Unfortunately for Kris and his girlfriends, no matter how much they enjoyed spending time together, their visit had a time limit on it. That time limit rapidly approached as well seeing as how every day went by in a flash for them as they enjoyed abundant fun together.
The day before his girlfriends had to leave, as they casually relaxed in his apartment feeling too down to go out and do anything from not wanting to go back, Kris spoke up to them and asked, “How much money do I have to throw, and at who, so that borders can stop existing?”
“Wha—what?” Rachel asked, the rest of his girlfriends looking rather confused by the question as well.
“How do I get rid of borders?”
“Why… would you want to get rid of borders?”
“Think about it. If there aren’t any borders, then having a visa and stuff doesn’t matter, so then you could stay here for as long as you want without having to worry about any of that legal stuff.”
“Well… you’re not wrong… but—but I think getting rid of borders might be a bit much.”
“It’s not like they do anything for us anyways.”
Emily chuckled when she heard that. “Didn’t know you were such an anarchist.”
Kris blinked when he was called that. “What does anarchy have to do with getting rid of borders?”
“Never mind.”
“I don’t get it.”
“You’re just a good person without even meaning to be one.”
Kris tilted his head. “What’s being a good person have to do with anarchy?”
“Point proven.”
Iris, who wore a slightly annoyed expression on her face compared to her usual calm demeanor, looked at Emily and said, “Why do you think he is a good person? Because he does not care for anarchy.”
Emily returned the annoyed look. “I don’t want to hear it. You love glorifying those jerk chefs who run their kitchens like personal kingdoms. Of course you’d love to lick government boots.”
“If respecting authority is so bad, then by all means, feel free to abscond from society to survive on your own and prove how superior anarchy is.”
The women’s expressions grew more annoyed by the word as Kris watched on with a confused expression painting his face. It was only when Rachel noticed how confused he was that she explained to him, “They might like each other, but… as you can see, when it comes to political discussions… it’s better to either separate them or lock them together in a soundproof room.”
Yet, Kris was still confused. “How’d it get political? What do borders and anarchy and stuff have to do with politics? And government boots?”
Kris’s confusion was actually enough to snap both Emily and Iris out of their growing rage.
“Kris,” Iris said. “You do understand that the government is inherently political, yes?”
“How?” Kris asked.
“Kris… what are politics to you?”
“People arguing over stupid stuff.”
“Such as?”
“Uhhh, you know, like, if people argue over whether the world is flat, or if medicine is fake, or if aliens are real. That kind of stuff. Oh, or when people argue about stuff like rights and stuff.”
“Then what do you call arguing over laws and society?”
“Philosophy.”
“Well, one could argue that all politics are philosophical…”
“Politics are for annoying people who just want to be mad and be right. Philosophy is for people who want to actually debate important issues to make the world a better place. So, politics are stupid. That’s why I don’t see how borders are political, because getting rid of them isn’t stupid because it would mean I can easily bring you all to live here, or I could go live with you.”
Iris, for some reason, was bewildered at Kris’s response. Emily, though, looked away and chuckled to herself.
As for Rachel, she asked, “So basically… politics are when people argue about things you think are stupid, and it’s philosophy when people argue about things you don’t think are stupid?”
“Yeah,” Kris answered. “Except it’s not really about what I think. It’s about what’s stupid and what’s not no matter what I think about it.”
Emily’s chuckling turned into a sigh while Iris managed to internally turn his latest response into a point for her side.
Meanwhile, Lucy lay on the floor sprawled across Anastasia’s lap like a kitten, and she was definitely acting like a needy one given that she had the other woman petting her while she tried not to cry.
“It’s not fair,” Lucy whimpered. “Why do you all have to leave?”
“We will be back, I am sure,” Anastasia replied. “And if you ever miss us, you could always join us in the game we play.”
“But I don’t really do games…”
“Neither did we. Though, there are more ways to spend time together over distance outside of gaming.”
“I know, but still… oh! And I’m going to feel bad because I’ll still be here with Kris while the rest of you aren’t! It’ll feel totally unfair!”
“We appreciate that somebody else will be here with him while we cannot be. Please, don’t worry so much.”
“But…”
“Besides,” Anastasia paused to lean over more so that she could whisper quietly enough for the others to know hear, “remember that store I told you about? How else am I to pick out a handmade collar for you if I do not return?”
Lucy’s cheeks were already red, but Anastasia’s question made them redden for an entirely different reason. “That—that’s true…”
“And by the next time we see one another, that package you ordered for us should have arrived.”
“Ye-yeah…”
“And should either of us ever require… assistance, then we have one another’s number.”
“That’s… also true…”
And then there was Abigail. She wasn’t participating in either of the groups’ conversations, but that was because she had something far more interesting to watch on her phone.
Roller derby videos.
She was obsessed with the idea ever since they went skating, and she only grew more and more obsessed with it ever since to the point where she kept on adding more items to a growing shopping list of gear for it. Even Emily, who felt like she found her calling when she discovered the existence of roller derby, wasn’t as obsessed with it as Abigail was.
Instead, Emily said, “I’m sorry, Kris. I love you, but I’m kind of looking forward to going back.”
“Why would you be sorry about that?” Kris asked.
“That’s… not what I expected you to say. I thought you’d ask why I was looking forward to going back.”
“Oh, I just assumed you were looking forward to having some personal space. I mean, we’ve spent all of the last couple of weeks together. Isn’t it normal to want some alone time?”
