The soft hum of distant conversations filled the train station, blending with the rhythmic chime of the departure board flipping through destinations. Olivia clutched the strap of her bag, her fingers twisting the fabric nervously as she watched the clock tick closer to the inevitable.
She didn’t want to leave.
And yet, in just a few minutes, she would board a train that would take her hundreds of miles away from the one person she wished she could stay with forever.
“Liv.”
She turned at the sound of his voice. Ethan stood a few feet away, hands buried deep in his jacket pockets, his usual confident smirk replaced with something softer—something uncertain.
“You came,” she whispered.
His lips twitched. “Of course, I came.”
She let out a shaky breath. “I wasn’t sure.”
Ethan took a slow step toward her, then another, until he was close enough that she could see the way his dark eyes searched hers, like he was trying to memorize every detail before she disappeared. “I wasn’t sure either,” he admitted, voice lower now. “I wasn’t sure I could do this.”
A lump formed in Olivia’s throat. “Me neither.”
For weeks, they had danced around the truth. Pretending their time wasn’t running out. Pretending that goodbye wouldn’t hurt.
But now, with the train’s arrival just minutes away, there was no more time for pretending.
Ethan sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “I don’t know what to say here, Liv. I don’t know what makes this easier.”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t think anything does.”
A beat of silence. Then he reached for her hand, his fingers warm, familiar. “You could stay,” he said softly.
Her heart clenched. “Ethan—”
“I know,” he interrupted, shaking his head. “I know you have to go. I know this is your dream, and I’d never ask you to give that up.” He exhaled, eyes flickering with something she couldn’t quite name. “But I also know I love you.”
Time seemed to slow.
The station faded into the background. The people, the sounds, the world—it all disappeared until there was only Ethan, standing there with his heart in his hands, waiting.
“You do?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ethan let out a breathless chuckle. “Yeah, Liv. I do. And I probably should’ve said it earlier, but I was scared. Scared that if I said it out loud, it would make leaving harder for you.”
Tears burned at the edges of her eyes. “Ethan—”
“But then I realized,” he continued, voice rough, “that not saying it doesn’t make it hurt any less. So if this is goodbye, at least let it be real.”
The station speakers crackled. “Train 217 to Oakridge, now boarding at Platform 4.”
Olivia inhaled sharply.
Ethan’s grip on her hand tightened for just a second—then loosened, as if he was already letting go.
She looked at the train. Then back at him.
And suddenly, she knew.
She reached up, cupping his face in her hands, pulling him into a kiss that tasted like every moment they had shared, every unspoken word, every wish she had ever made on a falling star.
Ethan kissed her back, hands gripping her waist, holding on like he was afraid to wake up and find it wasn’t real.
When they finally pulled apart, Olivia was breathless. She pressed her forehead against his, their noses barely touching.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Ethan let out a choked laugh, shaking his head. “You really know how to mess with a guy’s heart, Liv.”
She smiled, blinking back tears. “Good.”
The train doors hissed open.
Ethan took a step back, searching her face. “Go,” he said softly. “Go chase your dreams.”
Olivia hesitated—then nodded.
She grabbed her bag, stepping onto the train.
And just before the doors closed, she turned back.
“I’ll come back for you,” she promised.
Ethan’s eyes softened. “I’ll be here.”
And as the train pulled away, carrying her toward the unknown, she held onto the one truth she now knew for sure—
This wasn’t the end of their story.
It was only the beginning.
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