Goodbyes and Fresh Starts

Chapter 1



"Lily! Lily wait!" Ray shouted across the crowded airport terminal.

"Ray," Lily said, surprised. She didn't think he would show. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to come…I had to say good-bye." He replied looking into her eyes

"I'm glad you did." Lily smiled.

"When does the plane leave?" He said, hoping they had enough time to grab a cup of coffee or something.

Lily looked at her watch. "I board in 5 minutes."

"Ok…um," Ray began, a bit disappointed. "You better get going then."

"Yea, I guess this is good-bye." She said, looking down to her feet

"Yea...I guess." Ray replied.

"So…umm," Lily began, "Do we hug, shake hands, kiss, what?"

"Well seeing as we are more than acquaintances, we shouldn't shake hands, and seeing as we are a little less than boyfriend/girlfriend we shouldn't kiss, so a hug seems the most appropriate."

"Yea." Lily smiled. "A hug sounds right."

She stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, he wrapped his arms around her waist; the embrace was quick, but very much to the point. They pulled apart and smiled at each other.

"Call me when you get there, promise?" Ray said to her.

"Promise." Lily said flashing her million-dollar smile.

She waved at him until she could no longer see him, it had only been minutes since she had last saw him, but she suddenly felt empty. She boarded the plane and quickly found her seat. She had, had the opportunity of a lifetime, and had decided to leave Roscoe for the time being, she was offered a recording contract with HOPE records in Los Angeles, California. She received the offer about 2 months before her graduation from Roscoe High, and signed a few days later. This was it, her big chance to show the world who Lily Randall was. She already missed him, the thing they had between them had been unresolved. They had dated on and off over the past 3 years; she loved him and he loved her, but it was never said what drove them apart. The last break-up, the one that seemed to be their final was beyond painful, but neither of them cracked; they had stuck to their words. She thought back to that day several months ago.

"Then let's do it, Lil!" Ray shouted, "Let's get this over with!"

"Ray," Lily replied in a more calm tone. "I don't want to, but we can't just keep doing this to each other; it's hurting me and I know it's hurting you too."

"I don't want to either Lil, I love you! I have never loved anyone or anything as much as I love you, but we have to face it. Graduation is less then 2 months away and you just plan to up and leave me, and I don't know what to do..."

"Then come with me Ray, we can start all over in LA." Lily pleaded with him.

"You don't get it Lily, we have a past, we can't just start all over. Just go home, I don't want to talk about it anymore." Ray sighed.

"So this is how you want things to end?" Lily asked tears rolling down her face. "It's really over?"

"Yes Lil, it is, and for good, we can't keep doing this to each other."

"Yea...you're right." She lied.

He had looked into her eyes and gently kissed her lips. "Good-bye Lily Randall."

He walked away leaving her standing there all alone, cold and crying. She wrapped her arms around her waist and fell to the ground; she didn't want to leave Ray, but she had to. That had been the last time they had talked before their conversation at the airport. It was the longest they had gone without talking, almost two months. They had never gone that long without talking, even after a break-up it was always a day, two at the most. She didn't know it, and she wouldn't know for awhile, that while she was sitting there all alone, he had been watching her. He wanted to go over there and comfort her and to take back everything he had said. He wanted nothing more than to begin the next phase of his life with her, but this was her dream, not his. He fully supported it, but he didn't want to be in her shadow and seem like some sort of male groupie. He knew she would make it big someday and he secretly hoped that someday they would find their way back to one another. If it is meant to be, it will happen, he told himself.

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