Windsor Academy – Airport Drop-off Zone, 10:42 PM
The rain had just stopped, but the air still smelled like goodbye.
Evelyn tugged her suitcase beside her, wheels thumping softly over the damp pavement. Leon walked beside her in silence.
She was leaving for New York.
Two weeks.
Art scholarship program.
A "great opportunity," everyone said.
But Leon hated how final it felt.
"You sure you packed everything?" he asked, voice a little hoarse.
Evelyn smiled.
"Yes, dad."
He didn't laugh.
Didn't even smirk.
"Sorry," she said, brushing his sleeve. "Bad timing for jokes."
Leon looked up at the blinking departures board like it had betrayed him.
⸻
They stood by the curb.
No one else around.
Just taxi taillights and cold mist.
"You'll call, right?" he asked.
"Every day," she nodded.
"Promise?"
She held out her pinky.
He hesitated—like he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry—and then linked it with his.
⸻
The car pulled up.
A red cab.
Too fast.
She turned to him one last time.
"Hey, Leon?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't wait for me too much. Okay?"
He blinked.
"What does that mean?"
"Just… live. Even when I'm not around."
She kissed him on the cheek—like a whisper, like a pause—and got into the car before he could answer.
The door shut.
And she was gone.
⸻
That night, Leon stared at the empty ceiling above his bed.
Felix, ever the emotional support roommate, just tossed him a pillow from across the room.
"You're allowed to miss her," he said.
Leon didn't reply.
He just whispered into the darkness:
"I already do."
⸻
Author's Note at Chapter End 👇
Hey dear readers 👋
This story started purely from a burst of imagination — a "what if" that turned into a novel.
I don't know yet if you'll fall in love with the characters the way I did while writing them…
But I hope you stay a little longer and find pieces of yourself in their story.
Tomorrow, I'll continue updating.
Your comments, support, and even tiny suggestions mean the world right now.
Let's grow this journey together.
💬 Drop a thought, leave a heart — anything helps.
Thanks for reading ❤️
– The Author