"So..." Emi spoke as the pair laid on the floor, their bodies the opposite direction but their heads next to one another.

George hummed.

"Last day, huh?" She asked.

"Yup..." George had an unsure tone in his voice. "Last day."

George was flying back out to the states tomorrow morning.

Summer was over.

The pair had been on an emotional ride that was still not quite over.

Despite her heart being slightly broken, she didn't want George to leave.

She wanted to kiss him.

Right now.

Just...

Turn his head.

Stroke his cheek.

Press her lips to his.

She wanted that, but now, she didn't think he'd have the same reaction that he did the first time.

She often wondered what had happened to the George Kusunoki Miller that had kissed her back and confessed in an airport that he returned her feelings.

Maybe where he lives changed him.

That can happen to a person.

"What do you want to do?" She asked.

"Just spend it with you." He said.

"You don't want to see your mom again?"

"I saw her yesterday." He said, remembering his mothers face.

Emi's mother had returned home a week or two back.

She admit that she'd left to give the two some 'alone time'.

She was quite disappointed to find out that the two hadn't gotten together.

But, the woman could only medal so much with their lives before they'd get annoyed.

So, the woman let them be.

She knew that one day the two would awaken to their feelings.

One day they'd act upon them.

That one day might not be any time soon.

It would take a long time.

It would take sadness and grief and pain.

But it would happen one day.

And so, the pair laid on the ground , heads gently touching as they rested.

The rest of the day was not complicated nor fancy.

They'd gone out to dinner, walked around town a little bit, and just spent some time together.

They'd walked through the forest, before returning home.

This forest was so good to them.

It was always there.

As they had approached the old, wise tree, George had stopped, stood infront of it, and placed his hand on it as he looked at it.

"おじいちゃん。"  ( Old friend. ) he said softly.

"これまでのすべてのことをありがとう。"   (  Thank you for everything so far.  )

A light breeze blew through the forest.

He smiled as he pat the tree.

Silently he begged for the tree to give him strength.

He needed it more than anything.

He turned to Emi.

"Let's go home."

Home.

She nodded, and off they went.

~~~

Late that night, as the two were meant to go to sleep, George was sat up in the bed.

"Emi," he asked the girl, who was sitting at her desk, scrolling through  her new Twitter account. She'd never had one before, but made one on George's word that she'd like it.

It was kind of cool, she thought.

You could see people tweet, and you could see when they did it. She liked that. It made her feel connected to people, in a way.

"Yes?" she turned in her chair to look at him.

"Can I... Can we talk for a bit. I've got some stuff that I'd like to clean up." he said.

"Okay." she said, turning the chair completely around so that she was facing him.

The words felt heavy as he spoke.

"I don't know where to start, uhm... I'll do this one first. How much money do you have saved up?" he asked.

"Enough, why?"

"Enough for a couple week trip to the states?" he asked.

Emi leaned forward a bit.

"Why?" a small smile was pushing its way onto her lips.

"I'd like you to come visit me in the spring there, if you can! I want to show you around." he said.

"I'd love that, George." she smiled.

"Great, uhm." he cleared his throat.

"Now for the not so pleasant one."

Emi's smile dropped quickly.

"Couldn't you have led with the not so pleasant one?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know." he replied.

"But, uh..." he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Look, I know me and you sort of... have this... this thing... Sort of a... unspoken... thing." he struggled.

"Okay." Emi said, prompting him to continue.

"And... I think... The thing... Should, stop." he said.

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"  she asked in confusion.

"I mean... We should... Not... Uh-... Be a thing?" he tries.

As much as Emi felt her heart ache, she couldn't help but almost laugh at how awkward he was about it. About how much he didn't know what to say. Because for once, it wasn't her.

"Are you breaking up with me- even though we're not together?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Yes?" he replied, eyebrows furrowing.

After a moment of collecting her thoughts, Emi spoke.

"Can you explain why? Why you don't want anything?" she asked, wanting to understand without letting her emotions get the best of her.

She had to try and be rational.

"I just..." he starts. "I don't think I'd be good with distance. And I know everyone always says that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but I... I sleep around. A lot. As you probably know at this point. I'll be honest, I love a good fuck and I don't want to feel guilty because I cant help myself, you know? It's easier if I have freedom, and I can do the things I want without worrying about how I've affected someone." he explains, not even looking up at Emi.

Emi sat her chin on her knee.

It still affected her.

She had that little bit of jealousy and disgust when he brought up the last girl he had sex with or if she saw him texting one of the girls that he sleeps around with.

Despite her blaring feelings, she guessed that she could understand what he meant.

She took a deep breath.

"I understand." she said.

She didn't feel that she had too much of a right to be upset. After all, they weren't together.

Even if it felt like they were at times, they weren't.

She had been on this road long enough to now understand it a bit more, even though it still made her blaringly upset and irrational sometimes.

"What?" George responded in shock.

"I understand." Emi said, not really wanting to get into it or think about it too much.

If she did, she didn't know what she would do.

And that scared her a little bit.

Nothing violent, she was sure.

Just, she didn't know what she would say.

She didn't want to lose control again.

It had become a bit of a fear for her.

"T-Thank you..." George let out.

"... You will still visit me in the spring, yes?" he asked.

"Yes." Emi let out a slightly forced laugh. "Of course."

George smiled lightly as he looked down.

"Now, come on, lets get to sleep. You have an early flight to catch." she said, shutting her laptop down and moving into the bed, so that the two could fall asleep next to one another for the last time in a long time.

One day... she thought.

One day...