“That’s… not it at all.”
“Oh. Then why do you want to go back?”
“Because the tea here sucks. There’s no way it’d be because of you. But, you know, I’m an English girl. I have high standards for tea. It’s in my blood.”
Lucy sat up from Anastasia’s lap with a smug smile on her face. “I know where you can get some good tea.”
“Where?” Emily genuinely asked.
“Boston Harbor.”
Emily rolled her eyes and leaned back against the couch. “Now I want some personal space.”
Lucy then tried returning to Anastasia’s lap… only to get rejected. Then, when she looked at the taller woman with the eyes of a needy kitten wondering why she was rejected, Anastasia said, “Don’t forget I am from England as well. How could I lend my lap to a traitorous American who wastes perfectly good tea?”
“I’m—I’m sorry! I’ll never support throwing tea into the harbor again! And the only flag I’ll stand for is the, umm, British flag? Wait… I don’t even know what the British flag looks like… and is it the English flag or the British flag…?”
Kris joined in by saying, “I have no idea.”
Emily groaned. “You really are a couple of Americans. It’ll be nice to be back among people who actually know what chips are.”
Before anything else could be said on that topic, Rachel shouted out, “Idea!”
“Yeah?” Kris asked as everybody but Abigail looked at Rachel.
“The flight is pretty early tomorrow, and there won’t be anything to do on the plane anyways, so we could totally stay up all night and then sleep on the plane tomorrow!”
Everybody looked amazed by the idea.
“It could be like a classic all-nighter,” Kris said. “With pizza and pop and stuff. And we can watch movies all night.”
“Exactly!” Rachel said.
“It should be fine,” Iris joined in. “So long as we have enough energy to make it to the airport in the morning.”
“Everything is already packed, so we can relax together for the night,” Anastasia said.
Lucy looked at Kris and said, “If we order extra pizza, then we’ll have enough to drown our sorrows in once they leave.”
“Ooh, that’s smart,” Kris replied.
Emily looked hesitant at first but then said, “As long as one of the pizzas is thin crust with light sauce and cheese… it should be fine. I just don’t need to gain any more weight.”
Finally, when Abigail realized they were talking about pizza, she signed to them that she wanted one with pineapple and chicken on it to assert that she clearly had the greatest taste out of them all when it came to pizza toppings.
So, pizza was ordered, and the group got to watching any random movies they could think of once it arrived. The plan was to stay up all night watching as many movies as possible, after all.
By the time morning came around, though, the plan backfired on them. Staying awake all night watching movies together wasn’t enough to distract them from the approaching time. If anything, it made the situation worse because they had more time to be aware of just how soon they had to leave.
The last couple of hours before having to leave for the airport were spent mostly cuddling in silence.
Lucy said her goodbyes to everyone back at the apartment, leaving Kris in charge of saying goodbye at the actual airport.
“I don’t wanna leave,” Rachel said with a pout.
“I don’t want you to leave either,” Kris said. “But you’ll still be able to talk to me like always, and we can hang out online, and I’ll try to set things up so we can see each other again soon.”
Rachel sniffled before wrapping her arms around him. “Thanks for letting us stay with you. I had a really nice time.” She then leaned up to press her lips against his own. “I’m turning away now before I cry,” she said as soon as the kiss was over.
Next was Iris. “I’m too tired to cry, but trust me, I feel just as bad.”
Kris smiled when he heard just how tired she was. “You sound cute when you’re tired. Make sure to get a good rest on the plane, alright?”
“I’ll try.” Of course, she went in for her own hug and kiss after that. Then, despite what she said, she also ended up tearing up.
Emily went in for the kiss first before saying anything once it was her turn, grabbing onto Kris’s shirt to tug him down enough for her to reach up and kiss his lips. Afterward, she said, “Thanks for being you.”
“And thanks for being you,” Kris replied.
“I’ll skate like a pro next time. Just wait and see.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Then there was Anastasia. Out of all the girls… she was crying the most and could barely hold it together. Kris was the one who had to initiate the hug that time, and he was the one who pressed his lips against hers for the parting kiss.
“I’m sorry,” Kris said. “Next visit will be even longer, alright?”
Anastasia sniffled and nodded. “I wanted to keep it together, but… I’ll miss you. A lot.”
“Then call me as soon as you land. I know it won’t be the same as talking in person like this, but it’ll be something.”
“I’ll take you up on that.”
And finally, there was Abigail. Out of all the girls, she probably seemed the least depressed and wasn’t crying at all… but she was also the one who hugged Kris the tightest and didn’t want to let go. Even when he tried to pull back a little so that he could kiss her, she reattached herself to him and kept her face pressed against his chest. It wasn’t until one of the other girls had to tap on her after checking the time that Abigail loosened her grip on Kris enough for them to kiss before signing to that she she loved him, prompting him to sign it back.
Once Abigail stepped away from him to join the others… there was no more holding back.
The dam broke and the tears gushed out.
“Kr-Kris!” Rachel shouted. “Are—are you alright?!”
“No,” Kris answered. “I’m really sad.”
“But you were doing so well!”
“I tried. I didn’t want to make you feel even worse by seeing me cry, but I can’t stop.”
Rachel rushed back to Kris and hugged him, joining him in crying, and Abigail joined them as well.
Then Anastasia.
Then Emily.
Then Iris.
And just like that, they were all hugging and crying together despite the fact that their plane was going to start boarding in a minute.
They would just barely not miss the flight.