Stupid Love || Michael Afton x Reader

thirty four - final goodbyes

August 19th 1983.

So this was it I guess. I was going back to California, possibly for the rest of my life.

My suitcase was filled, grandma had insisted I brought photo albums of mom's childhood back to California; as a 'gift' she said. She wanted to repair her relationship with mom. That was really sweet actually, mom didn't speak much of grandma, she always thought she was a bad influence.

B/N was whining about leaving all week, saying that he loved it here and he never wanted to leave when I remember him clearly saying that he wanted to go back home as soon as possible.

I mean, we weren't even supposed to be here majority of the year. We were supposed to be here three months max, that's why mom was calling us so much during summer break.

I sat on my bed, holding three of Terry's favourite magazines, gazing around my room. Going back home wasn't gonna be like coming back from a vacation, the house was going to be quiet. No more shouting, no more screaming, dad probably wasn't going to be there. It's not going to be the same.

I didn't realise in the time I was dating Michael is how much I didn't want to leave him. I might of liked Jeremy but never have I had such strong feelings for someone this much before. I didn't even like my ex as much as I liked Michael.

All those drunk words I said before, they were speaking the truth and I decided to ignore it all.

I wish I could make up for all that lost time, maybe I would of been at good terms with Michael all this time.

The one thing I didn't want to do was break up with him but how else was I supposed to make it less painful for me to move? We could break up, get over it and move on with our lives. What was the point of dating long distance? It wouldn't work in the first place.

The loud slam of the front door downstairs made me jump, instantly kicking me out of my thoughts. I heard indistinct speaking and squealing then the loud stomping of feet barging up the stairs.

I heard the creak of my door and I lifted my head, facing whoever had peaked their head into my room.

Michael smiled, opening the door completely. I noticed Elizabeth behind him too, hugging and talking with B/N. I smiled weakly, tossing away the magazines and standing up.

"So, today's the day." Michael spoke up softly, walking over to me with his hands in his pockets. I nodded hesitantly, taking a deep breath.

"Uhm yeah, I didn't know it would come so soon." I replied quietly, sitting down on my bed again, Michael plopping himself beside me while clutching my fingers.

"Your grandma let me in by the way, I was actually really surprised."

"Oh? That's weird, is that because we're leaving today?"

"Probably, she was actually really sweet about it."

He stroked my knuckles gently, gazing down at me. "You won't believe how much I'm gonna miss you."

I looked away, feeling as his grip moved to my hips, pulling me close to his side. I lay my head on his shoulder, sighing softly.

"Michael... how is this gonna work?" I asked, Michael looked at me, perplexed.

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow, his gaze suddenly filling with worry. I turned so I faced him properly, holding his fingers tightly.

"I mean, being together, how is it gonna work?"

I watched as he gulped nervously, shaking his head. "It will work, we might not see each other a lot but it will work." He reassured, smiling sadly. I removed my hand from his.