Sad Goodbyes

They ate in the same silence as before, the tension lingering in the room and making the environment heavier than either of them imagined the night to turn out.

Alex seemed to also bit in a bit of a mood due to the heavy air of the room, not making any of his usual jokes.

As they slowly finished eating, Mia knew that they had to change things up. It would be unbearable to handle this tension for too long.

"Hey, how about you two play some video games while I clean up?"

"Mia..." Yuzu interrupted right away but she wouldn't allow it this time.

"It's just a few dishes. Please"

It seemed like begging worked out wonders on the skater, because he nodded right away.

"If you truly don't mind. What should we play?"

That seemed to make the young boy jump in his seat and go straight to the couch, turning on the TV and his PlayStation before going through an array of games and pointing at the screen when he found what he wanted.

Some sort of car game by the looks of it.

"Can we?"

"Whatever you want, buddy."

Just as she said she would, Mia started cleaning up while silently watching the boys' exchange.

Nothing changed from last week, she still could barely handle seeing Yuzu being so good with Alex.

Cleaning didn't take much time since most of the food was in containers and all they ended up dirtying were a few dishes.

Mia wondered for a few seconds if she should join them on the couch or keep watching from the distance.

But then again, this was Yuzuru's last day here and she didn't know for sure if they would ever see each other again.

Taking the leap, she moved in the direction of them, being greeted by huge grins when they noticed her presence.

"Do you want to play, Mom?" Alex asked excitedly.

"I think I should let you pros do the gaming. I wouldn't mind watching if it's okay with you boys..."

Her son didn't even say a thing before he placed some distance between him and Yuzu, as if making space for her to seat in between them.

And of course, Yuzuru was quick to pat the place at his side for her to settle on.

She watched them play a few rounds, not missing at all the way Yuzu's fingers moved quickly on the remote.

It was taking too much of her attention. So bad that she probably wouldn't be able to tell you who won most of the races or even if they were remotely close.

"Can we change to Sonic?" Mia heard her son ask. "I'm getting bored."

"Sure, Sonic sounds cool." The man by her side answered before taking the opportunity to get a bit closer to her while Alex changed the game.

Before Mia knew it, the other game was already up and running, the only difference to her was that Yuzuru was now closer and every so often touching her gently without asking any permission.

The woman knew it was late, probably too late for Alex to still be awake but even if she was usually strict about his bedtime hours, especially on days before school, she was also aware that he would miss Yuzu as much as her.

Stealing time from the boys seemed almost like committing a crime in her eyes.

Still, as hours progressed, she could see him rubbing his eyes and yawning with increased frequency.

"Love, maybe it's time to wrap it up and get some rest."

The boy dropped his remote and looked at Yuzuru with a sad look in his eyes.

"I don't want to say goodbye yet." He said with a sad pout.

"Oh, Alex..."

Mia couldn't help her protective side to come through as she moved to hug her son, understanding him better than she should.

She didn't expect a third pair of arms to surround them but before she knew it, they were there, hugging them both tightly.

"It's not a goodbye." Yuzuru whispered. "Your mom has my number and we can talk whenever you want."

"Yes?"

The sadness of the boy slowly disappears.

"Absolutely. We just have to plan well to work out between the time zones, ok?"

"We can, right, mom?"

"Yes, darling. Of course, we can."

Alex and Yuzuru hugged once again, the whole exchange a bit too emotional for the woman watching them.

Keep strong, she thought to herself.

"We will talk soon, ok, buddy?"

A nod and the boy was standing up and waiting for Mia to help him get everything ready for bed.

She went to her son's bedroom and retrieved his pajamas, helping him get dressed while Yuzuru watched silently and leaned on the door.

Mia didn't expect his presence but didn't mind it either. She felt warm as he watched her.

Alex was laying on the bed after washing his teeth looking completely exhausted and ready to sleep. He waved softly at Yuzuru and smiled as Mia tucked him in on the bed.

"Goodbye, Yuzu."

"Bye, Alex. Sleep tight."

And that was all the boy heard before closing his eyes, exhaustion consuming him.

Mia knew as she looked into Yuzuru's eyes that this scene was only a small demonstration of how hard it would be to say her own goodbyes.

And she definitely didn't want them.

Not just yet.

She grabbed his hand and guided him outside of her son's room in silence.

They walked down the stairs hand in hand before he broke the silence.

"You have to work tomorrow."

"You have a flight to catch."

"I can sleep on the flight." He quickly answered, knowing that she was just reflecting his words.

"I can probably sleep at work." She said with a smile making him chuckle "Can you stay a bit longer?"

"I could never say no to you."