Chasing

A short story from both sides of a break up, both ending at the same place.

 

Ava's POV

 

“Here we are, miss.”

“Thank you.”

 

Ava got out the cab and closed the door behind her. Dragging her suitcase along with her she walked the short distance until stood at the main entrance of the airport. Turning around, she her beloved Illinois one last painful look. She was leaving Chicago for good, and it wasn’t easy at all. Her boyfriend, or rather, her ex-boyfriend, Sam, had broken up with her. The memories this place still held of them were unbearable for her, so she had enrolled in Berkeley, NYC. Just a week ago she’d gotten the acceptance letter. In desperation to ease her pain sooner, she had decided to move immediately.

 

With her last glance behind her, her eyes searched for Sam. Nothing. He wasn’t going to come… she kept trying to tell herself. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. The doors slid open as she came through, and the rush of cool air hit her face in a rush.

 

 

Scanning the place for the Check-In Counter for her flight, she looked at her surroundings. There were people at every turn, and she had to skim her way carefully through the crowd to avoid bumping into anyone. She found the counter, and waited in the line, tapping her fingers against the strap of her backpack. She looked around her, and there were couples saying goodbye to each other. That would have been her and Sam, if they were still together… If he hadn’t broken up with her, maybe she wouldn’t be in the airport waiting for her 7 hour long flight…. She would probably have still been at home in her warm bed fast asleep.

 

“Next,”

 

Ava stepped forward.

 

“Hi, do I check-in for flight 885 here?’

“Yes. Just put your bags here and show me your plane ticket,”

 

Ava hauled her bags onto the conveyer belt and searched her backpack for her ticket.

 

“Here,”

“Ok… just wait around here, until they call your flight number, then go to the Terminal 3,”

“Thanks,”

 

Ava absentmindedly took her ticket back and stumbled through the crowd to find a seat to wait. She kept walking until she reached the terminal; she didn’t feel like waiting too far away. She found a row of empty chairs right in front, and slung her backpack into the chair beside her.

 

“Sam!”

 

Her head snapped up immediately and she looked to the direction of the voice. False alarm. It wasn’t her Sam. Before she knew it, a flashback reeled slowly into her head.

 

~~~

“Av… I’m so sorry… I can’t do this anymore.”

“Sam, do you mean…? Why?”

“The media attention; I can’t handle this anymore Av! I can’t!”

Sam’s head was bowed down in shame. Ava looked at him, trying to understand what he was saying.

“Sam…”

“Ava, don’t. It’s hard enough for me as it is! Don’t make it any harder for me. Please.”

“But…”

“I’m sorry Av… you know I’ll always love you.”

Sam walked away from her, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, head bowed low as his eyes concentrated on the cement ground. She felt her heart rip to shreds, the pieces falling to the ground as she stood there, watching him leave her.

When he went around the corner, vanishing into the distance, Ava broke down and fell to her knees, begging the now gone Sam to come back to her. She pleaded to the ground, though she knew it was useless.

Her palms face down on the hard, cold pavement, and her knees scratching against it. She cried her heart out, wondering where she’d gone wrong. Just the previous day, they had been so good together… they’d kissed under the moonlight, the gentle shine casting a shadow across them under the streetlamp.

~~~

Ava was stunned with the precision of her flashback; every emotion, every detail was there. She fought back her urge to bury her head into her hands and break down once more. Swallowing hard, and blinked back the tears, and bit her lip hard, her grip on her backpack tightening.

She forced herself to look up and found herself probing through the thick crowd for something; someone; Sam. She tried to tell herself that he wasn’t going to come for her, but the little ember of hope inside of her just couldn’t be put out no matter how much the ice licked at it.

“Ava…?”

She felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. She spun around, her heart thumping hard against her rib cage. The voice was Sam’s, but was she hallucinating, or was he really there? Had he come for her? He couldn’t have come… Her thoughts ran wild in the second it took for her to look up and turn her head.

“Ava, I’m so sorry. I should have never done that to you. I love you.”

 

_____________________________________

Sam’s POV

“Av… I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore.”

“Sam, do you mean…? Why?”

“The media attention; I can’t handle this anymore Av! I can’t!”

Sam bowed his head down. He couldn’t believe what he was doing. His manager, Ray, had asked him to do it; had threatened to end his career if he didn’t. Sam couldn’t believe that he’d succumbed to do this; to break an innocent girl’s heart. 4and not any girl, either. It was Ava’s… his Ava.

