Sometimes it's suprising how quickly time moves. You don't expect to grow up so fast, but it happens. And it might sound cliche but time really does fly. And honestly, I feel like I've wasted precious time and I don't want to waste it any more. Which is why I've decided to savour every single moment I have from now. I'm going to stride straight towards the future despite my skittering pulse and my heart thumping in my chest. I don't care. I'm going to do it. I need to do it.
Because you don't expect to grow up so fast. But it happens.
"I can't believe you're moving to England!" Vee excalimed for about the 600th time. "You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you!" She engulfed me in yet another smothering hug and gripped me tight. "I've got a pretty good idea about how much and I'm going to miss you too Vee." I sighed, choking back another round of tears, my eyes were almost completely dried out, "but we need a change, and with another baby on the way, we need way more space." I told her honestly, smiling sadly.
"I know, I know." She sniffed, squeezing my arm. "God, you and Jev are just so...grown up!" She cried. I laughed and pulled her in for another hug, "I know...it feels like we're all...growing up." I grinned. Vee's green eyes sparkled wetly, "oh honey, you'll see us soon!" I reassured her, "you'll see us in a few days when you come over with the kids and my mom and then you're staying for a week!"
"And don't worry," Jev said from behind us, "Nora will be rushing back to visit you in New York as soon as she possibly can." He grinned. I smiled back at him and nodded at Vee. "He's right, I won't be able to stay away from this place for long you know." We both chuckled.
"Yeah, I know but I'm just afraid that after that I'm never going to see you!" Vee laughed, shaking her head at how ridiculous she was being. "Sweetie don't be stupid." I chuckled lovingly.
"Wow Nora..." Rixon chimed in from behind my husband, "I really can't imagine you in the english country side away from all the city lights of NYC." He laughed his deep throaty laugh. "You're just such a townie!"
Laughing with him, I shrugged and nodded, "I can't imagine it either but it's going to happen." I walked over to Jev and held my hand out to him. "It's what we want."
"Ugh pass me a sick bucket!" Vee joked, even though tears were still rolling down her cheeks. I giggled and reached out to her to squeeze her arm again. Suddenly the doorbell buzzed. "That's the moving guys, they're taking the stuff to the air port..." I said, walking towards the door.
"I guess we'll see you guys in a few days then." Jev sighed, bringing Rixon in for a man hug and kissing Vee on the cheek. I hugged my two best friends good bye before stepping back and looking around.
"I'm sure as hell gonna miss this apartment." I said, my voice breaking as I swallowed back my tears. "Bye..." I whispered as I made my way into the hall and closed our New York door behind us for good.
We stared up at the house, beautifully silhouetted against the sun that was setting behind the rolling green hills. I entwined my fingers around Jev's and pressed my lips together. He looked down at me and tilted his head to an angle as he noticed the moisture brimming in the corners of my eyes. "This is it." I said at last, my voice broken and ragged.
He walked around me so that he was standing behind me and curled his arm around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. "Yup." He grinned, "this is it." I nodded stiffly and sniffed quietly. "Everything's going to change so soon." I said, my hand automatically dropping down to my stomach that would be bulging again in no less than a few months. I felt Jev nod once more. "It's already started to change Angel." He pointed out.
As I nodded it took me a minute to realise that he had used my nickname. A nickname he hadn't used in years. "You...called me Angel..." I said, unable to hide the shock in my voice. Biting his lip, he nodded and placed his mouth next to my ear. "I love you." He whispered, his minty breath whistling down the side of my neck. I twisted my head around as best as I could to look at him. "I love you too," I paused and mirrored the way he bit his lip, "Patch." His cheeks flushed at the recognition of his old name. A name he hadn't used for himself in years.
I turned my eyes back to the house. "Where are Autumn and Charlie?" I asked. Patch stucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear, "with Vee and Rixon and your mom, don't worry, they'll bring them over as soon as they arrive." He kissed me on the cheek and I closed my eyes as a chilling English breeze whipped across my bare skin. I shivered. "I can't get used to this good awful temperature." I chuckled. Patch burried his face in the crook of my neck, "do you miss New York already?" He asked, laughing a little. I nodded. "I hate to admit but yeah...I really do, I miss the city, the lights, the heat, the apartment and, dare I say it, the noise." I shrugged. Patch cackled out my favorite laugh. "You do not miss the noise." He declared, "just listen to it out here. It's so silent...except for birds." He smiled, closing his eyes. Listening.
"I know." I sighed happily, "It's beautiful, I love it." He raised an eyebrow, "I do! I promise." I smiled at him and he smiled back at me happily. "Good."
There was a long pause as another few tears slid down my cheek, Patch kissed them away. "Don't think of this as an end...it's just the beginning." He told me softly, I sighed, "it's the end of our beginning." His arms coiled tighter around my waist. "But it's the beginning of our end." He whispered lovingly as the sun finally dipped behind the hills and we were coated in a blanket of indigo blue sky.
Sometimes it's suprising how quickly time moves. You don't expect to grow up so fast, but it happens. I let my self embrace growing up and now, I don't take any amount of time for granted. I live my life. I don't waste a second of my precious time and I walked boldy into the future with a steady pulse and a strong, beating heart. I needed to do it and I did it.
Because I really didn't expect to grow up so fast. But it happened.
The End.