In the morning when they awoke, they made love again like it was the first time, like it was the last time, like they had nowhere to go and nothing else mattered. From then on they spent each possible moment in each other’s company trying to pretend they could hold on like this forever.

Holly was staying at Gail’s new two bedroom apartment, the one she helped Gail find, the one where she would never live. She had helped Gail move in last week as the movers came to pack and take all of her belongings from her old townhouse to her new life in San Francisco. Her flight was leaving at five a.m., and she was still awake watching Gail sleep. She had thought about taking a taxi to the airport and leaving a letter on Gail’s bathroom mirror, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She watched Gail begin to stir and stretch, adorably scrunching up her face and yawning like a child or a cat. She smiled wistfully at the beautiful woman she was leaving behind.

“Hey.” Gail’s blue eyes opened, clouded with sleep and smoky with longing.

“Hey.” Holly leaned over to kiss Gail on the lips. “You don’t have to do this, I could take a taxi you know. You could sleep in a while longer before you have to go to work.” She said trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Gail scooted herself into a sitting position against her headboard. She leaned forward cupping Holly’s face in her hands, looking deep into her bottomless brown eyes. Holly leaned in expecting to be kissed, but Gail simply took a deep breath as their faces hovered just inches apart.

“I love you Holly.” Gail whispered, her eyes glittering with emotion.

These were the words they had never said, the words Holly had always longed to hear Gail say, but now they cut into her heart like the jagged edge of broken glass. She closed her eyes as silent tears began to fall.

“I love you too.” She choked out, before she turned and fled.

Gail was sitting at the kitchen counter stoically drinking her coffee when Holly came out of the bathroom all freshly showered and dressed. She smiled and handed Holly a cup before getting up to put Holly’s bags in the car.

The ride to the airport was quiet, holding hands most of the way there, both of them afraid to speak. It was three forty six a.m. when Gail met Holly in front of airport security after parking the car. They stood there holding each other for a long time, neither one wanting to say goodbye. Finally Gail took a deep breath and stepped slightly back, her hands still loosely holding on to Holly’s waist.

“Well kid, we’ll always have Paris.” She tried to grin and sound nonchalant, but her eyes began to tear up and her words ended up coming out as a strangled squeak.

Holly tilted her head with a small, crooked smile, cupped Gail’s chin in her fingertips and kissed her slowly.

“Here’s looking at you, kid.” Holly whispered into Gail’s lips, before turning to walk away through the gate without looking back.