Alex and Cassidy

"That's the thing about this city... Alex... you love it but you hate it at the same time," Cassidy said. He and Alex were holding each other and crying. You might not understand right now, so let me rewind.

Alex and Cassidy had been going strong for a year and 4 months, and they were already moving in together. But one day, Cassidy received a call. He got an internship at a law firm, the law firm he has wanted to work at forever. Alex was staying in New York, working at the famous sushi restaurant called Le Sushi Palais. Cassidy decided he wanted to stay in New York City, for Alex. They were heading to the diner for breakfast right now.

"How'd you sleep?" Alex asked Cassidy, energy coursing through his veins.

"Fine," the boy replied. You could cut the tension between them with a knife. Actually, with anything really. They continued walking down the cobblestoned sidewalk. The diner was only a few blocks away from the couple, but walking to it felt like eternity.

"Are you hungry?" Alex pressed on.

"No," Cassidy responded. "But I do want to eat."

"That's the definition of hunger," Alex smiled.

"I guess," Cassidy pushed the diner door open and smelled the waffles and coffee. He couldn't help but grin, and the thing he was holding on to was suddenly let go. In the past.

"Booth?" Cassidy nodded and walked over to the first booth on the left, sitting down on one side.

"What do you want to eat?" Cassidy questioned, his voice sweet as honey and enthusiastic.

"Literally anything," Alex grabbed his menu and saw down across from his blond boyfriend.

"Okay, but let's be quick. I want to do something today, something fun," Alex agreed with Cassidy and began ordering food.

. . . . .

They finished breakfast and headed out to see whatever it was that they wanted to see.

The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park, and every other place they could. They both knew why they were doing this, but if they said something, it would ruin it.

They laughed, smiled, and did practically everything possible that in between. They took as many photos as they could.

"We had fun today, right?" Alex pried. "More fun than you could have in LA, right?" Cassidy looked away from Alex.

"We have to talk about it, Alex. I want to go," Cassidy stated.

"But-"

"No. This is happening," Cassidy told him. "It's my dream, Alex." The two of them had tears welling in their eyes.

"I-i support you," Alex cried. The two grabbed each other's hands and Alex rested his head on Cassidy's shoulder.

"I know that," Cassidy kept crying moved away from Alex and then moving closer, pulling his face closer and kissing him. He did want to keep kissing him, but he felt even more tears coming on. "I'm sorry,"

"No, don't you dare blame yourself, do you hear me? You deserve this. It is your dream, so don't even think about me in this scenario! You're going... end of story," Alex kept crying, but he was trying to be strong for Cassidy.

"It's not the end of the story, Alex," Cassidy fought. "Not ours, at least." Alex shook his head no.

"It is," Cassidy's heart shattered. "For now." The two sat down on the concrete ground, watching the cars and people go by, as if they had all the time in the world, when really, Cassidy's plane left next morning.

"Just... don't move on right after me," Cassidy joked.

"You know I won't," Alex laughed. The tears on their cheeks were drying, and the sun was getting lost in behind the neverendingly tall buildings.

"I wish I could go with you," Alex said, squeezing Cassidy's hands, which held Alex's heart.

"You know you can't," Cassidy was looking up at the orange sky, and his gaze didn't shift, not for a minute.

"We have to go," Alex wiped the tears off his permanently sad face and stood up.

"If we go, it's real. If we stay-"

"No no no, you have a plane to catch," Alex reasoned.

"You don't understand!" Cassidy said.

"I do,"

"This is where we were meant to be. Both of us. Together. And I hate you for breaking up what New York had planned for us. That's the thing about this city... Alex... you love it but you hate it at the same time," Cassidy didn't understand what he was saying, but he wanted to freeze this beautiful moment in time. Alex, with his curly brown hair and ironned white button up, trying to smile through this. And him. Laughing at the moment he never thought would happen.

"Let's go home," Alex repeated. This time Cassidy nodded along and let his crying boyfriend lead him home, like it was the most natural thing for him.

Their home was covered in fairy lights. Cassidy gasped and Alex began laughing.

"I knew you were gonna go, so I had Rachel do this," Alex admitted. Cassidy fell in love with the lights, just like he did with Alex all over again.

"Can I have this dance?" he asked.

"There isn't any music,"

"I don't care," Cassidy grabbed Alex's hand and began moving. Left, right. Left, right. They slow-danced the night away.

. . . . .

In the morning, Alex packed Cassidy's small bag for him. At least a start for LA. Alex drove his boyfriend to the airport and bought him a bagel because he did not know what to do. He just knew he would miss Cassidy terribly, and if it was quiet, even for a millisecond, he'd go back to missing him before he was even gone.

Meanwhile, Cassidy was chewing on his fingernails in fear and anxiety. LA is big and new and scary and I am going to die, he thought to himself in silence. The woman checked his ticket, and showed Cassidy to the escalator. Without even saying goodbye, he got on the first step, back facing Alex, and left.