Once the school year was over, both John and Aubrey returned home for a short time. John had found an apartment in California, so he, Aubrey, and two of his brothers took a road trip to move him in. When they arrived, everything went well. They made quick work of unpacking his stuff and taking a tour of the town. Aubrey was 20 now, John 24. The four went to dinner and then John's brothers decided to check out some clubs while John and Aubrey opted to spend the night in.
"I can't believe you're living in California," Aubrey said with a sigh. She sat on the couch with her legs curled under her.
"It's crazy," John plopped down next to her, resting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close.
"John I am so scared of losing you," Aubrey whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Aw, baby..." he pulled back so he could look her in the eye, "You'll NEVER lose me. EVER."
John's mind flashed back to the night of Aubrey's graduation, two years earlier. He'd been thinking about it a lot, even more so now that they were in California. The feelings he'd had for her that night were back ten-fold and it took everything he had not to kiss her.
"John?" Her questioning eyes made him realize he'd been staring at her in silence for a few moments, "John are you ok?"
"Aubrey do you remember your grad night?" He asked.
She nodded, a slight blush creeping over her face. He looked into her eyes again and brushed his knuckles softly down her cheek, "I want to kiss you again."
There was a nervous glint in her eyes as she looked up at him, softly biting her lip. She knew how he felt because the same emotions were coursing through her. Slowly, their lips pressed together, just as they had two years earlier. John pulled her in close, letting his hands roam across her back.
When they pulled apart a minute later, Aubrey had tears in her eyes. Before he could ask, she stood up and put a hand over her face, "John I can't do this. Not now, not with you across the country. I can't. I just can't."
"Aubrey I'm sorry. I-"
Aubrey ran out of the room and locked herself in the bathroom. She'd gone twenty years without ever feeling they way she felt about John at that moment. It killed her to know they'd never make it, not under these conditions.
