AIRPORT — THE LAST GOODBYE
JAY'S POV
Airports are supposed to sound exciting.
They're supposed to smell like adventure, like coffee and new beginnings and the promise of "I'll come back soon."
But today—
it smelled like endings.
The kind that hurt quietly.
The kind you don't really talk about because saying it out loud makes it real.
Keifer's hand brushed mine as we walked down the private terminal, the hum of engines vibrating through the floor. Outside, two jets waited—one with the Harvard seal printed near the tail, the other marked for London.
The sky was a muted blue-grey.
The kind of color that made everything feel like slow motion.
Behind us, Section E was chaos.
Half of them crying, half trying not to cry, and the other half pretending to film a music video to distract themselves.
"DO NOT FORGET US," Cin screamed dramatically, waving a tissue like a white flag.
Blaster was bawling so loudly a security guard actually stopped to check if someone had died.
David and Yuri stood near the glass, quiet. Their eyes said enough.
Eman, Felix, Calix, Drew—all of them huddled in a group hug around Aries and Angelo. Even Stella, who swore she wouldn't cry, was sniffing behind her sunglasses.
I wanted to memorize it all.
Every sound, every voice, every laugh echoing off the terminal walls.
Because I knew the next time we were all together—it wouldn't be the same.
My throat burned as I turned to Keifer.
His luggage sat beside mine, his suit jacket slung over one shoulder, hair a little messy from the wind.
"London boy," I said softly.
He smiled, that familiar crooked half-smile that always got me into trouble. "Harvard girl."
Silence stretched between us—too long, too heavy.
The others were watching, pretending not to.
Aries looked ready to march over and separate us like toddlers. Angelo crossed his arms, jaw tight but eyes softer than usual. He'd already said his piece: Take care of yourself, Jay. And don't let anyone break you there.
But he didn't have to add the part about Keifer.
That was implied.
I turned back to him, forcing a shaky breath. "So… this is it, huh?"
"Not it," he said. "Just—pause."
"Pause?" I echoed, smiling faintly.
He nodded. "We're pressing pause. Till the world makes sense again."
Something cracked inside me at that—because that's exactly what it felt like.
Like time was splitting in half.
I looked down at my hands, then back up at him.
"You're really leaving too," I whispered.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Same day. Same sky."
The engines roared faintly in the background, drowning out my thoughts.
I wanted to say don't go.
I wanted to say stay.
I wanted to say I'll miss you so much it physically hurts.
But none of those felt enough.
Instead, I said the only thing that came out:
"Promise me something?"
He stepped closer. "Anything."
"Don't forget this," I said. "Us. Here. Tonight. The chaos, the noise, the stupid crying. Don't let it fade."
He smiled, soft and a little sad.
"How could I forget the girl who turned my life into a movie?"
I laughed through my tears, hitting his arm lightly. "You're such an idiot."
He grinned. "Yeah, but I'm your idiot."
I froze.
And he knew exactly what he said.
Before I could respond, he reached up and fixed the collar of my jacket—the one he'd given me that night after the restaurant.
Still smelled like him.
Still warm.
"You'll do great there," he said.
"I'll call. I'll text. I'll probably annoy you at 3 a.m. London time just to remind you that I exist."
"You already do," I murmured.
For a second, the world was quiet again.
Just us.
Our small bubble of everything that mattered.
Then the flight attendant called out, "Final boarding for US—Gate 2."
The sound sliced through my chest.
My friends behind me grew quieter.
Even Cin stopped shouting.
Keifer looked at me, and I saw it—the tiny tremor in his jaw, the way his fingers flexed like he wanted to hold on but didn't know if he should.
I didn't think.
I just moved.
I threw my arms around him, burying my face into his chest, breathing him in like I was trying to memorize the smell of home.
His arms wrapped around me instantly, tight. Desperate.
"Jay…" he whispered into my hair, voice rough.
"Don't cry."
"I'm not crying," I lied, my voice breaking halfway.
He laughed weakly. "Liar."
"I'll miss you," I said against his chest.
He rested his chin on my head. "I'll miss you more."
We stayed like that too long.
Not caring who watched.
Not caring about time or flights or the world spinning too fast.
When we finally pulled back, his eyes were glassy.
And mine were worse.
"Go," he whispered. "Before I do something stupid like ask you to stay."
I smiled through my tears. "Then do it."
He swallowed.
Hard.
Then shook his head.
"Not when you have a dream waiting."
I wanted to hate him for saying that.
But it was so him—to put me first.
I nodded. Slowly.
My throat tight.
He reached for my hand, lifted it, pressed a small kiss to the back of it.
"Goodbye, Harvard girl."
I managed a trembling smile.
"Goodbye, London boy."
And then—
I turned.
I walked toward the gate, my legs heavy, my chest hollow.
I didn't look back.
I couldn't.
Because if I did—
I wouldn't have been able to leave.
But just as I handed my passport to the attendant, I heard it:
"Jay!"
I turned.
He was standing there, at the edge of the terminal, wind catching his hair, eyes locked on mine.
He mouthed—I'll find my way back to you.
And I smiled. Through tears. Through everything.
Because I knew he meant it.
And maybe, that was enough.
---
KEIFER'S POV
The jet engines were a low, steady hum in the background.
London felt far even before I boarded.
I watched her walk away—small, determined, her backpack slung over one shoulder, that jacket still half slipping off.
God, she didn't even know what she did to me.
She turned once. Just once.
And smiled.
That tiny, heartbreak kind of smile that stays with you forever.
I exhaled slowly, like maybe if I let enough air out, I wouldn't feel like I was breaking.
David came up beside me, suitcase rolling quietly behind him.
"She's gonna be fine," he said softly.
"I know," I said.
"I just wish I was going with her."
He gave me a small grin. "You're not that far. Different time zones, same sky."
"Yeah," I muttered. "Same sky."
The attendant called for us to board.
I took one last look at her plane.
The airplane seal glinting under the morning light.
And for a second—
I saw it all over again.
Her smile. Her voice. The way she said Promise?
The way she looked at me like I was something she wanted to keep.
I closed my eyes, inhaled, and whispered the words again, the ones I told her under the streetlight that night:
"No matter the distance, I'll find my way back to you."
Then I boarded.
As the jet lifted off, I looked out the window.
Two trails of white cut across the sky—her plane and mine.
Different directions.
Same sky.
And that, somehow, made it hurt a little less....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE END
( for now...)
Thank you to all the readers for supporting my book till date and ofc our JAYFER can't end here so yeah this is just a end to a new beginning....
I'll write as soon as I'll be done and again once again and again THANK YOU!!!!
To all the readers I have met,interacted your every little comment meant alot to me it made me smile....
So for your future journeys All the best!!!!🧿🫂❤ anddd
JAYFER FOREVER!!