Saying Goodbye Always Hurts

A young girl is moving away and has to say goodbye to her boyfriend.

As I sat on the pier, leaning back on my hands, I stared out at the dark ocean in front of me. Normally I would avoid the ocean, or water in general for that matter. But I couldn’t control the serenity that overcame me when I was here, not that I wanted to. A gentle breeze caused some of my hair to float lightly on the wind. I glanced up as a group of seagulls flew past, calling to each other. They were so free, so independent. I wonder what that must feel like.

“Hey.” I jumped slightly when Thomas tapped me on the shoulder. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He said sheepishly as he sat down next to me. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

“It’s okay.” I laid my head against his chest, his fleecy sweater acting like a cushion. I burrowed my head deeper, closing my eyes as I breathed in his fresh cologne, which I had bought for him a few months back. “I’m gonna miss you.” I muttered into his chest. For a second I thought he hadn’t heard me; he was deathly still. But then I felt his hands rub my back and his lips kiss the top of my head.

“I know. I’ll miss you, too.” His voice cracked on the last part. I pulled away from him to look at his face. The color red dominated it, tears leaking from one eye. As he tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear, a weak smile formed on his lips. “I wish you didn’t have to leave. It’ll be boring as hell around here without you.” I chuckled and held his hand that rested on my cheek.

“It really will, won’t it?” He nodded, laughing. “But you’ll be fine. I’m sure you’ll be fine. There’s plenty of other girls in town.” Thomas scoffed.

“Who? The prostitutes or the drug addicts?” I rolled my eyes.

“Will you stop being a drama queen? You’re so judgemental.”

“Sorry. It’s just that none of them are like you.” A moment of silence passed between us as we stared into each other’s eyes. I could feel the tears start to build up, forcing me to look away from him. I swiped at my eyes, trying to hide any evidence of me wanting to cry. “Stop it.” He grabbed my hand gently. “You don’t need to do that. I won’t judge you for crying.”

“It’s not about you judging me. Maybe I just don’t want my makeup to run.” He scoffed.

“Little late for that. You look like a melting candle.”

“Hey!” I punched Thomas in the arm. “Jerk!” Thomas burst out laughing, a laugh so contagious that I had no choice but to join him. “God, I hate you so much.” I said after the laughing fit had faded.

“Yeah. I’m sure you do.” A wide, toothy smile spread across his face, his hand resting on my thigh. As we stared at each other, Thomas slowly began to lean in towards me. His lips met mine in a passionate kiss. He cupped my face as he carefully laid me down on the pier. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me even when I didn’t think we could get any closer. This was probably the last chance I’d ever get to kiss him. The thought of never being able to see Thomas again slowly ate at me. There were so many things that I wanted to tell him, but now it didn’t seem appropriate.

Thomas’s phone buzzing in his pocket forced him to reluctantly pull away from me. He took a few deep breaths while he pulled his phone out to read the text message. “I have to go. My dad is looking for me.” I nodded, pushing myself into a sitting position.

“Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at school. My mom said she’d call me out when the moving truck gets to our house.” Thomas held out his hand, which I gladly accepted. He pulled me to my feet before stealing one more kiss.

“Try to find me tomorrow so I can say good-bye. Okay?” I nodded, forcing myself to hold it together.

“Yeah. Of course.” Thomas’s arms wrapped around me in a tight hug. I heard him sniffle, which was followed by a tear droplet landing on my back.  “I’ll see you later.” After we pulled apart, Thomas leisurely walked back up the pier. I watched him until he disappeared from my sight.

Letting out a shuddering breath, I turned to pick my purse up off a chair on the pier.  I cried out in surprise as one of the thick heels on my boots fell through a hole in the wood. I yanked my foot a few times, trying to release myself. And I did. Right before I tripped and tumbled into the icy water. I kicked my legs, trying to stay afloat. I thrashed my arms desperately. Calling for help was futile, seeing as every time I had the air to be able to do so my head bobbed back under, my nose and mouth sucking in more water than anything else. The sea salt of the ocean stung my eyes and burned my lungs. Each time I sank beneath the surface, it took twice as much energy to try to claw my way back up.

I couldn’t do it anymore. My legs ached from the selfish kicking. Slowly, they came to a halt, as did my arms. The world around me disappeared, my body went limp. I don’t remember what I felt while it all happened. I only remember Thomas.

Author's Note

Give me anything you got. Just keep it polite