May 20, 2019

Days passed.

Eliska's life melted into an array of busyness leading up to the end of her senior year. She continued to travel with her dad and read stacks upon stacks of books. When she was home, she worked her job with a sort of enthusiasm the owner hadn't seen in many others her age. She had a sort of joy about her, one that she not only took to the workplace, but also home.

She felt little Zane was growing up in front of her very eyes. He kept surprising her with the comments he would make and the questions he would ask, more aware of the world and others around him than would be expected of a seven year old. She made a point to be present in his young life.

Despite everything that she was involved in and focusing on, she missed Jonah.

A large part of her recent life, she felt, had been developed by him, after all. He loved her when she didn't believe she had any reason to be loved and treasured her as if she was the most beautiful person he had ever met. He left an imprint on her life, and though the breakup was difficult, she didn't mind thinking about the past she had with him.

And days passed.

Jonah and the boys went on their tour. They visited new venues and arenas and returned to old ones, the tour bus taking them all over the country. He reveled in new experiences with his best friends, meeting more people and receiving more love and support than ever.

The fans had never screamed louder, never blown him away as much as they did when they sang along to all of the words to all of the songs during every show. It was a lot to take in, and he was never devoid of appreciation and gratefulness.

Eliska was rarely far from his mind. He missed her and everything about her—the snort that would break through her laughter every once in a while, her tendency to ramble about the book she was reading, her selflessness and concern for others around her. He thought fondly of all of the conversations they'd had during the months of their relationship, all of the serious talks along with those when they couldn't speak because they were laughing so hard.

He didn't know exactly where she was, or what she was doing on any given day, but he hoped she was doing well.

***

Jonah was leaning back in his chair, eyes beginning to drift shut due to a succession of late nights and lack of sleep. He and the boys were waiting to be interviewed before their show later that night. No one else was in the room, though he could hear his friend's voices in the hallways, yelling and singing loudly.

His eyes shot open when his phone started ringing. Sitting up, he stretched lightly as he pulled it off the table next to him. His eyebrows furrowed together at the contact name displayed on the screen.

Eliska.

He stared with a moment's hesitation. It had been three months since he had heard her voice, three months since he had spoken a word to her. He had no idea what she would to talk about, but he composed himself and answered the call.

"Eliska?"

"Jonah," she said, "Hi."

"Hey. Hey, it's... been a while. How have you been?" He shut his eyes, hating that he asked that, but he didn't know what else to say and his mind had reached for the first polite question he could think of.

"Good. And you?"

"I've been great."

"And I'm guessing the same goes for the boys."

"Yeah, we're on top of the world, even though tour ends soon."

Eliska hummed in response, but didn't say anything else right away.

Jonah panicked, fumbling for what he should say next, before reminding himself that it was Eliska he was talking to.

"Well," she started, "you know how I was working on graduating early a couple months back? I—uh—actually ended up doing so."

She took a breath to continue, but Jonah spoke first.

"Wow, El. That's great."

The nickname slipped out of his mouth without his intention of doing so. He bit the inside of his lip, but she didn't skip a beat. He thought that somehow, maybe, she hadn't picked up on it.

She had.

"Thank you. It was difficult, but worth it. So, I've been looking into colleges for over a year now and though I had several in mind, I decided on my top one months ago and sent in my application."

Months ago, Jonah repeated to himself, his heart sinking with guilt in his chest. That meant she probably sent it in when they were together, and he didn't even know.

"And, I've been accepted to my first choice: The University of Adelaide."

"Wow, Eliska. I mean... that's amazing. Where is it?"

That time, she did miss a beat. She didn't respond immediately.

"Australia," she finally said.

All she heard from his end of the line after that was silence.

"I'll be boarding on campus, majoring in secondary education for teaching English and minoring in journalism. At least, that's what I'm planning on right now."

She picked up a bookmark that was lying on the desk in front of her and started turning it over in her hand. She hadn't expected Jonah to say much.

"And I've—uh... I've already done research for jobs in that area, and I think I'm going to apply to work at the public library. As a storyteller for kids."

Neither acknowledged it, but they both knew she was pursuing that because of what he had always told her, that he loved listening to her talk about her books.

Jonah shook his head, having no idea what to say.

"That's... amazing, El." That time he was aware of what he called her, and he didn't care. "Why Australia?"

She smiled to herself a little.

"Why not? I've visited a lot of places in America, but next to nothing outside of it. I was ready to get out, see more."

