I put down my book that served as a feeble distraction for an hour and look around the blue cushioned seats in the airport searching for the face. The one that could sway my decision and make me stay, My beautiful Hannah. I want to stay more than anyone could imagine but I can't if I don't see that face. If I don't see her beautiful tear-filled green eyes frantically looking for me thinking she's missed me at the last moment. The airport chase, cliche but it gives me hope without which I am a depressing mess.

I let out a long low sigh as I realize that she is not there, that there is no one running recklessly throughout the terminal, uncaring to the shouts and glares of other people saying their goodbyes. I think of the previous night and turn my gaze to the floor, hoping the sadness isn't as raw on my face as it is in my heart, tearing whole chunks out with its sorrowful fits of frustration and misery.

I'll never see her again. The thought makes me want to cry, but I know I can't anymore. The pain in me is as sharp as a razor dragging across my skin yet I cannot utter words of complaint or sorrow. I cannot bring the emotion to the surface. I cannot do this because I left my last visible emotion at her apartment a week ago.
I glance around and see a woman that reminds me of her. Long, sleek red hair down past her shoulders as she turns and hugs the ones she is leaving. A child that must be hers from the look is crying softly and she takes him in her arms hugging him tightly and reassuring the poor boy that she will be back soon enough without trouble. I see sadness in her smile and when she turns to me for a brief second I understand exactly how she feels. Her misery reflects mine.

Weakly she smiles at me and seems to be the only one who understands my sadness for a moment. I give her a nod and go back to my book, staring blankly at the words and not taking any of them in. My mind won't relax and turn off so I can dive into the books like I've so often done. It stays clicked on, jumping to different thoughts, none of which have anything to do with the plot of the story. I don't even remember what it's about and look to the cover to see, the irony of the title almost killing me the moment my eyes come upon it.

Leaving You.

Frustrated with myself, I set the book face down on my lap. I see the store where I'd bought it an hour before and realize that I barely remember even going in there. I couldn't stop thinking about her.

My family and old friends wait for me in Italy; I will miss no one else from here, only her. Her eyes. Her tears. Her smile. Her frown. Everything about her but nothing else.

I look to the clock and most of the hope to see her drains out of me in a fluid motion that makes my stomach drop and heart ache. Fifteen minutes until boarding time. Fifteen minutes for her to get there.
I pull my cell out to check if there are any missed calls and of course, there are none.

How can I do this? I question in sorrow, my heart aching more with every passing second that she doesn't appear in the terminal. I think to Hannah saying almost the exact same words a week before.
"How can you do this? How can you just leave?" she'd asked, her voice shaking visibly as she'd screamed the words at me. Her face was beat red and wet with tears she had shed at the moment I'd opened my mouth to tell her the news; I was moving back home. My old work had offered me a promotion with an enormous pay increase.

I hadn't given an answer, unable to match her perfect anger even with an honest glance from my eyes. Guilt had coursed through my veins, finally reaching my eyes and surfacing in the tears I tried so desperately to keep back.

"You're choosing money over me." Was the weakened words that she had uttered in barely a whisper. She was too weak to say anything in her usual strong and joyful voice. I had done this. "Three years and you're choosing money over me..."

"Come with me," I'd urged, looking up, knowing that no matter how sorrowful I was, it could never match what she'd felt in those moments.

She hadn't been able to answer me with words, only shake her head and look at her bare knees poking out from the flowing skirt she'd been wearing. I saw the tears fall from her face and splash gently on her perfect skin, leaving it wet and shiny.

I'd stood from her bed covered in the pink sheets that I'd teased her for so often. The place where we'd laid for hours in each others arms speaking softly and reminiscing about anything that came to our minds. She'd stood to hug me and we clung to each other, her sobs drowning out my quiet tears. I felt her chest against mine heaving as she let her emotions out as ragged and upsetting as they were in her heart. She'd never been one to hold herself back.

"Al," shed cried into my drenched shirt. "My Al..."

We'd stood there for a few more minutes but she told me I had to go; she needed to be alone. I'd asked her to meet me at the airport but she shook her head sorrowfully again. And when she'd looked at me for the last time, untamed misery in her eyes as she closed the door, I'd known that this was something that she wouldn't forgive.

