The departure hall smelled of coffee and goodbyes.
Emma stood near Gate 14, her heart racing as if it could break through her chest. She clutched her boarding pass like it was her last lifeline.
Behind her, hurried footsteps approached. “Emma!”
She froze. That voice—deep, familiar, impossible to forget.
Turning slowly, she saw Liam running toward her, breathless, his eyes wet with tears he never wanted to show.
“I couldn’t let you leave like this,” he whispered, grabbing her hand. “Not without telling you… you were my home.”
Emma’s throat burned. The flight announcement echoed: Final boarding call for Paris.
“I have to go,” she whispered back, tears falling.
Liam cupped her face, memorizing every detail, as if trying to stop time.
“Then promise me one thing,” he said, voice breaking.
“What?”
“Don’t forget me… even if the world makes you.”
Emma opened her mouth to reply, but the moment was stolen by reality—the gate closing, time running out.
She kissed him, fast and desperate, a kiss that tasted like every word they never said. Then she ran, never looking back.
Liam stood there, his hands empty, his heart heavier than any suitcase. And as the plane lifted into the clouds, he wondered if goodbyes were ever truly final.
