She shuddered, burying her head in his chest. "I love you. I love you," she murmured, almost like a prayer.
He gently brushed her hair, turning his head to look up at the sky. Perhaps he could distract her from her worries. "Poppy, which one was Gemini again?"
She hesitated, and turned her face from his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She reached up and pointed. "That one."
"The one with the three stars next to each other, right? And Big Dipper is the one with the North Star?" he asked, his voice quiet,
"I see," he said, turning his head into her shoulder, sighing deeply. "I like the constellations I can see."
She kissed the top of his head, her fingers stroking his hair. I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. She took a deep breath and was quiet for a while, her hands holding him as close to her as she could without squeezing him. Only a couple more hours. Only a couple more hours. I love you. I love you.
She took a shaky breath. "I love you too," she whispered, knowing that if she spoke any louder, she would start crying again. "Goodnight."
It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, his breathing steadying, and his muscles relaxing. He only shifted occasionally, but still kept near her.
She watched him until dawn, her eyes tracing his features and occasionally kissing his skin. When the first light of day came over the horizon, she took a deep, trembling breath, and pulled out of his embrace. She returned to her room, not quite remember how she got there, pulled out a piece of paper, and began writing; her pen shook in her grip, and her tears splattered on the page, making the ink run. Her distress took away any eloquence she may have had, and she gasped for breath as she wrote. Dear Francis, I love you. I promise this isn't anything you did. I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. It has to happen. Please don't try to come after me. I love you. I love you. Xx P She sealed the letter and her ring in an envelope, and slipped it under his door. She packed her things in her pack, took one last look around the room, and started to walk down the hallway, praying that she would get away before he realized what she had done.
Francis awoke awhile later, only to find he was by himself. Although he was confused, he assumed she had gone back to the room a bit early, and gathered the items tiredly. Upon entering the room, he immediately noticed the letter, but did not see her. He set down the blankets, and went to pick up the letter. The words confused him at first, and he re-read it multiple times, his hands tracing the writing as he hastily set it down. It wasn't happening, right? She just... He stood up, quickly getting dressed before leaving to find her, obviously in denial.
Her room was being cleaned by people with vacuums and feather dusters. There was no sign of Poppy. *** Poppy leaned her head back in the seat of the taxi, letting the tears stream down her face. Oh god. Oh god.
