Days Turn to Months Turn to Years Without You... (Past!Solo)

Rebecca should not have booked a window seat. If she was able to look through a window, she could see the airport she had just left via a shaky carpeted ramp. She watched the airport move out of her range of sight as the airplane positioned itself for takeoff. She looked out helplessly as the details of New York became indistinguishable, and before long she could no longer see the country she just left behind. There were so many ways she could watch Agnes fading out of her life.

It was the right choice. Both girls had great opportunities to pursue, with Rebecca going to Oxford and Agnes being accepted to an advanced program at Juliard. Rebecca was already on the plane, with her tuition submitted and her rent and deposit down on a flat in London. Still, she was trying to dream of ways she could change her mind and go back to Agnes. They made the right choices, but that did not stop her from feeling terrible.

They left things open-ended, so there was some hope to cling to, she kept reminding herself. They left on good terms because things had honestly been great between them up to that point. The only thing in their relationship that had been giving Rebecca any sadness or frustration in the past months had been the knowledge that it was coming to an end once Autumn came around. Life handed them a change of plans and they were going to be mature about this.

They would talk; time zones would make things difficult, but they could email to make up the difference. It would be friendly talking, because Rebecca did not want to tie Agnes down when she knew they would be apart for at least two years. Keeping in touch would be the important part, and maybe after two years…

”Are you alright, miss?

Rebecca looked to the seat next to her, where the soft French-accented voice originated. A young girl, no older than eight, with brown hair was looking at her with concern. The redhead touched her freckled cheek with her fingers, realizing now that tears had been streaming down them. ”Ah’m sorry. Ah… Ah hink Ah’m alright.”

The girl smiled and nodded. ”It’s okay to be sad. My mommy is sending me to see my grandma for two whole weeks, and I’m going to miss her. Is that why your sad?”

Try as she might, Rebecca could not quell the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. ”Yes, hun. Ah am going gang tae England, bit there’s someain in New York Ah really loove. An’ Ah willnae see her fer tois years.”

”Two years?” The girl seemed stunned by the time Rebecca was going away for, since her concept of “a really long trip” was just two weeks a moment ago. Frowning, she asked, ”Why would you do that?”

Rebecca should have said she was going to a school. She did not have to explain that it was a prestigious grad school, or that she had to take advantage of her opportunity. A girl her age might understand why school was enough to justify what Rebecca was doing.

If only she could convince herself that it was enough. ”Ah dorn’t know,” she said softly. Rebecca looked back out her window into the blanket of clouds separating her and Agnes. She gave up on the idea that she would stop crying. She would cry until the next time she saw Agnes. Two years to go…