"Flight 147 is now ready for boarding," a woman's voice says calmly over the speaker directly above my seat. I awake from my gloomy daze and sit up, looking around again. I pause on the same woman who reminds me of her for a moment and see that she's now crying as she holds her son in her arms. I feel like letting it out but I won't. I'll keep it in at least until I'm alone.

I stand, gathering my small backpack and jacket. The rest of my things were already taken care of. I look around the airport, staring into each face to make sure it's not hers. There are no disruptions from someone running through the airport. There are no shouts. She's not there. She didn't come to say goodbye.

I sigh and feel a few tears escape my eyes and hastily brush them away. I briskly walk towards the person checking tickets and passports and hand mine to her. She smiles brightly at me and I'm immediately filled with envy for her happiness. She looks them over and hands them back with another smile.

"Have a nice flight," she says. I nod at her, unable to say anything or smile for fear of any emotion escaping past my lips. It might convince me to stay if it's voiced. I walk by and find my seat without trouble on the plane. I put my backpack in the overhead compartment and sit. Again, I notice the redhead a few seats in front of me, dabbing her eyes. I lean back and close my eyes, not wanting to think about anything at all anymore.

"Would you like to listen to the in-flight radio?" a woman's voice asks a few moments later, rupturing the silence I had created while blocking out everything else. I open my eyes and nod, giving her the change. I put them on and settle back once again, now truly unable to hear anything else.

All hope to see her again leaves my heart as I feel the plane take off underneath me. It refills instantly with regret and sorrow and I find myself drifting off into a fretful, unhappy sleep.

Several hours later, I awake, knowing full well that we are landing. I sit up and grit my teeth as the plane bumps along heavily. Landings have always made me nervous and I would hate to think that I'd left her just to die the moment I'd reached home.

I wait for the instructions from the flight attendants to stand up and gather our things before doing just that and exiting the plane with a breath of both relief for my safety and regret for the love I'd lost.

I follow the rest of people down the terminal and look around to see a gathering of people who look somewhat like me. I smile as I recognize my mother and father, tears on both of their faces as they rush forwards, my father smothering me in his enormous hug and my mother coating my face in lipstick as she kisses me repeatedly.

"Alessandro, weve missed you!" she says in Italian as she finally stops and holds my cheeks in both of her hands.

"I've missed you too, mamma," I say, smiling weakly. I look over her shoulder to the rest of my family that came standing and smiling at the reunion. My sister like my mother is crying and when I look to her she immediately comes over, to give me a hug. She clutches me in her arms so tightly it almost makes me laugh.

"Elena, I'm alright, I'm here," I say, understanding her anxiety. She is as nervous as I am with landings.

"I know, I know, little brother," she says smiling and pulling away. "I want you to meet someone."

I know exactly who she's going to introduce me to and squat down so my face is level with her son Luzio.

"Luzio, this is my brother Alessandro," she says, standing over us and smiling. The child frowns as he awkwardly walks towards me. I recognize his blond hair from his mother and dark eyes from his father. He's still a toddler but he seems to understand who I am and pinches my cheek before giggling wildly and hugging me. I'm surprised at the show of affection but Elena stands over me smiling. "He's affectionate with everyone."

I smile back and try to stand but find that he's attached to me still. I laugh and pick him up in my arms, the warmth of his small body brightening my day a bit. I love children.

I turn towards Elena's husband, Paolo, and greet him with a smile and a few brief words before my parents suggest that we head back to their house to greet the rest of the family. They get my luggage for me since I'm still carrying Luzio, who doesn't seem to want to detach himself just yet, and we walk to the van. I buckle Luzio in before climbing inside and closing the door with a sigh. I look towards the midnight sky and feel my eyes fill with tears for a moment before Luzio's hand grabs mine with a giggle. The toddler's reaction cheers me up a bit and I feel the sorrow recede for a few moments.

Almost an hour later we arrive at my parents house and I smile in shock as I walk inside and realize that the entire family has gathered to see me. People come at me from all directions with hugs and kisses and Luzio is awoken from his slumber in my arms and becomes rather cranky with the oncoming hugs. Elena takes him from my arms with a smile and I tend to the rest of my family, giving hugs and kisses to everyone who comes forward. My brothers and their wives are the first to see me, then aunts and uncles, then cousins, nephews and nieces. I can't help but cheer up a bit from the affection shown towards me. At least I made my family happy by coming home.

