Work Text:
In the cab on the way to the airport, the last few weeks flashed before her eyes. How the first week had felt like their honeymoon and how happy they had been. But also how fast that had changed. How William had changed. Not that he turned into a bad person, never that. Never again the asshole. But whenever his father was around, he just wasn’t the same anymore. It was like nothing mattered more than the recognition he got from his father. And at first she felt guilty. Envious. Selfish, even. She was used to being his number one priority and she felt horrible for not wanting him to spend so much time at the office with his dad. But the longer it lasted, the more she had become convinced that the relationship with his dad was just… toxic. His father only cared about William’s work and whenever he did something less than perfect, he didn’t even spare a second of his time for his son.
She tried to talk to him. She tried to make William see that he deserved better. That he deserved unconditional love from his dad. But he didn’t see it. He never got the love he deserved until he worked for it, so he was prepared to work for it. He didn’t realize how much it was draining him. How he came home exhausted, sometimes a bit on the edge. He didn’t take it out on her, though. But she saw the tension in his shoulders. Tension that never seemed to go away. He became very silent. They used to discuss every single thing. They wanted to know everything about each other. Now she had become scared to ask about work and he didn’t offer explanations. He just sat on the couch, while she stroked his hair until he fell asleep.
When she had told him she couldn’t do it anymore, it had broken his heart. She could literally see it shatter in his eyes. She had been quick to say it was just a break. Just some space.
“Space, Noora? Space doesn’t work for us, remember?” he had said. She did remember. But she just couldn’t do this anymore.
“I’m sorry, William. I just can’t keep seeing you do this to yourself. And I can’t do anything about it. Besides, there is nothing here for me. I came here for you, but it’s like you’re not here anymore. You’re always gone and when you come home, you’re exhausted. We don’t talk anymore. We don’t even argue anymore. We just exist in the same apartment.”
His shoulders slumped. He didn’t even have the energy to fight anymore. Before, he would’ve tried to talk her out of this. The fire is his eyes used to burn so bright. Now there was nothing left.
“What do you want me to do, Noora.” He said quietly. “You know I would do anything to keep you here. Anything.”
But she couldn’t ask from him what she wanted. She couldn’t ask him to leave his father when she saw how happy it made him. Despite the exhaustion, whenever he got some recognition from his father, he became so incredibly happy. But it only lasted for that long. He didn’t see that all the hard work and all the late nights didn’t make up for this second of happiness, this small high through all the lows. If he couldn’t see how toxic their relationship was, she couldn’t make him see. If he thought it was all worth it, who was she to tell him it wasn’t.
“I just think I need to go back to Norway for a while. Maybe finish school there.” She stroked his hair, tried to put it behind his ears, but it had stubbornly bounced back. “It’s not goodbye, William. It’s just a break.”
“Noora…” she saw the desperation in his eyes. They shifted from left to right, faster than they should’ve. “Don’t go.” His voice broke. “Don’t leave.”
They kissed then. They buried themselves in each other’s arms, trying to hold on. Trying to get to where they had been before. But when she had woken up in the morning, and he had already left to work, she knew she had to leave. She had packed her bags and quickly had written a note. She didn’t want to leave him with nothing.
William
I love you.
I will always love you.
Noora.
As the cab stopped in front of the airport, she tried to push the images of the last weeks out of her mind. There was nothing left to do now, but leave. There was nothing she could do here now, to make things right.
She was just getting a coffee before checking in when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, you.” Her heart stopped. He was there. How was here there?
“I found your note.” He said, holding it up. “I still don’t fully understand why you have to leave, Noora, but I won’t stop you… I won’t stop you, if you promise me that this isn’t the end. That you mean it when you say this is just a break. That you will keep contact. Keep calling me. Skype. Facebook. Texting. Anything. Everything. Promise me.”
She could only nod. “I promise.” She said, before she kissed him again, a tear already rolling down her cheek.
“How did you find the note? I thought you already left for work.” She said, still holding him, her face buried in his neck. “You’re a smart girl, Noora. You should’ve known I wouldn’t let you leave without a goodbye.” He tried to smile, but the corners of his mouth barely lifted. They were both choking up at this point, eyes filled with tears about to spill over. One tear fell and he quickly wiped it away. “No, I had left for work, but I forgot the hat you bought me the first day we came here. You know, the blue one-“
“with the stripes, yes, I know.” She sniffled.
“I never leave without it. And then I found your note and I rushed over.” Their eyes locked and for a second, it did feel like before. Like nothing here ever happened. Like they were just still Noora, the girl more stubborn than any girl he had ever met, and just William, the guy whose walls only she could bring down. But they both knew it was only this second, this moment.
“I love you.” He said, shrugging. Like he knew it wouldn’t help make her stay but he needed to say it anyway.
“I love you, too”, she shrugged, needing him to know it as well.
He rested his head onto hers and said: “You know we have to be together, right? Even if we’re not together, we’re together. Because we need to be.”
“I know.” She said, kissing him one last time. At least, she thought it was the last time but he wasn’t as ready to let go, just yet.
They held hands until they came to security and he wasn’t allowed to go any further. They hugged until a voice over the intercom told her she really needed to get going to board the flight.
“Don’t say goodbye.” He quickly said, before she opened her mouth. “This is not goodbye.” His eyes bored into hers, with the familiar fire burning there.
“I love you.” She said, sneaking in their true last kiss, before she hurried to the security guards, not being able to look back, as tears blocked her sight.“I love you, too, Noora Amalie Saetre.” She closed her eyes and smiled. She knew that things would be okay, again. They would be okay again, one day.