Max and Cherry, before dinner
“You know there won’t be anyone worthy to fill your shoes at work when you leave,” Max said with a soft chuckle, a bittersweet ache forming in his throat. He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear; an instinctive, loving gesture.
"Probably not." It was an attempt on her part to keep the conversation light, though her eyes were serious as they searched his face for answers. If she was accepted to one of the schools up north, and she hoped she would be, they'd have to separate for a school year. Just a few months, really, not an entire real year, but still. She barely could make it through a real relationship while they were living in the same place; what would happen now?
"I'll miss you," Cherry said after a moment. "So much." There was nothing else to say but that.
Cherry’s words caused tears to spring to his eyes but Max sniffed them back. His smile was heartfelt, if a bit a bit watery, when he was confident he could reply without crying.
“And I’ll miss you,” he repeated back to her, trying to impart the feeling behind the words. “So, so much.” Max pulled Cherry to his chest and held her. He kissed the top of her head, savoring the feel of her body against his. Max didn’t know what it meant for them when Cherry went off for school but what he did know was that he’d work hard to make her feel special and valued and cared for, no matter how long it took to see her or how many miles they had between them. A quiet moment passed, just the two of them holding one another, the chatter of the restaurant all white noise until Max found his voice again.
“I think this news deserve a celebratory drink,” Max said, clearing his throat to clear out the lump that had formed there. “Or, at the very least, a slice of pizza and a romp in the ball pit. What do you say?”
She tilted her head back, looking up at his face, and smiled. They'd tackle the rest of what was to come -- application, acceptance, the inevitable distance, and her eventual return -- as it came, she hoped, but now that her plans were out in the open, it was finally easier to feel more excitement than dread.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Cherry agreed, leaning in for one more kiss before pulling away so they could rejoin the rest of the group.