Friday. The day I'd been dreading all week. Jeremy was leaving tomorrow, and though we'd only been together for four weeks and four days, it already felt like a lifetime. Every laugh, every look, every moment we'd shared seemed to play on repeat in my mind like a movie I never wanted to end.
After spending all day at our house together yesterday, I came home early—around 7:00 p.m.—so my parents wouldn't think too much. They still believed Jeremy and I were "just friends," and for now, I wanted to keep it that way.
When I woke up the next morning, the house was silent. My parents and brothers were gone, probably out running errands. The emptiness gave me a little freedom and a big idea: I was going to surprise Jeremy with a goodbye gift—something that would remind him of me every time he looked at it.
After a quick shower, I pulled on my favorite blue jeans and a red crop top, tied my hair up in a loose ponytail, and went downstairs. I fixed myself a light breakfast and sat on the couch, flipping through channels until I landed on Five Feet Apart. I'd seen it before, but something about it—the distance, the love that never fades—kept me glued to the screen. By the time the credits rolled, I glanced at my watch and froze.
3:00 p.m.
"Oh no," I gasped, jumping off the sofa. "I'm late!"
The mall was all the way across town, and I had completely lost track of time. I snatched the car keys off the kitchen counter and raced to my black Lincoln, my heart pounding with urgency.
By the time I arrived, it was nearly 6:00 p.m. The sun was dipping low, painting the city in shades of gold and pink. I hurried from shop to shop, searching desperately for something that felt right—something that would tell Jeremy what words couldn't. But everything special seemed to be gone. The best gifts were always taken early in the day, and my sweet distraction of a movie had cost me precious hours.
Just when I was about to give up, a glint of light caught my eye. There, on a display shelf, was a glass frame with a picture of two lovers entwined beneath a cascade of soft, painted stars. Beneath it were the words:
MY LOVE
My love for you has no boundaries or end.
No one can define what I feel for you.
Even if we're miles apart, distance can't stop me from loving you.
Just knowing you're there gives me strength to face the world.
Through every storm, every shadow, you are my light and my shelter in the rain.
You are my savior when I fall, my knight and shining armor,
my strength when I am weak.
I'll never abandon you in your weakest hour.
We live in a world that tries to break us apart,
but I believe in you, and I believe in us.
To: My one and only
From: Yours forever
I stood there frozen, reading it again and again, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. It was perfect.
Just as I reached for it, another woman—a tall brunette in a floral dress—was heading straight toward the same frame. I didn't think twice. My hand closed around it first.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said breathlessly.
"That's okay," she replied, though her smile didn't reach her eyes.
I clutched the frame protectively against my chest, whispering a silent thank you to the universe, and made my way to the counter. It cost a hundred thousand dollars, and though it was expensive, I didn't hesitate. The best gifts, I thought, are for the people who mean the most.
As the cashier wrapped it carefully in shimmering silver paper, my phone buzzed in my hand. It was a text from Jeremy.
@Laranie, I'm at your place waiting for you.
I frowned and typed quickly.
@How did you get in?
A moment later, his reply appeared:
@Through your window—you left it open.
"Oh, great," I muttered, pressing my palm to my forehead. I had left it open.
Another message followed:
@By the way, where are you right now?
@I'm at the mall, shopping for your going-away gift.
@Oh... I'm interested in seeing it.
@Well, it's a surprise.
@But you're coming back soon, right? I've got a surprise for you too before I leave tomorrow.
I smiled despite my racing heart.
@Yeah, I'm on my way. I'll be there in an hour.
@Okay, I'll be waiting.
That was the last message I received from him.
I held the wrapped frame close as I left the mall, my heart full of excitement—and something else I couldn't quite name. Maybe it was the weight of goodbye settling in, or the feeling that love, once found, can never really be left behind.