The Last Night

“Goodbye?” Luke asked, confused.

“I don’t want this life anymore Luke. I want to go home, sit on my gramma’s porch, smell her azaleas, listen to my mother yell at my uncle to stay out of her kitchen. I want to be Rosie again, not Amber Whittier, movie star. I just want to go home.” Amber buried her hands in her hair and walked towards the windows. Luke didn’t move.

“This town, this life. It consumes your soul and spits out the ashes after it burns everything away. I’m tired.” She said, defeat filling her voice. Luke moved to the center of the room where she’d dropped her leather duffel. He stared down at it.

“So, this is it.” He said softly, his eyes fixed on the bag.

“Yes.” He resisted the urge to kick the bag, send it sailing across the room and through the glass of the window into the pouring rain.

“But it doesn’t have to be.” Amber turned back towards him. “Leave with me!” Her eyes blazed with the idea.

“What?”  

“Come with me. Don’t think about it, just say yes. Pack a bag and get on the plane with me. We can start over, together. We can be normal! I’ll get a job at Redd’s Diner and you can write!” She stepped over the bag and grabbed the front of his t-shirt in her fists, her tone pleading.

Luke just stood there, stunned, the gravity of what she was asking him to do easily felt. And yet, in the back of his mind, the idea took hold, and a warm bloom of hope began to spread in his chest.

“Just like that?” he asked.

“Just like that.”

“What about my job?” Even as the words left his mouth, he couldn’t believe he was saying them. Amber scoffed, letting go of his shirt and backing away.

“You hate that job Luke. Every day you tell me what a bunch of idiots the other writers are and how much you hate that stupid show! Now it’s suddenly enough for you to stay here?” disbelief filled her face.

“I know, it’s just, if I stick with it, I’ll make more connections, meet more people, and eventually land on a decent show.” The argument sounded weak, even to him.

“Wow. You’d rather keep grinding away on a show that won’t even be around next season, when you could come with me, and write the things you want to write and build your career your way.”

“I could come with you for a little while.” He offered.  

“I thought you loved me Luke.” Amber said quietly. A loud boom of thunder sounded, rattling the windows in their casements.  

“I do!” Luke protested. Amber stared at him for what felt like an eternity.

“Just not enough to leave it all behind and come with me.” She said finally, turning back towards the windows.

The silence stretched between them for another minute as Luke tried to put into words his feelings. Fear, insecurity, shock. How could he tell her he didn’t feel worthy of her?

“I’ll drive you the airport.” He said instead, bending down and picking up her bag. She faced him one last time and smiled, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“I can call car to take me.” She said, wiping her face.

“Please.” Luke said.  Finally, she nodded.

They were silent as they walked down the stairs to the small lobby, Amber stopping just inside the door to wait. Luke continued outside, stopping under the building awning to open a big black umbrella before walking to his car further up the street, still carrying Amber’s bag. Inside the car, he cranked the defrost to high to defog the windows and pulled away from the curb, driving the short distance to the front of the building and throwing his hazards on. Amber was already out of the building and rushed from beneath the awning to the car quickly, jumping into the passenger seat. She looked around for paparazzi quickly, sliding down in the seat out of habit. Luke pulled away from the curb drove carefully through the storm to the airport, flipping on the radio to break the tense silence.

Less than forty minutes later, he pulled to the curb in the Departures drop-off lane, he putting the car in park. The storm was finally letting up. They both climbed out of the car, Luke grabbing the duffel bag off the back seat where he’d thrown it.

“I guess this is it.” He said, coming around the car and handing the bag to Amber, their fingers brushing against each other.  

“I guess so.” She said, smiling sadly. Suddenly, she closed the distance between them and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face against his shoulder.

“Thank you, Luke. For everything. For always being there, for always letting me be myself. You’ll never know how grateful I am to you for that.” She said, her voice muffled, but her words clear.

Luke bit back the tears that threatened to spill from his own eyes. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, breathing in her scent deeply one last time, trying to imprint it permanently on his memory. 

Lighting split the sky apart, followed by another loud boom of thunder that caused them to jump apart. Amber lingered, almost as if she was going to say something more, or maybe she was waiting for him to say something.

But he couldn’t. Even as he stared at her face and tried to memorize every angle, every line, the curve of her mouth, and her eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her he loved her. Couldn’t bring himself to beg her to stay, even though his mind was screaming it inside his head. And even though every fiber of his being wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her yes, he would go with her.

The moment passed and Amber’s head dipped slightly.

“If you ever find yourself in Darien, Georgia, stop at Redd’s Diner and ask for piece of Frankie’s peach pie. Tell them Rosie sent you.” She smiled at him one last time before turning and disappearing through the pneumatic doors into the terminal.

Luke wasn’t sure how long he stood there, staring at the spot where she’d stood. The blaring of a horn broke his reverie and sent him back to his car. 

With a last glance in the rear-view as he pulled away from the curb, he said a silent good-bye to the woman he loved.