Plagiarized by Marlo Williams, Leddy Harper Page B

have been happier about that. What I could have been happier about was his move. I didn’t want him to go. I wanted him to stay in town with me where I could see him all of the time. But as he explained, he needed a job so that he could provide for me. I loved that he wanted to take care of me, I only wished he could’ve done that locally. The desperation I felt from just the thought of him leaving was debilitating. I didn’t even know how I would deal with the reality of the situation once it happened.
    “Your place looks so empty now,” I acknowledged once the last box was taped up and stacked against the wall. I looked around his small apartment and had to concentrate on holding back my tears. It was sad to see everything gone. All that was left was a couch in the middle of the room.
    “I know, but in a few days it’ll all be at the new place. Which will be our place very soon.” He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my back to his chest. It was comforting to be held against him, but it also reminded me of how little time we had left.
    “How is this going to work, Ben?” I asked as I spun in his arms to face him.
    He kissed me on my forehead. “Well, I’ll come down every other weekend, and you’ll come to me on the weekends in between. By the way, did you ask Marissa if you could borrow her car?”
    It was a good thing I had received my driver’s license while in driver’s ed in school, but I had never used it. My grandparents and mother didn’t know I had it, and I didn’t have a car. I could hide a license in my purse, I had no way of hiding a vehicle from my family.
    “Yeah, she said it was okay as long as she wasn’t using it.”
    “And we have our phones.”
    “I’m going to need more minutes, though. I run out as it is, and you’re not even two hours away yet. I don’t think I could handle not having minutes to talk to you with.”
    The tears were filling my eyes and my throat was tightening. I was finding it harder to get any words out. I was fighting against the tears, not wanting them to spill over. I wanted to remain brave-faced and calm. I didn’t want his last glance of me tonight to be of a blubbering idiot. Inside I felt like I was dying, my love was leaving me. I knew he wasn’t leaving me forever, but I wouldn’t be able to see him as often.
    He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He was leaving in two days and I fucking started my period the night before. I wasn’t happy about that, especially after feeling his tongue massaging mine. All I wanted was to be with him before he left. But that wasn’t going to happen.
    “I love you,” he whispered to me.
    “I love you, too. Don’t go falling in love with anyone before I get there,” I tried to joke but my words came out in choked up sobs. The combination of my period making me emotional and the fact of him leaving finally hitting me made me a sensitive mess.
    “That would never happen.”
    “Good”—I kissed him and managed a smile—“because I just might have to kill you if you do.”
    He laughed at my joke and kissed me back.

On Wednesday morning, I had asked Tom to meet me that evening for a special treat. I wanted more of what he had given me the night before, but I should have known better. As I had predicted, Tom had pretty much gone back into the cocoon of his usual routine. He had initially looked surprised by my offer of continuing our night, he had even looked like he wanted to say yes, but something was holding him back. I had no idea what. He had proclaimed that he had a business meeting that evening and would be out late.
    I knew Missy had her date that evening, so that left me all by myself. I could definitely use the much-needed time on my book, but for some reason, I didn’t want to be alone.
    That day at school, Craig had kept his distance from me and acted indifferent toward me. I was surprised, since I would have bet my life that he would want to get laid again, but