Untitled Short Story

This is a light hearted short story that is meant to be mainly aimed towards teens - Boston

Jaime called the night before last to say goodnight. Lilia loved hearing his voice on the phone, it gave her the feeling of comfort; the kind of comfort you would get if you were wrapped in a warm blanket sitting by the fire drinking hot chocolate. This was her favorite feeling. He had been gone too long; six whole months had already passed since she last saw those aqua blue eyes and silly gelled hair of his. She told him on multiple occasions that she hated his hair but at this point she would gladly feel those spikes against her cheek. Stanford wasn’t all that far from L.A. but it was far enough to drive a wedge in their budding relationship. Their conversation was short, he had been studying, was tired and seriously lacking good conversational skills so Lilia kept it light. She knew she would have to tell him eventually of her plans to move at the beginning of next month but this was not the time. Jaime knew she was not happy living with her parents, it was no secret she was a disappointment in their eyes. What he didn’t know was that she had applied to Yale University last month and got the acceptance letter in the mail last week.  The excitement she felt as she carried the large envelope up to her room and quietly opened it was something she never knew was possible. The idea of being all the way across the country from her parents made her light up like the lights on Hollywood boulevard. The Slanes were thrilled at the thought of their oldest daughter attending the prestigious Yale University; you could practically see them force feeding a law degree down her throat. Uncle Carter had mixed emotions towards the move. He wanted her to be happy and often gave her such advice as “Lil, you do whatever is in that stubborn heart of yours and you’ll reach the moon”. For a lawyer, he sure did have a lot of hippy in him. He was nothing like her father and that was why they got along so well.

            The phone rang as Lilia was slinging her messenger bag onto her shoulder on her way to one of her final classes at UCLA. It was Jaime of course but there was no time for pleasantries, not even for a hello for as soon as he heard her voice he began his announcement. “I’M COMING TO GET YOU! GET READY!” His excitement flew through the phone and into her chest throwing her back onto the couch. Excitement, followed quickly with confusion filled her as the only word that could drop from her jaw was “How?” Jaime explained how he had the weekend off and had left early this morning to surprise her and he would be there in about an hour. This is perfect, she knew this would be the opportunity she needed to tell him but she was sad to let go of the comfort of telling him over the phone. Class would have to go unseen today and she was perfectly okay with this fact. When he showed up at her door she could do nothing but throw her arms around him neck and take a deep breath, taking the time to inhale every bit of him she could. He kissed her long, and passionate before opening the car door for her. She was still dizzy from their kiss as they drove to the park. He had stopped at the store and bought things for a makeshift picnic trying desperately to be romantic and being surprisingly successful in his efforts.

            As they sat on the beach towel that was substituting for a blanket and ate their ready-made sandwiches an uncomfortable feeling set in. This was it. She had to tell him. It was beautiful out, the perfect seventy five degree breeze swept her brunette curls across her shoulder and the sun warmed her skin, she couldn’t imagine ruining this with her news but it was inevitable. She decided the best way to tell him was to show him, so that’s what she did. With an uncertain smirk, she slipped the letter into his hand.  It was just a piece of paper, worn out from being unfolded, read and re-folded a thousand times and yet it seemed to carry the weight of the world as he held it. She watched as confusion and then sadness swept over his face. Finally, he lifted his eyes from the letter to meet hers. A single tear fell effortlessly down his cheek washing away any doubts Lilia had about how he felt about her. “So you’re going” was all he could say before his voice cracked with emotion. There was a long silence as they sat and held each other and then suddenly a smile twisted the corners of Jaime’s mouth “I graduate in two months” Confusion and then excitement filled her as she realized, he’s following me to Yale? He’s following me to Yale! She nuzzled her nose into his neck and started to daydream about Yale.

            The next few weeks flew by in a blur and the next thing she knew she was standing outside LAX. Jaime waited patiently as she said her cold goodbyes to her parents, promising to check in with them when she landed. With a pivot and three quick steps she was inches away from his face.  Lilia’s voice struggled “I’m going to miss you more than anything”. As he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears from her cheeks he kissed her forehead. “I will see you in one month, piece of cake!” and with one last kiss she was on her way.