Jessica woke the next morning, groggy from the terrible sleep that she had gotten the night before. It was 7am and in just 3 short hours she would be heading back to Canada. She couldn’t believe that the day was finally here.
Mikael helped her get ready, not saying much. He was clearly just as upset as she was, but wasn’t saying anything. He was putting on a brave face for Jessica, but his heart was aching inside of his chest. He wasn’t ready to let her go just yet. The last couple of hours that they spent together seemed to just fly by, and before she knew it, Jessica had to head to the airport.
Mikael loaded her bags into his car, and they set off for the airport. Neither of them could think of the right thing to say. She was leaving and there was nothing that could change that. Mikael parked the car and helped Jessica get her bag out of the trunk. He put his arm around her waist and walked her into the airport.
They figured out which terminal she would be leaving out of, and got her bags checked in. They found somewhere to sit and waited for her boarding call to be announced. Jessica rested her head on Mikael’s shoulder, praying that her flight would be delayed so she could have just a few more moments of time with him before she had to say goodbye.
“Flight 617 to Montreal is now boarding. Please have your tickets and passports ready so our attendants can more efficiently serve you.” said the voice over the PA. Jessica sat up and looked at Mikael, tears already beginning to fill her eyes. Mikael tried to reassure her with a smile, but he was just as upset as she was. He walked her to the gate and squeezed her tightly. He kissed her one last time, deeply, as the tears rolled down both of their cheeks.
“I will never forget you, min kära. You will always have a home here in Sweden.” Mikael wiped the tears off his cheeks and smiled.
“Thank you. Thank you for everything. I will never forget you Mikael. This has been the most amazing 4 weeks of my life and it is all thanks to you.” She smiled, truly meaning what she had said. She grabbed his hand and bit her lip, not wanting to let go, but knowing that she had to. Mikael let go.
“Hurry up! You don’t want them to leave without you!” He playfully spanked her, making her giggle. She nodded and handed her ticket and passport to the attendant.
“Thank you. Have a great flight!” The attendant smiled at her and handed her back her passport and ticket.
Jessica smiled back and took one last look over her shoulder at Mikael. He smiled and waved, doing his best to keep a smile on his face. She turned back and walked down the hallway to her plane. Mikael watched her until she disappeared, tears rolling down his cheeks. But these were not tears of sadness. They were tears of happiness, knowing that he would be reunited with his love if it was meant to be.