Exams came and went swiftly, a week passed by and soon it was time for Ian to leave. Irida felt sour and tried her best to stop herself from crying, she has barely been reunited with Ian and it was barely four months since they got together and now they had to be separated again.
Thinking about Ian's confession again, Irida couldn't help but blush. Ian had taken her to the lake that day, with a picnic basket and all, it was quite romantic. Irida hadn't pegged Ian as the romantic type at all, recalling his words to her she felt a bit encouraged. Ian had promised to be with her forever and this was just one of the many phases in their lives that they needed to go through and it'd pass soon and they won't be separated for long.
"Be sure to write to me when you get to UK next month okay?" Ian said as he held Irida's hands
"I can only call once a month, but I can write often as long as we're not on any missions. Make sure to take care of yourself over there and always remember where your roots are. Don't beat anything okay, if it gets stressful or tiring you can always come home. If anyone tries to bully you make sure you don't let them go, well if they're stronger than you then call home" Ian nagged
"This is the first time you've said so much at once" Irida teased
"You should also take care of yourself okay, I want to see a complete boyfriend when you come back, no missing limbs. Don't put your life in danger" Irida warned sternly "don't try to be a hero or overdo anything so you won't be antagonized. I'll write to you every week"
"Okay peach. I love you" Ian whispered softly in Irida's ears as he hugged her tightly "forever and always"
"I love you too Ian. Forever and always" Irida whispered back
"Baby" Lily said softly after Ian and Irida separated
"You're Mama's only baby you know that right? Please come back home as soon as you can okay? Don't be as reckless as your pa okay?" Lily said in tears
The tears blurred her vision and Ian gently wiped her tears
"I'll be back in two years okay. Ma make sure to take care of yourself, eat and sleep well. Don't beat any grievances okay" Ian said
"Hmm" Lily nodded
"If you get bored by yourself you can go to Irida's house, play with Maria or talk to Uncle, also call Finn's ma often" Ian said as he comforted Lily
"I will baby, I will" Lily said as she traced the lines on her son's face
"I love you ma" Ian said as he hugged Lily
"Ma loves her baby too" Lily said
"Go on, it's time to get on the bus" Lily urged Ian as she wiped her tears
Lily squeezed Irida's hand in reassurance as they waved at Ian. Her son was going to be fine, her baby was gonna come back home to her
........
In September, Irida finally left home and reported to her university in West London. It was one of the best universities in the area and it offered the best opportunities for the course she was to major in.
Andres and Elini followed Irida down to London so they could help her with cleaning up and settling in. They next day, they both went with Irida to school to help with her admission process after which they took a tour around the school.
The school was more equipped than the the one back in their hometown, they had a lot of open space and the lecture buildings were all air conditioned. After walking around Irida's faculty for a while, they left the school and decided to have lunch at a restaurant close to the school building. They ordered fish and chips and had some diet coke before going home.
Andres and Elini spent two more days in London before finally leaving. Elini was so reluctant to leave and kept on crying
"Iris, I really should have picked the same school" Elini said as she sniffled
"You're an adult now, stop crying like a baby" Irida said helplessly as she wiped her best friend's tears
"But I won't get to see you for a really long time" Elini complained
"I'll come home for breaks, there's also something called a phone, I'll call as often as I can I promise" Irida assured
"But we won't be together" Elini whined
"You're gonna miss your flight if you continue with this" Irida said helplessly
Elini's eyes got red again, if she had known earlier that parting with Irida would be this painful she truly would have applied for a university in London or persuaded Irida to stay in Greece. But sadly there was no medicine for regret and she also has to report to school
Irida watched as Elini was pulled by Andres and she couldn't help but sigh sadly