I met Liv over at Razzle Dazzle, a small diner off of Main street. She had recently been employed there and I was encouraged to come see her when she was on her shift because of the waitress uniform the diner required.

It wasn't revealing or anything like that, but it hugged her in all the right places and it's pale blue color made her skin glow and her eyes pop. My Liv was waiting a table when I walked into the diner. She gave me a small head tilt and I nodded over to a vacant seat up at the small diner's bar.
The owner of the diner, an elderly woman named Jessi Crandall, gave me a small smile and made her way over to me.

"Well hey there stranger," Jessi teased as she handed me a glass of her homemade sweet tea. I couldn't help but immediately take a sip. Her tea was so good that I teased it was laced with crack.

"Jessi, it's only been a day since I've been in here," I smiled back at her and fidgited with the straw paper. "Hardly a stranger."

"Uh huh," she tapped her pen against the counter. "You're only in here when your girl is working. I wish the two of you would come in here more often. It makes an old woman like me happy to see young couples without a care in the world."

"Pfft, you're not old." I rolled my eyes fondly. "You're 78 years young. You're not old until I say you are."

"Thank you baby girl," She smiled at me again. "Makes me happy."

Jessi walked away to speak with one of her employees in the kitchen area. I absolutely adored that woman. She's 78 years old and she still runs around this place like she's 18. Jessi had inherited this place from her father when she had graduated from high school, their family too poor to send her to college. Her father told her that she could either sell the lot and be able to afford the money for schooling of she could be the new owner. Low and behold she decided to keep the diner and push school off. Now, people come to the diner from all over the place to try her classic taste and the general vibe of her small diner.

I jumped a little in my chair as I felt warm arms slide around my waist. I looked behind me and smiled brightly at Liv, her hair now pulled up into her signature messy bun. I leaned back into her and she gave me a kiss on my cheek.

"I missed you baby," she whispered into my ear as she pushed herself against my back. I couldn't help but smile wider and lean into her touch. I noticed that she was wearing that perfume that I had gotten her for her birthday.

"I missed you too, pookie," Liv groaned and buried her face in my neck. I laughed and placed my hands upon hers.

"Remind me to never let you and my father around each other ever again." She kisses my ear and let me go so she could walk behind the bar to clock out. I had finally met her father a few days ago, kinda weird since we've been dating a little over two years now, and I discovered that he calls his daughter 'pookie'. I made it my personal goal to make sure she never heard the end of it.

I watched her as she typed her employee number into the time clock. Her dirty blond hair had gotten longer and she refused to cut it more than a necessary trim. My hair on the other end, I had both sides as my under cut shaved to where there was just a little bit of hair on top of my head. Liv loved to play with it and put hair gel in it to make it poofy. I didn't mind. Her hands were amazing. Her little brother teased and called me Brad Pitt for a few days, only because Cass finally let him watch Fury, the war movie with the tank. Pitt had a haircut simular to mine and Caleb thought it was cool.

A lot had happened since graduation. Liv and I finally got our permits and then our driver's licenses. Mom didn't want me to get mine because she was fearful that if I started driving then something like what happened to Henry would happen to me. Liv just put getting her's off until she graduated. I had recently been given my mom's old car, just a regular Ford Focus that I riddled with bumper stickers. I swear it was the only thing keeping that car together. Liv saved up money and bought herself a Toyota Corolla that she saw listed in a used car lot.

Liv grabbed my hand and we both said goodbye to Jessi before we walked out of the diner and into Liv's car. As I buckled my seatbelt, Liv riddled with her keys for longer than usual before she started the car. I looked over at her with a raised eyebrow and she just shook her head.

Okay, I thought, Something is definitely wrong.

I reached across the center console and placed my hand on her right thigh and my thumb moved in soothing circles across her thigh.

She let out a long breath and relaxed a tad bit, but she still didn't say anything.

When we pulled up to my house I noticed that my mom was still at work and I looked across the street and noticed that her mom and dad were both home. She wanted to talk at my house for a reason, nobody was home. It seemed as if my whole body was engulfed in fear as she silently parked behind my car and got out. She followed me into my house and she passed me to go into the bathroom with her spare change of clothes. I closed and locked the door, my hands shaking the entire time.

