Distance Between Us

Isaac’s husky voice carried to my ears and I stiffened at the words. “Alli, I’m leaving.”

Glancing up at Isaac I questioned, “Leaving to go where?”

Isaac looked down. “To England…”

“E-England? That’s across a whole ocean Isaac!”

He nodded. “I know, I know.”

Isaac’s arm went over my shoulder pulling me close and burying his face in my hair. His scent calmed me, but only a little. “Are you ever coming back?”

“I’m going to try. Believe me All, when I come back you’ll be the first person I’ll look for.”

“When do you leave?”

Isaac sighed, “Well you see I leave tomorrow morning.”

Tears brimmed my eyes and I wipe them away, frustrated. “Why did you wait so long before telling me?”

Isaac’s tan, calloused hand wiped a stray tear off my face that had escaped. “I wanted to spend time with you without either of us stressing about me leaving.”

“I wish…,” my voice caught and I continued, “I wish we had more time.”

Isaac spun me around kissed me slowly and intensely. “We still have all of tonight…”

...That night was the last night I saw Isaac. When I woke up late that afternoon I wasn’t expecting Isaac to be there. Instead, there was a note that read,

“Alli,

Please don’t be mad at me for not waking you up. I couldn’t bear it to awaken you only to leave you. Look, enclosed in this envelope in a necklace, it was something I had planned on giving you last night but things progressed elsewhere. Anyways, I want you to keep that as a reminder of me. For the next couple of months I’ll be unreachable but I should be back to see the Spring Musical. I know in this time you could find someone else, but I’ll be selfish and say I hope you don’t. I’ll see you in a couple of months Alli, promise.

Love, Isaac.”

I dug down in the envelope and gasped as I withdrew a beautiful gold locket in the shape of a heart. There was a key hanging beside it and engraved on the locket were the words, “You hold the key to my heart.” I smiled as I put it on. I could wait…it was only a couple of months.

-5 months later-

The days went into weeks and the weeks went into months. Over that course of time I had no contact with Isaac at all. Sure it was hard, but I was counting down the days until this day, the final night of my school’s spring musical.

This year we had decided to do Sweeney Todd. It took a while to convince our drama teacher, Mr. Wyatt, but we finally won out in the end once he saw how many new people we would get involved in Drama. I had gotten one of the female leads, Mrs. Lovett. Delighted as I was, I found this role to be highly amusing. In the end, Mr. Todd and I both died while Tobi, Anthony, and Johanna survived. Personally, I thought my death scene was the best in the entire play; death by furnace was always fun.

Both nights I performed well, not knowing if Isaac was in the crowd of not. While Mr. Wyatt was presenting the seniors with their achievements I noticed a figure in the back of the auditorium. Brown hair down to his shoulders, multiple lip piercings (devil bites, so I learned), and dressed in baggy blue jeans and a fitted t-shirt. I knew him instantly.

The director dismissed us and I jumped off stand and ran towards my one love. Nearly tackling Isaac he caught me and swung me around laughing. Setting me down he asked, “Miss me much?”

“Ah, you know, so-so.”

Isaac walked out of the auditorium, shrugging. “Well in that case…”

I grabbed Isaac’s hand then. “Silly, of course I missed you Isaac.”

Isaac turned around and gestured at the locket, “So I see you still wear it.”

“Always, but it won’t open, why is that?”

His eyes were amused as he replied, “Because you need the key…”

I got what he meant as I took the key from the necklace fitting it in the heart’s key hole and it popped open, revealing a note. Unfolding the note I read, “By the way I love you.”

Laughing I wrapped my arms around Isaac’s neck and pressed my lips to his. Pulling away after a few seconds I said, “By the way, I love you too.”