I'm exhausted from the flight but stay up for almost half an hour out of respect for my family members who'd come out of their way to see me as soon as I arrived home at one in the morning. But at my third yawn, I take my mother's suggestion and say goodnight to the rest of the family.

"You're in your old room," my mother tells me, hugging me and smiling. I smile weakly, trying to seem bright.

"You didn't change anything?" I ask, stifling another yawn.

"Almost nothing. Now go," she urges, pushing me towards the stairs with another smile which seems somewhat mischievous. I'm about to ask about it but she raises her eyebrows and pushes me. "Go!" she says grinning. "Sleep." I sigh and say goodnight to her before dragging my sore feet slowly up the stairs to go to bed.

I open the door to my room as I get to the top of the stairs and am immediately bombarded by a scent that I'd recognize anywhere; Hannah's perfume. I frown and sniff again. There's no mistaking it, it's the same one. I begin to feel suspicious and start to look around, I glance in the closet, under the bed, in the bathroom, but she's nowhere to be found. I don't know why I thought she would be there but the scent gave me hope again.

One of my sisters must have the same one, I think to myself as I collapse unhappily on the bed, covering my face with my hands and beginning to let the emotion out. I think about her face and tears immediately escape my eyelids and flow down my face, running to my temples and into my hair. My breathing becomes somewhat ragged and I feel myself begin to sob, conflicting ironically with the sounds of my happy family floating up the stairs. I hear someone coming down the hall and stand, immediately going to my mirror. I hastily wipe the tears from my eyes but it's obvious that I've been crying. My eyes are bloodshot and my face is still damp with the lingering wetness I cannot seem to get rid of. I stand with my back to the door, hoping that they will pass without notice, but no such luck. I hear them come into my room, their feet light on the carpet beneath them. I desperately hope they don't come nearer to me, knowing that it would make my family incredibly unhappy to know I was so miserable with coming back.

Please, please just leave and don't tell anyone, I pray turning my face towards the ground, guessing that if I look directly in the mirror they will see my sorrow in the reflection.

"I'm sorry I sprayed my perfume in here, but it smelled like rotten gym socks," comes the voice I've been thinking about all day. The voice of perfection. Hannah's voice.

My eyes shoot up to the reflection in the mirror and like I'd guessed I can see her in it. I see her beautiful face written with happiness and mischief as I turn to face her, my tears falling again.

I try to say something but all that comes out of my mouth is an indistinct mumble of words that doesn't even make sense to me. I cannot believe she is there. Then I think about how over tired I am and come to the solution that I'm hallucinating from lost sleep. I frown and walk forward, closing the door so no one will actually come.

"Are you mad at me for not coming to the airport, Al?" she asks suddenly unhappily. I shake my head and sit on the bed. She walks to where I am and sits beside me and I feel the bed sink in where she places herself. I realize that it's not indeed a hallucination and turn, open mouthed to look at her.

"You're real," I murmur, unable to think of anything else to say.

She laughs and puts her hand on my back. "Of course I'm real, are you on some kind of drugs?"

I sit shocked for a moment before letting the happiness course through my veins in full and smiling brighter than I ever have. An incredible weight seems to be lifted from my chest and I stand in excitement and gather her in my arms. I feel her warm body against mine, the smooth skin on her arms touching mine as she flails them in mock fright. But I know she is as happy as I am to be this close to me again. She buries her face in my shirt and I stand and let my tears of joy drip on her hair that smells of her shampoo and perfume. I can feel her laughing against me and look down into her gorgeous eyes, also filled with tears.

"You're here, why are you here?" I ask weakly.

"I made arrangements with your family. I need you." The last three words make my heart almost burst with joy.

I stare at her for a few moments and then kiss her ferociously. Her soft sweet lips meet mine and I feel happier than I ever have. "I never realized how much I needed you until I left," I whisper when we break away softly, her tears mingling with mine on my skin. I sit down on the bed behind us and she sits again beside me. But we can't seem to keep apart because seconds later we're kissing again.

We pull apart a second time and I see her perfect face with her perfect smile and perfect tears and in a shaky voice full of untamed emotion I whisper, "Marry me, Hannah."

Her eyes fill with tears again and for a moment I fear rejection will be the response tumbling off of her perfect lips but her response is the two words which make me the happiest I'll ever be; "Of course."

I pull her in tight and hug her laughing form. I smile as the chunks torn out of my heart from what I thought were our last moments heal and I know that I will never leave her again as long as I live.