Cherys was in the living room of our apartment, studying, when E-Beth and I came out. She tossed off a friendly ‘hello' and then returned to her books.

I kissed E-Beth goodbye at the door and she walked out of the apartment.

I was still standing by the door when Cherys walked up beside me and wrapped her arms around my waist. She lowered her cheek to my shoulder and rubbed my back.

“Hey, gorgeous," I muttered.

"Hey..." Despite the warm pleasantness of her hug, I felt an indescribable melancholy settle over the both of us.

Cherys spoke quietly, “You said it again..."

“What ?"

“You screamed Ellie's name."

"Yeah..." The turmoil in my mind threatened to send me into catatonia.

I watched my girlfriend go down the stairs and head off back towards campus. "I know."

"David," Cherys said in a serious voice. "Do you love E-Beth? Or do you

NEED her?"

I stared after E-Beth walking down the sidewalk. I didn't answer

Cherys. I couldn't.

POST-FINALS (June 2000)

"I'm going to miss you, Elizabeth."

"Yeah, me too." She smiled at me wistfully.

“You guys are sooo sappy,” Amber snarked, although not without a joking smile.

We'd come to the end of the academic year. It was June and it was time to move everything out of the dorms. E-Beth had packed up just about everything. And I had only two more of her bags to carry out to my car.

Everything was arranged, not that I was very happy about it. E-Beth had gotten a highly-regarded internship for the summer. Unfortunately, it meant she'd be spending the next three months in a big city three hours away, instead of our hometown. I was taking her to the airport with three of her bags. The rest I'd drop off at her parents’ house when I got home.

“But hey," I said warmly. "In a few months, we'll be back here and everything will be back to normal, right?"

"Right..." she said, rolling over the heaviest suitcase. She sounded a little down. I chalked it up to sadness over our upcoming separation. I took the suitcase and headed out into the hallway.

The door was just closing when I realized I'd forgotten the second bag.

I stood up the rolling suitcase and backed up, catching the door just before it closed.

I heard E-Beth's voice from the other side. "I can't break up with him." I froze immediately in the hallway, unable to see, but able to hear everything through the wide crack in the door.