down with a guilty gleam in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean too…" Louis trailed off, a new shade of an embarrassed red spreading across his face.
"No, it's not your fault...it's mine really." Emily shifted on her feet uncomfortably. "I thought maybe I was ready for this, but I-I don't think I am."
"Emily, may I tell you something?"
"Of course." She answered, a bit nervous as she had no idea what he was going to say."
"You're a very beautiful woman and I know that many guys around here admire you, but I also know that you are rather unhappy here." Emily's head lowered slightly. "That you are still very much in love with that boy Kirron. I can see it." Emily's sniffed, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. She knew what he was saying was true. "Emily, I want you to go home. And by home I don't mean here, I mean in America. Charlotte will be fine with me around. You, however, need to be with your sister and father, as well as with the man you're in love with."
"I know that you're right." She muttered. "I really do miss my old life, despite coming to love what I've managed to create here. Thank you for saying that Louis, you are one of the kindest people I've met here. Thanks for understanding." Louis nodded, drawing Emily in for a hug.
Barely a month passed before Emily was on a plane back to the US. She'd told just about everyone except for Kirron. The whole flight she sat with high nerves. She planned to show up at the cafe a day after arriving, where she knew Kirron would be working with a few of their other friends for the day. She had everything planned out in her mind, but she still felt like she was going to be sick. She wondered if Kirron would even step out to speak with her. She wondered if they'd even be able to get back together in the first place. She'd been missing him for the past two years, so the thought of coming face to face with him once again made her heart pound.
It was sunny out. Golden rays of light shone through the windows of the cafe as Kirron placed another couples order onto the table with a smile. "Thank you for coming." He called out as a woman paid her bill and got up to walk out the front doors. He met with Kelly by the register. "Were quite busy today."
"And we're short staffed." The female added as another man stepped up the counter. Kirron fanned himself slightly, it was the middle of summer and he felt like he was dying in this small cafe in his uniform. Tugging slightly at the collar of his white button-up shirt, Kirron turned as he heard Jasper call his name. The blue haired male walked up to his side, a hand lazily coming down onto his shoulder. "Oh boy, it hot out there!" He exclaimed.
"Why were you outside?"
"Trying to get out of work no doubt!" Keily chimed in loudly from her station.
"Me? try to get out of work? Never!" Kirron smiled slightly at the false comment. "Anyways, your brother wanted me to meet him outside, so that why I was out there."
"Valerian was here? For what?" Kirron questioned curiously, knowing that his brother had the day off.
"Oh, he's still out there. He wanted me to come get you."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, he just wants to talk to about something important." Kirron turned without much of another word to look for his younger brother outside. Of course, Jasper knew that Valerian was at home relaxing and that a young woman was waiting outside.
Kirron stepped out into the warmth of the day and looked around, failing to spot his raven-haired younger brother. Before he could turn to go back inside and get back to work a female's voice stopped him.
"Kirron?" he apprehensively turned around, noticing just how familiar the girl's voice was. His pair of lavender eyes widened at the sight of the blonde standing just before him.
"Emily?" He spoke in slight shock.
The said blonde stood nervously before him. Her hands clutching one another in front of her body. Her Azure eyes looked tired, and her bangs feel slightly into her left eye. Her sandy blonde locks had grown quite a bit since he'd last saw here, now falling in slight waves around her waist. The smaller girl shifted her position, her sandal scraping against the cement slightly. She was wearing a white sundress that flowed just halfway down her thigh, and his eye was caught on the pendant of her necklace. He practically squealed with joy when he realized that it was the one he'd given to her.
"Kirron I know I should've called first before coming here, but I was so worried that you wouldn't want to see me, so I had Jasper help me out" She blurted out with a slightly nervous tone. "I just wanted to tell you that I've moved back here...permanently." Kirron stood just staring at her for a moment. After that moment was up he suddenly moved to quickly walk towards her, instantly wrapping his arms around her once he was close enough. Emily took a slightly surprised step back, and after a second she returned his embrace. She felt his grip around her tighten and her feet were lifted off the ground slightly as he spun around with a giant grin.
"I missed you so much Emily," he spoke, his words slightly muffled as he buried his face into her neck affectionately. "I've regretted breaking your heart since the day it happened, you have to believe me." Emily whimpered and Kirron felt a few small tears drip down her cheeks.
"I missed you too!" She cried. "I'm sorry about everything that has happened the past two years, I really am!" Kirron chuckled, pulling away just a bit to raise his hand to her cheek and rub away her tears.
"You don't need to apologize Emily." His forehead leaned against hers, his lavender eyes gazing into her deep blue ones. "All that matters to me is that you're here now and that we can go back to just being together."
"I couldn't have said it better myself." Emily smiled, a fresh set of tears building in her eyes and rolling down her face.
"Hold still Emily." Kirron lifter her chin slightly.
"Why?"
"I'm about to do something I've been wanting to do for the past two years." Emily opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted as Kirron dipped down to pull the shorter girl into a loving kiss.
The newly reunited couple stood there on the sidewalk for a long time just in each other's embrace. Kirron almost didn't want to let go of her, and Emily couldn't admit that she was very much okay with that thought.
Finally done! This took so long to write, but I'm very happy with the finished product. I never used to really like writing romance, but I absolutely love Emily and Kirron together. They have been OTP for a long time now! So, again another big thank you to my dear friend Charmpanda! I hope you and everyone enjoy!