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Landon finds Hope in the courtyard, meets her there as though it’s fate. Most of their meetings have felt like fate, so it’s fitting. Lights are strung up all around her, giving her a magical glow, not that she needs help with that. Standing there, head tilted toward the sky, she looks like a princess from a fairy tale.
She turns her head and sees him, her smile fading into a serious expression. “Is this the part where you say something,” she asks quietly, “or run?”
“Hope”, he says, feeling her name get caught in his throat. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I forgot you. I’m sorry I ran.” He wants to say more – that he’s sorry he’s always disappointing her and getting her caught in his messes, but he can’t.
She tries to smile, but it looks all wrong on her face. “Landon Kirby,” she says, voice breaking a little on his name, “Don’t apologize for things you had no control over.”
“You are amazing Hope Mikaelson. My world was a hollow place without you, and I’m so glad you’re back. I’m so glad I remember you.”
She closes her eyes for a minute, before sighing and opening them. “But you’re in love with Josie.”
“It doesn’t mean I don’t love you. For most of my life, I haven’t been able to depend on anyone. But you – you came back for me. You found me, over and over, and you saved me.
Hope, when I was in the darkness, you gave me the stars.”
“But – “ Landon hesitates for a moment. “But Hope, our relationship has been so crazy from the beginning. One crisis after another, and we’ve never really had a chance to just – be together. The closest we came was when you were infected by that parasite.
“Do you know, during the beginning of summer I killed myself 15 times? It was the only way I could hear your voice. I thought the void in me was just Raf, but it was you too. And when I died at least I could see you.”
“Landon –“ Hope starts.
“No,” he interrupts. “Just let me finish. Please.”
He breathes for a moment. “Josie found me, on the fourth of July, coming back to life. And we were both – so alone. That summer, we were alone and lonely, until suddenly we weren’t.
“We were friends,” he says softly, “before we were anything else. And I didn’t realize how important that was, until I had it.”
“I love you Hope, I do, but it’s not enough to build a relationship on. We spent so much time apart, or at cross purposes. It was so hard to be happy with you. And it’s not because you didn’t care about me enough, or because you weren’t a perfect girlfriend. It’s because we don’t know how to be together outside of disastrous circumstances.”
“That’s the thing about epic loves I guess,” Hope says, eyes glassy. “They have to be epic. I love you, Landon Kirby. And I’m sorry it’s not enough.”
“Don’t ever think,” Landon says gently, “That you are not enough. You are everything Hope – and you deserve everything.”
Landon leans forward, and kisses her cheek softly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t give it to you.” And then he walks inside the school, leaving Hope standing alone under the twinkling lights, looking up at the stars.