Miley and Friends Ch. 07

I held her and caressed her hair. "There are those who would say otherwise about what goes on here, but I think you really need the big city."

"Somehow that makes me sad. I don't know if I'll ever be back here again, but I'll never forget you."

I kissed her - a real, meaningful kiss. It could be the last one we ever shared. "And I'll never forget you, either. You have been the best thing to happen to me. You have given me hope for the future. Yet, I'm afraid all other women I meet will pale in comparison to you. And, I want you to remember that you don't have to let men walk all over you. There are enough of us to love you for who you are."

There it was. The 'L' work. What had made me say that?

She looked into my eyes with a hint of a tear. "That's the nicest thing any man has ever said to me. I know you didn't mean to say that one word, but I feel it, too. That's why I can't come back. It could get too complicated. I wish my life was as uncomplicated as my sister's"

"Yes, it could get complicated. Goodbye, Paris. You'll always hold a special place in my heart."

She quickly turned and started toward the terminal, her ponytail swaying.

I called after her in my best Humphrey Bogart voice. "Hey, kid. We'll always have Paris."

She turned and smiled at me, although tears ran down her face. I felt hot tears of my own. She bit her lower lip, turned and hurried into the terminal to catch up with Miley.

On the drive home I wondered if I would see either of them again. You never know with Miley and her friends.