when: april 30th

where: kobe airport

Preparing to head home, Marcello could not help but reflect on his time throughout the school year. He sat on a concrete bench, ripping gently off a slightly crumpled cigarette. As the time passed, he watched as planes landed and left. He focused on the workers running from each plane, ensuring everything was ready for takeoff. He looked up, realizing the drift of his smoke had begun wafting over someone. He quickly switched hands, offering a rushed apology as he looked up to see who was near. His eyes landed on Gemma’s face, and he offered a surprised smile. “Hey there, miss pageant queen,” he mused, his voice gentle and low. Marcello gestured to the seat next to him, inviting Gemma to sit with him. “Our journey is coming to an end,” he stated ominously, focusing his attention back on the distant airplanes. “New York awaits us,” he mused, flashing a charismatic smile.

Gemma didn’t know why she felt unsettled. It had been years since her and Rhett had really talked, and it wasn’t even like their relationship was anything to write home about. They had spent more time fighting than not, and it was just a typical high school relationship that had gotten left there. Or so she had thought. But when he had called the other day, it had seriously thrown her off her game. It was enough that when the opportunity came to get out of SF for the weekend and head home to LA, she took it, thinking of seeing him in person the whole time. If just to get this weird, unfinished feeling off of her chest. 

The whole time she was heading towards his work, Gemma was flip flopping between what she wanted to happen - did she want Rhett to be there, or not?Would it be better off it he was scheduled to work, or better off if he had already quit, on to bigger and better things. She had no idea, and so she drove over there completely freaking out, not knowing how she wanted this to go. When she got there, she got out of her car, slowly walking towards the front doors with her sunglasses on, as if that could shield who she was in case she changed her mind. But as she entered, her eyes automatically scanning for Rhett, it didn’t take long for him to spot her. She pushed her sunglasses up on to the top of her head, her eyes locked on his until he got close enough - “You’re here,” she said, stating the obvious in lieu of any normal greeting.