I hear the sound of the shower being turned on and I swallowed hard, still nervous. I shook my head at myself for worrying as I entered my room and sat down on my bed. I paced my elbows on my knees and rested my head in my hands.

I listened to Liv showereing through the thin wall as I tried to collect myself. A few minutes later, the water turned off and the bathroom was filled with the sound of her drying off and changing into her clean clothes. I heard the sound of her brush making its way through her wet hair and being tossed up into a bun.

I still had my head in my hands as Liv entered my room. I didn't look up at her as I felt her soft hands card gently through my hair.

"Dee," she spoke up hesitantly. "Baby, we need to talk."

I felt my heart stop at those words. Oh shit, this is always the bad part in movies and books.

I felt the matress dip beside me as she sat down. I finally took my head away from my hands and sighed with a shaky breath. I ran my hands through my hair and over my face before I finally looked over at her. Her beautiful hazel eyes were filled with sadness and she grabbed my hands in a tight clasp. Squeezing them once, she began to talk.

"I know that you're not going to like what I have to say," she began. "But I have to say it." I closed my eyes and nodded. "You're going to college here just a few towns over. Well, I found out that I got accepted to a college a few states away. It's a full ride with room and board included." I closed my eyes tighter.

"How far away is a few?" I whispered. I could hear her wince. She played with my hands.

"The other side of the country." she spoke after a few moments. I shook my head, fighting away tears. "Baby, please look at me." I continued to shake my head.

"We live in Hartford, South Dakota," I said, my tears now steaming down my face as I finally looked up at her. "Where is the college?"

"It's in...," she took a deep breath, noting my tears. "It's Thomas College in Waterville, Maine. I already checked to see if they had online courses, but they don't. I tried to get into local colleges but they don't offer the courses that I need." she took a deep breath before continuing. "Dad has a job offer in Vermont and he's taking it. He'll be making triple the pay he does here. So-"

"Your whole family is moving," I finished for her. "How long have you known?" I looked up at her and searched her face. Her hazel eyes held so much regret and pain.

"I've know for a few weeks now. We'll be moving here in two weeks to Vermont. Dad and Mom just signed the papers for a house in Beecher Falls."

I couldn't think of anything to say to her. I know that sounds really terrible of me, but I just couldn't seem to think let alone speak. The world was fine just a few weeks ago. Liv and I were planning on moving in together before college started. We would get a little studio apartment the next town over and be on our own. It felt too good to be true at the time. Now I know why.

"Baby," Liv whispered. I felt her hands lift to cup my face but I flinched away as if I was burned. Hurt instantly flashed across her face and I felt horrible.

"Don't call me that right now." I whispered back, my voice laced with anger and pain. "Please don't." I grasped my pillow and squeezed it tight. I could see that Liv wanted to be the one to comfort me, not a stupid fucking pillow.

"I'm so sorry, Dee." Liv wrung her hands and she looked like she was about to stand up and yell. She's only yelled at me once, and it was over the fact that she wanted to take me out to eat for my birthday. I just wanted to be alone on my birthday, but she insisted that she took me out.

"Just... Just promise me that we won't become like those couples..." my voice faltered, I still refused to look at her as I only tightened my grip on my pillow.

"Become like what couples?" Liv asked.

"Y'know, the couples that move away from each other and then they grow apart. Break up. Move on. See other people."

"Dee, I promise you it won't happen to us," I heard her voice break when she spoke up. I chanced a glance at her face and saw one lone tear on her cheek. "We'll talk everyday, Skype when we can, hell I'll even see if you can come up for visits or if I can come to you during breaks. Dee, we'll make this work."

I was about to reply to her but I was cut off by the insistent ringing of her cell phone. I sighed as she rummaged through her purse to find it. She gave me an apologetic smile before she walked out of my room and into the hallway, closing the door behind her as she went.

Closing my eyes, I felt more tears find their way down my cheeks. I didn't bother wiping them off at this point. I sniffled into my pillow and fell back on my bed. A shuddering sigh left my lips.

Well, today fucking sucked.