*One week later*
Belly's POV
I stood at the airport security check, unable to stop wringing my hands. Conrad hugged Susannah and moved on to Jere, then Steven, then my mom. I was last in his line of goodbyes, and I could already feel the tears forming. I glanced at Susannah and she gave me a sad smile. I looked up into Conrad's tortured eyes and tried to make it as easy on him as possible.
I smiled my biggest smile and told him to have a great time. I kissed him with my soul and told him that I love him. He smiled back and kissed me back and then he was gone.
Conrad's POV
I boarded my plane with a heart that was light and heavy. I was sad and excited. The past week was exhausting, getting everything ready for my year abroad while trying to spend as much time with Belly and the rest of our families. It was a daunting task, but I felt pretty good about how my last week played out.
I kept picturing Belly's overenthusiastic parting smile as the plane took off. I could only hope that the memories we made over the past month could last me the year I'd be away from her. My lips lifted in a small smile as I remembered the way her hand felt in mine, and then I drifted off into a turbulent sleep.
*Three weeks later*
Conrad's POV
I dragged myself out of bed and put on the first clean clothes I could find. I glanced around my tiny apartment and grabbed my backpack before slipping on my shoes and heading out the door. I squinted at my phone and saw a text message from Belly: Good morning. I hope you have a great day. I love you. xoxo. I felt myself smiling, even as I typed my semi-scolding response: It's two o'clock at Cousin's. You should be sleeping. I love you more. xoxoxo.
Why sleep when I could be texting my newly cultured boyfriend? What's on the agenda for today?
Well, I have my Spanish conversation class until 9:45, and then I'm heading out with Leslie to go grave digging.
I laughed to myself at Belly's way of describing archeology. A lot of people couldn't understand why I loved uncovering centuries old graves. Despite her joking around, I knew Belly really got my desire to tell the stories of people who couldn't tell their stories themselves. I'd only been in Spain for three weeks, but I fell in love the moment my plane touched down. We hadn't found anything noteworthy yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time. I had eleven months left.
That thought made my heart squeeze a little as Belly's name popped up on my screen. Sounds fun. Find something good for me.
We texted back and forth a little before I made her promise me she would go to sleep and I stepped into my Spanish conversation class, which was a requirement for my participation in the study abroad trip. Once meses más, I thought, but this time it seemed more like a curse than a blessing.