'So keep on breathing,
Cause I'm not leaving,
Hold onto me,
And never let me go.'
Far Away, Nickleback
Chapter Seven:
How do we tell your brother?
Things went great for another two weeks, and then came the day he'd dreaded.
"Duo... I'm going back to Luna Colony in two days," Cara said over a private breakfast. She forked a piece of sausage, and Duo felt his heart start to crumble. He'd prayed that something would happen to make her want to stay, but his heart hadn't really been in it. She wanted something to do, something worthwhile. Sitting around like this, doing nothing, it wasn't for her. She needed a purpose. Just like he did. Only.... she had a purpose. She had a life to go back to.
And he was nothing. He was merely an insignificant and useless and purpose-less person. She didn't need him. She didn't care for him like he'd come to care for him. She couldn't. All the things people had told him, he'd began to beleive. He was not worthy of her. He knew it. SHe knew it. Hell, everyone knew it.
And now was the time she'd set him down and spell it out for him. That he was merely a convinient lay, that it had been fun while it lasted, but she had better things to do. The words that Hilde had spoken, so long ago it seemed, but not really all that long. 'It's just that I decided I wanted more. I want to go somewhere, do something. I want to get away from this life. And I can't do that with you, Duo. I need more. I need someone to decide. I want someone to... beleive in themselves.' He fiddled with his plate, his eyes downcast as he lifted another tiny bite to his mouth, his heart suddenly broken.
"I... I really like you, you know." she continued almost a little sheepishly. "And I.... I'd like you to come back with me."
Duo choked down his slice of bacon as she took a hasty sip of juice. Not what he was expecting
"What?"
"I'd like you to come back to Luna Colony with me when I go back to the hospital." She spoke softly, her voice sure. "I don't make decisions lightly. But I'd really love for you to come with me."
"You want me to go to Luna Colony with you? Why?"
"Because I like you. I like spending time with you. My apartment's big enough for both of us. There's a ton of things you could do, there if you wanted. I've only got a year left at the hospital, and then I'm coming back here to start my own practice. If you'd like to wait til then," she sounded a little sad. She had started out talking fast, in a rush, but now her voice was slow, and low, "see if we still feel the same in a year..."
"No. I mean... yes. I'd love to go with you. If you're sure you want me to."
She smiled brightly, her eyes lifting to meet his. "Yes, yes, of course. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."
Everyone else he knew as settling down into lives... even Heero. He was helping Releena lead the world into peace. They still used the pretense of his being her 'bodyguard', but everyone knew that it was much more than that. Quatre... he did the same thing as always. He spent his days at his home, running his company from afar. Trowa went back, on and off, to the circus trying to work things out with Catherine. One step forward, then two steps back with those two. They couldn't seem to make up their minds. Wufei stayed at Quatre's, but he was looking for his own little nook in the new world- with a little helpful input from Sally Po. And now, Duo was finding his. Maybe he could go back to school. Though he was intelligent , school had never been his strong suit- and he'd not actually been able to go but for a short while on missions during the war, but maybe he could become a doctor- or at least a nurse. Or he could just become a mechanic- God knew he was good at that.
Life was about to get interesting. But he could handle that. With Cara by his side... he was certain he could handle that. There was just one little problem he wasn't so sure he could handle, though. He smiled across the table at Cara, and she smiled back. Yeah, life was good.
"I just got one question though," he said as she started to raise another piece of sausage. She looked up at him, her blue eyes glowing, her lips quirked up in a smile.
"What's that?"
Duo smirked.
"How do we tell your brother?"