Across the divide

Chapter 16: The Visit

After months of only seeing each other through screens, Mateo surprised Liam with a visit over a long weekend. The moment Liam opened his dorm door and saw Mateo standing there, grinning with his usual confidence, he couldn’t help but pull him into a tight hug.

“You’re really here,” Liam whispered, almost in disbelief.

Mateo laughed, ruffling Liam’s hair. “Told you I’d visit, didn’t I?”

They spent the weekend exploring the campus, eating at Liam’s favorite spots, and just enjoying being in each other’s company for the short amount of time they had together. For those few days, it felt like nothing had changed—like they were back in high school, teasing and laughing as if the distance had never existed.

But when Sunday came and Mateo had to leave, the reality of their situation hit them really hard again. “I hate saying goodbye,” Mateo admitted, his voice thick with emotion holding back tears and trying not to cry.

Liam smiled sadly trying not to cry as well. “It’s not goodbye. Just ‘see you later.’”

Still, as Mateo’s car disappeared from view, Liam couldn’t shake the ache in his chest.