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The day had come for Ochako to leave. She’d trained for years, studied hard, and now she was finally fulfilling her dream of going to space. It was supposed to be a happy occasion.
"It's only a few months," Momo murmured as she rubbed her girlfriend’s back, but Ochako only buried her tear-streaked face deeper into Momo’s chest.
"A few months is a long time," Ochako mumbled sadly. “We’ve never been apart that long.” She looked up with red watery eyes, resting her chin on Momo’s boobs. In different circumstances, Momo would’ve thought it was cute. Now, it was just part of the long list of things that they’d miss from each other’s company.
Momo wrapped her arms around Ochako and hugged her tightly. "We've been together for over a year. A few months won't break us."
Ochako broke down again. "It's not like I'm going to a different country! I'm leaving the planet."
Momo couldn’t deny that, especially with the rocket her girlfriend was leaving visible through the windows next to them. She squeezed Ochako tighter and kissed her forehead.
"This is such a big opportunity for you,” Momo said, rubbing circles with her thumbs in Ochako’s back. "I don't want you to go into this so sad. We're gonna be fine.”
Ochako cried harder. “I’m going to miss you so much my heart might break.”
Momo couldn’t have that. She gently broke their embrace to fish out a token of her love from deep within her bag. Her fingers wrapped around the velvety ring box, and she presented it to Ochako.
"Momo, what are you doing?" Ochako asked in a panic.
"Don't worry, it's not that...yet," Momo said with a smile. Ochako gulped. "I figured you would need something solid you could hold when you're lonely. Photos only help so much."
Momo opened the box to show a silver band on a simple metal chain. She gingerly removed it and laid it into Ochako’s palm.
"So you can wear underneath your space suit," Momo explained. Ochako’s lip quivered as she wrapped her fingers around the ring.
Momo sighed at the familiar look on her girlfriend's face. It appeared every time Ochako thought she didn't deserve something.
"I didn't buy it," Momo said, expecting this reaction. Money was always a hot topic in their relationship. Coming from two different backgrounds often had them disagreeing about what was ‘essential’ or how much they could spend on each other. Momo usually respected that expensive gifts made Ochako uncomfortable. Luckily, this technically didn’t qualify as extravagant. "I made it. I thrifted the silver from the shop we went to on our first date and took a class. I double checked that astronauts can take rings into space."
Ochako’s tears rolled down her face at an alarming speed. “I'll never take it off."
Momo tenderly took the jewelry from her. She walked behind her girlfriend and moved her soft, auburn hair away from her neck.
Barely keeping her own emotions in check, she placed the necklace around her neck and clasped it. As she dropped the chain on Ochako's skin, Momo felt a sense of loss. This would be the last time she touched Ochako for months.
Momo always was the logical one. The one that had answers and a plan. It came naturally to her. It was her comfort zone.
But now...there was an unknown to how Momo would feel without Ochako by her side every morning. She'd been so concerned about Ochako, she'd forgotten about herself.
Momo leaned down and kissed the nape of Ochako’s neck. “Sealed with a kiss,” she murmured.
Ochako turned and pulled Momo's forearm to her chest.
"Thank you," she said, placing a soft kiss on Momo's fingers. "But I feel bad. I don't have anything for you."
"That's okay," Momo said, focusing on how Ochako felt. She was soft and warm to the touch. She was kindness and love personified. She was everything. There was nothing Momo could want from Ochako that she didn’t already get tenfold from her love.
"I'll make it up to you when I get back,” Ochako promised.
Momo shook her head. "You don't have to. I got it for you for a selfish reason anyway."
She could feel the truth and her fears catch in her throat. “It’s harder to forget about me if you have something tangible to fall back to.”
Ochako’s grip on Momo’s hands tensed. "I could never forget you. With or without the ring. Have you been worried this whole time?"
Momo nodded. “I didn’t tell you because I knew what you’d say. You’d say it wasn’t warranted and that I shouldn’t worry. This is your dream. I’m not going to make it worse for you to leave. Even if I think a few months isn’t a long time, I wanted something to keep me on your mind.”
Ochako let go of Momo’s hand. “You’re right. It is my dream.” She wrapped a finger through the chain around her neck and lifted it from her skin. The cool silver glimmered and glinted in the sunlight as a physical representation of the both of them. “This…you…are my other dream.”
A single tear slid down Momo’s face. She couldn’t stamp down her emotions anymore. "I'm going to miss you more than I could ever say."
It was her turn to be the sobbing mess. Momo hated that she hadn't kept it together until Ochako left. She had promised herself she wouldn’t cry in front of her.
"It's only a few months," Ochako reiterated softly, using Momo's words against her. "And I am going to miss you so much. Every minute of every day. Thank you so much for giving me something to lessen the pain of that experience."
They both took shaky breaths and held each other. Neither one of them wanted to let go, but they didn’t have a choice.
"I have to go," Ochako murmured.
"I know."
Momo reluctantly stepped away and wiped her face. She tried to smile, but it felt forced. Ochako deserved a real smile, and Momo couldn’t give it to her.
“Come here,” Ochako said. Before Momo could react, Ochako stood on her toes and kissed her, putting every unsaid feeling, every want and desire, and every ounce of love she could muster to last the coming months into her lips. “I love you.”
"I love you too," Momo said, her voice weak yet firm. Ochako wiped Momo's face and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"You can’t forget me either, okay?" Ochako said with a smile. "Or I'm gonna be one unhappy space lady when I get back."
Momo laughed, and Ochako’s smile widened. She glanced out the window, then at the clock in the hallway. Her smile faltered, and Momo stroked her cheek with the back of her finger.
“I can’t wait to hear everything about your trip,” Momo said. “You better have so much fun.”
“I’m gonna write a journal so I remember everything. I’ll talk your ear off when I get back.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Neither one of them wanted to leave their bubble of love, but Ochako’s time was limited.
"Goodbye," Ochako whispered. “Feel free to hold any of my things at your place if you’re feeling lonely.”
“Oh, I will," Momo said, already planning on putting one of her girlfriend’s t-shirts on a pillow. She’d simply inhale and feel like Ochako was right beside her. It was the best she’d get until Ochako came home. “Goodbye.”
Ochako took a deep breath before giving Momo one last kiss. It was over too quickly. She left in a blur towards the exit. As she opened the door, Ochako turned to wave at Momo. She kissed the ring around her neck, then blew a kiss towards Momo.
“Bye, my love! A few months will be over before you know it!”
Momo caught Ochako’s kiss and pressed it to her heart. “It’s practically already over.”
Ochako grinned at her girlfriend. Her eyes crinkled and her chest swelled before she stepped through the doorway.
As Ochako headed to her flight, Momo devised a plan to deal with all the sadness and yearning she was going to feel the moment those thrusters lit up. When Ochako got back, Momo was going to give her another ring and put it where it truly belonged.