“Sam…”

“Ava, don’t. It’s hard enough for me as it is. Don’t make it any harder for me. Please.”

“But…”

“I’m sorry Av… you know I’ll always love you.”

Sam said those last few words carefully and slowly, knowing that those were going to be the last thing he could ever give her – his love. It was the only promise he could make her and keep forever.

He turned around, fighting back the tears. He knew that if he looked at her pleading face he would crumble. He loved music too much… but he loved Ava, too. His love for the both of them fought each other constantly. He couldn’t seem to love one without ignoring the other. Now music had been chosen for him, and music couldn’t survive in his heart with Ava. He was forced to let her go.

As soon as Sam reached a dark alley far away enough, he broke down and cried. Music and Ava… they were a part of him. Breaking up with Ava was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. It was tearing his heart in half, and the pain it caused him was almost physical.

 

 

~~~

 

Sam woke up sweating on the edge of his bed, the blankets tangled around his body. He gasped for breath as the intensity and reality of his dream took it’s toll on him. It was just a dream… but it wasn’t. it had really happened to him just over a month ago.

 

 

He knew what he had to do. Ava’s flight left at 5:30am. It was now 4:30. It took about 45 minutes to get to the airport, and that didn’t leave him much time. He threw on a pair of worn jeans, and an old T-shirt. He ruffled his messy hair and grabbed his car keys.

 

He rushed downstairs, careful to make any noise, and scribbled a quick note, leaving it on the counter. He ran to his car, and hopped in. Turning on the ignition and jamming his foot into the accelerator at the same time, he sped onto the highway.

 

Sam never had a problem with speed limits until now. The 60mph limit seemed a torture to him, and his watch a reminder of it. The only thing that was good about driving at 5 in the morning was that there was no traffic.

 

The minutes went by too quickly, but eventually, Sam pulled up in front of the airport not caring if he got a ticket. He got out and slammed the door shut. He ran into the airport, barely stopping to catch his breath.

 

He scanned his surroundings, searching desperately for his lover that he’d cast away. The faces that passed him didn’t register in his brain; he only had one face in mind, Ava’s.

 

He heard her pleading voice, the last he’d from from her, play over and over again. The intensity pained him as he struggled to look for Ava. He shifted his focus from face to face, body to body. Nothing.

 

He ran to the Info Counter, but bounced back quickly when he didn’t see the wave of flame red hair that he wanted to see. He whirred around, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of her unmistakable face.

 

He ran towards the terminal that Ava’s plane was supposed to take off from. He checked his watch; 5:28. Had her plane left early? He begged fate and time to let him catch Ava, to at least let him plead with her to take him back.

 

He’d almost given up, that last flame of hope that he had flickering, about to go out. But then, he saw what he was looking for; the flash of fiery red hair, her mystic grey eyes. Ava.

 

He reached his hand out to touch her, but he hesitated. What if she ran away from him? He shook his head. He had to do this. He didn’t have much time left. He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.

 

“Ava, I’m so sorry. I should have never done that to you. I love you.”

 

Sam flinched as he anticipated her rejection. Ava stood up slowly to face him.

 

“Sam I…”

 

He braced himself for her to turn around to board the plane and walk out of his life forever, but there she lingered, trying to piece together words to say to him. Within the second it took her to think, a whirlwind of possibilities flashed through Sam’s mind as he wondered how she’d push him away.

 

Ava took a step closer, and Sam’s heart rate sped up the closer she got. Sam watched, agonized, as she threw her hands up with despair. She came closer to him, and kissed him urgently, like never before. Sam’s eyes widened with shock, but he quickly fell into the moment as he begun to kiss her back. Their lips moved together, as they shared a moment of relief – for Sam, it was relief that Ava had taken him back, and for Ava, the fact that Sam had come back for her.

 

 

 

Author's Note

This story was inspired by the music video of Lifehouse's song, You And Me.

Reviews

[Dalebear]

Good write

[Jules]

YAY i loved this one the kind of story where love conquers all despite people telling them not too and then broken hearts being given a chance to heal :D

[Jeff Miller]

This story has a plethora of feelings and emotions that expressed thoroughly and powerfully. It is also relatable. You seem to be a great writer no matter the style! Mix it up and keep it up!

[Twilight]

I love this story it gives me so many gasps and so many awwww's at the end. It was really sad i know i've been threw break ups before just keep writeing storys

[Signet]

A very beautiful story... Its so sad in the starting. Break ups are so painful. I'm so happy that they patched up in the end. You write very beautifully!