Chapter 24

Back at Grand Central station Dusty looked tearfully at her departing friend, who was once more Boston bound. "The week sure flew by," Kyera noted sadly, looking down at her bag.

"I had a lot of fun." Dusty smiled, brushing away a stray tear with the back of her hand.

"Thank you for letting me come and stay with you. You didn't have to."

"Kyera, it was my pleasure." All around them people hurried past, desperate to catch their train, but Kyera was not nearly so eager to depart. A strange part of her sensed that this may be one of the last times she would see Dusty.

"Maybe when I'm done with my teacher training, we could meet up again?" she suggested, though they both knew that wouldn't happen. Whatever happened in the next stage of their lives they would only be pulled further apart. College had been their moment. There they had existed in a bubble of intense romance, virtually becoming a single entity. But in the real world, that level of intensity was impossible to sustain.

"Yes, that would be nice." Dusty smiled. But she knew Kyera would meet someone else, possibly on her teaching course and, in time, forget all about her. For her, Black Dusty-Rose  would become nothing more than a fond, distant memory of a time long ago.

"I'm going to sort my life out," Kyera clarified to her, Kyera face serious.

"You already have," Dusty said, reaching out and touching her arm. "Over the summer, you fell to your darkest point, trying to kill yourself. And here we are, on the cusp of winter and already you're talking of plans for the future and learning not to bottle up all your feelings about Kyeri inside. Kyera, you've already come so far and done so well, I'm proud of you."

Dusty reached out and embraced her, once more inhaling her familiar scent, wanting to imprint the sensation on her mind so that she could recall it in her absence.

"Whatever I did, you can take credit for, because you inspired me to stop moping around and playing the victim. You reminded me that there's a big world out there and that I need to get out and make something of myself in it," Kyera said as they hugged. Becoming more tearful, Dusty pulled away from her.

"You were so rude to me when we first met," she said, laughing at the memory.

"Me? Rude? No," Kyera said. "You were. We were outside that office, waiting to be told off, and you were rude to me." "Yet I still managed to lure you into my irresistible web of charm." Kyera winked.

"You're terrible, you know that?" Dusty laughed. The time of Kyera's train drew closer, and she glanced up anxiously at the main clock and sighed.

"I really need to be making tracks," she told her.

"I know." Dusty bit her lip and looked down at the floor. She didn't want her to leave, but she knew that she had to. Kyera had to go out and follow her own dream as she had chased after hers. "Any idea where you'll teach when you're qualified?" she asked hopefully, thinking she might respond with New York.

"No idea." Kyera shrugged. "But it's a big wide world out there, and I hear that Europe can be pretty nice. I could see me in London." She flashed Dusty her smile once more, and Dusty had to admit that she could indeed see her in London. Kyera'd blend in with the assortment of eccentric, bohemian personalities there.

"I'll miss you." Dusty threw her arms around her once more and felt Kyera lean and smell her hair. She smelt of strawberries.

"I'll miss you too," Kyera confirmed, her own eyes misting over. "But I don't want this to be some big dramatic goodbye."

Dusty pulled away from her and rubbed at Kyera eyes. It pleased Dusty to see that they were shining more than they had been when she arrived. Some of her old vitality had since returned, and she looked renewed. "I want you to promise me that you'll keep making the most of the city, not sit in your tiny apartment all the time?" Kyera said in a mock stern voice.

"I promise." Dusty smiled, nodding.

"Because if I read about some great show or exhibit that's happening here, I'll be emailing you the details and expecting a full report on it!"

"Wow, you already sound like a teacher," Dusty said playfully.

"Well, one has to be the part." Kyera smiled. She glanced again at the clock and threw her bag over her shoulder. "Dusty, it's been swell, but I really do have to go now," she explained, her voice pinched with regret.

"Have a safe journey home," Dusty told her, her voice small.

"Here's looking at you, kid," Kyera quoted one of her favorite films before kissing Dusty on the cheek and joining the throng of people eagerly walking towards their departure gate. Dusty kept her eyes on Kyera until she disappeared from sight, tears now streaming freely down her face, but she didn't care. Dusty thought she might turn back for one last wave, but she didn't, and after a few moments she was gone, and Dusty was once more alone in the city that never sleeps. Saddened, she started to trudge back to the exit, back to her small apartment.

From her pocket she pulled out the photo booth pictures they had taken earlier in the week when they were both soaked from the snow, and she smiled at them. No matter what happened, no matter where her future led her, Kyera Aroura would forever remain one of the great loves of her life, and she took some comfort from that.