Not the One

It was the next day. I was lying down on the couch, trying to take a nap, but the bright sun prevented me from doing so. Instead, I was just daydreaming. Most of those dreams involved Jane. I really wanted to tell her soon or else it might be too late.
The phone rang. I heard my dad pick up. I couldn’t hear the conversation. Usually, I liked listening in on other people’s conversations, but today, I didn’t feel like it.
I was about to start a new daydream fantasy, when my dad came into the living room.
“Hey, I just got a call from John. He told me that a friend of his in Paris invited Jane to an internship for fashion design. The plan is to stay there for a year, but if all goes well, she might be staying there longer. She’s leaving tonight. And, I guess you should go say goodbye to her?” My dad told me.
What?! How could this be? Jane was going to leave? I have to talk to her now.
“Dad, I’m going to Jane’s!” I called, already halfway out the front door.
I ran the whole mile to her house. Her mom was at the door. Oh great, I had to deal with her.
“What are you doing here?” She questioned.
“I wanna talk to Jane, ma’am.”
“Sorry, she’s busy.” Barbara was ready to go back inside.
“Wait. Is it true she’s leaving to go to Paris tonight?” Tears were stinging the corners of my eyes. This could not be true.
“Fortunately, yes.”
“Can’t I please talk to her now?” I pleaded.
“No, she’s busy packing. Now, please leave.”
“I won’t go. I’m staying here until she comes out,” I said, crossing my arms across my chest to show her that I was dead serious.
“Whatever suits you.” She went inside.
I couldn’t believe her. This was my last chance to see Jane, and she won’t let me. How evil could she get?
Just then, she came back out. “Just so you know, you’re not coming to the airport with us.”
“Um, what?”
“Our truck can only fit the three of us and the luggage. Your dad’s taking his truck to the market tonight. So, that’s that.” She smirked and went inside the house.
I kicked the dirt. This was the worst day ever. I had to talk to Jane. I knew she was inside her house somewhere. Hopefully she was in her bedroom.
I went around the side, and saw her through the window on the second story. I grabbed a nearby twig and threw it up. It hit the glass. She immediately opened the window and looked down.
“Leo! What are you doing here?”
“Is it true? You’re leaving?” I could feel tears coming.
Jane sighed. “Yes, I am.”
“Can you at least come down so we can talk? You know, spend the last few hours together.”
“Sure. Wait, though. I need to convince my mom. God, she’s awful.” Jane closed the window and went away.
In a few minutes, Jane came back outside. She looked gorgeous in her sweatpants and messy bun.
“Sorry, Leo. My mom told me I could only be out for an hour. I still need to do a lot of packing.”
“Oh, okay.” I desperately wanted to hold her hand.
“Where do you want to go?” She asked. She sounded exhausted.
“It doesn’t matter. Wherever you want to. It’s your last day here anyway.”
“How about the cornfield at your house? It’s my favorite place ever,” she said.
“Yeah, perfect!” I exclaimed.
After what felt like a really long walk, we were at our favorite spot. We sat down like we usually did. This was it. This was my only chance to tell the girl of my dreams how I felt about her.
I turned my whole body to face her. “Jane, I like you. A lot. I’ve always liked you. Ever since that kiss in 5th grade. I discovered I actually love you. Every day, I can’t stop thinking about you. I try my best to play it cool and act like we’re just friends, but it’s hard. I can’t believe I’ve been keeping this in for almost 10 years. I don’t know how you feel about me. Whether we can be more than friends or not. But really, it doesn’t even matter now because you’re leaving.” I took a deep breath. I could not believe I just said all that at once.
“Wow, Leo. I’m shocked, but I’m also not. To be truly honest, I liked you more than a friend. Up until you told me about your future goals. That… that gave me a reason to move on.” She looked away. I could tell she was crying.
“Are you serious?” I was completely mad right now. I felt like I wasted 10 years of my life. But I really shouldn’t be because things could have gotten worse during that time.
“I’m so sorry. I feel like a jerk. I wish I could have told you sooner. I just… don’t know anymore. Leo, I want to see the world. I want to get out of this place. I’m not sure I would have been happy tied down to someone who didn’t have big plans. I’m sorry. I should go,” Jane was crying. Tears were streaming down her face and snot was coming out of her nose. She got up and started to walk away.
I was not about to leave her like this. I jogged over to her side, grabbed her wrist to stop her.
“Don’t go, Jane.”
She wouldn’t look me in the face. “It’s… okay. You leaving. I’ll deal with it. I want you to live your dream. Even if that means not living mine. I dreamt of us growing old together, seeing our children grow up here. That has always been my dream. Now, it’s ruined. And, I guess that’s okay.” Now I was crying.
“Leo,” Jane put her hand on my right shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I really have to go home. My mom said an hour, and I think that time’s up.”
I didn’t want to leave her like this, but I had no energy to follow her either. I felt like my world turned upside down. This might be the last chance I would ever see her again.