She took a deep breath, but it didn't carry over the line. Jonah didn't hear it.

"Look, I know we haven't talked in a while, but I... well, I'll be gone for two years at the least, most likely more than that. It didn't feel right to leave the country and disappear without even letting you know."

Jonah swallowed the lump in his throat.

How was he supposed to respond? Of course, he wanted to wish her safe travels and tell her that he was proud of her and the decisions she had made for herself and her life, but he couldn't deny that there was a part of him that didn't want her to go.

It didn't feel appropriate to tell himself that he was still in love with her, but he definitely still cared for her. Her moving to Australia, being gone for more than two years....

He didn't know what he had expected, if he thought anything would ever happen between them again, but he ultimately didn't know how to respond.

"Well... thank you. Thank you for telling me. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

And then there was silence that swelled with each passing second.

"Well, that's... all I needed to say. So... goodbye, Jo." As he had, she let the nickname in.

"Bye," he said, so softly, he didn't think she'd hear it. She caught a murmur, but didn't pursue it. Pulling the phone away from her ear, she hung up.

Corbyn had walked into the room Jonah was in about a minute before. The older boy left his phone in his lap and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, head in hands. Corbyn noticed the behavior that was unlike his usual self.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"El." Jonah didn't look at him when he said her name.

"Eliska?" Corbyn didn't even get a nod out of the brunette. "What'd she say?"

Jonah took a deep breath, sat up straight again, met his friend's eyes.

"She's moving to Australia for college."

Corbyn's expression softened. He moved to sit on the couch near Jonah's chair, eyes on the ground while he was thinking.

"Well... what did you say?"

Jonah shook his head slightly, eyes feeling heavier than before.

"I thanked her for telling me. That I appreciated it. She said... she said that she didn't want to leave the country without letting me know."

Corbyn saw right through him.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" he pushed, as gently as he could manage.

Jonah was back to not looking at him, but he already knew the answer. It took him a while to choose the right words, but Corbyn waited patiently, giving him his space.

"I wanted to ask her if I could see her again," he admitted. "Before she leaves, which... I don't even know when that is."

Corbyn stared at him.

"You've got to call her, man."

Jonah looked at him.

"Seriously, call her. Tell her what you just told me."

The older boy shook his head.

"No, you know I can't do that. We've... we've got tour."

"Tour's almost over," Corbyn pointed out. "Call her, find out when she's leaving and what airport she'll be at. We'll fly you out. And if it's in the next couple of days, we'll get you there and then get you back before the show."

Jonah still looked unconvinced so Corbyn continued, his tone less persuasive and more sincere than before.

"Look, Jonah... you're still in love with this girl. I don't know if that's what you're calling it, but you still care about her. I know you. If you don't see her before she leaves, you'll regret it. I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know what she's going to say or do, but... you've got to do this, man."

Eliska was packing clothes into the suitcase lying open on her bed when her phone rang.

"Jonah," she said when she answered, confused.

"Hey, El. When are you—uh—when are you leaving? For Australia?"

"In four days."

Eliska wondering what he was getting at. He had never been one to struggle with saying what he was thinking, so his hesitation seemed odd to her.

"Can... can I see you again before you leave?" he finally got out.

Eliska's words stuck in her throat, caught off-guard.

"Maybe at the airport, to see you off?" he added.

Eliska's parents and brother were going to say their goodbyes to her home in Indiana. She would travel alone to New York, and from there go to Australia.

She thought about seeing Jonah in person again, and discovered that the idea didn't scare her. If she was being honest with herself, past the surprise that he'd even asked, she wanted to see him again too.

"Jonah," she began softly, "I don't want to make you travel more than you already do. You'd have to pay for a plane ride to get to the airport and then go straight back. That doesn't make any sense and I don't want to make you—"

"No, El, I want to," he interrupted, voice firm enough to convince her that his mind was made up. "What airport is it?"

She relayed the title of the airport in New York to him.

"That'd be perfect, actually," he said. "We're in Pennsylvania right now, but we'll be in New York in a couple days."

After three months, she was going to see him again, right before boarding a plane and moving to the other side of the world for two years.

"Jonah, are you... are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure. But only if it's completely okay with you," he said.

She took a moment to herself, but she didn't need it. She'd already decided.

"Yes, it's okay with me."

He paused.

"Alright, then. I'll text you later for details, but... I'll see you then."