I've had this story mulling around for a while now, finally decided to post it. Just a quick background, Nick was born in February 1971, so he graduated from A&M in 1992. Tess was born in September 1973 and graduated from A&M in 1994. They met during Tess's freshman year and Nick's junior year of college. In 1997, Nick moved to Las Vegas. In late 2001, Tess moves to Las Vegas. Enjoy!

"I don't know…it's not that we're having problems, but you're happy in Dallas, you've got the job you want and it wouldn't be fair for me to ask you to leave that." Tess said over the phone with a heavy heart.

Nick had been living in Dallas for about two years now and he got a job working with the PD, Tess was just finishing up her senior year at A&M. They tried to make it work, Dallas wasn't too far from College Station, but it was taxing on both of them, travelling back and forth. And now that Nick was working for PD, his schedule was never his own, leaving Tess to go to him, but with her senior year wrapping up, she had school to contend with, and after that…well, she was waiting to see where this conversation went before she would tell him that she was going to Los Angeles for graduate school.

"Yeah, beautiful I understand, but you're graduating soon, right? Dallas is a big city; you'd have plenty of opportunities here. We just got to put our relationship on hold for a couple months." Nick responded.

Tess unintentionally scoffed, "I feel like we've put our relationship on hold since you moved to Dallas. It's been two years Nick, and seeing each other every other week, sometimes month, just isn't working for me anymore…I think it stopped working for me awhile back."

It was silent for a little bit, and then she heard him take a deep breath before speaking again "But that wouldn't matter unless you no longer intend to move Dallas…Tess, what's going on?" Tess felt her mouth go dry "I'm moving to Los Angeles…for grad school. Putting my future into perspective, LA is the best place for me to continue, I'm going into the fashion business, so why not go to where fashion is made?"

Nick spoke up "So putting your future into perspective…doesn't involve us, or more to the point, me." It wasn't a question; it was statement, a cruel fact that had been hounding both of them since last summer, when they almost called it quits.

"We both saw this coming. You had to know I would never move to Dallas, heck, I tell you every time I visit how much I hate it there. I would be unhappy, and I don't want to put that on you, especially with how well you are doing there. We're just going different ways in life…you know?" Tess braced herself for his response.

"Yeah, yeah I do. I guess after spending almost four years with someone it's just hard to imagine it ending or not working out the way we planned it. And I can't ask you throw away your dream-" "And I can't ask you to put aside your life for me." Tess interrupted. The line remained quiet for a few moments before Nick spoke up.

"I love you beautiful, and I have every intention of keeping in touch; even if it's just as friends." Tess felt relieved and sad all at the same time; she finally managed to say something "I love you too. And I'll make sure to send you my information when it changes. Goodbye Nick." "Goodbye Tess." And with click, it ended.

Tess graduated and moved to Los Angeles, and Nick remained in Dallas. True to their word, they kept in touch; calling each other, sending letters, even the occasional visit when Tess came to Dallas to see her family. But as time went on the calls became shorter and less frequent, the cards were no longer personalized but instead sent out with a mail list, usually only around Christmas, occasionally they would send each other a card for birthdays, but even that faded out. Then Nick moved to Las Vegas, changing contact information along the way, putting a dent in communication between him and Tess.

It would be years before they saw eachother again, but perhaps that's what was needed...for both of them.