So, we had fish and chips, then we headed back to the Hotel…

The main topic of conversation was obviously how we felt knowing that we were gonna be apart and how dreadful it was parting (even though it only turned out to be a trial run) so we firmed up plans about how it was gonna work, how WE were gonna work… we reminised about highlights of the trip, kissed, hugged & enjoyed every second of each other & our REAL last night.

The ‘trial run’ turned out to be a blessing on many levels (and strengthened our belief in us) because now we knew we could get through it, we were slightly worried the night before that we actually couldn’t, that insanity might kick in… that she might stay, that I might go with her there and then & that one of us would have left our entire lives behind & just moved forward. That’s the beauty of hindsight though, it was a struggle when I first came to LA (as you will find out later) and had I just upped and left, it would have been doubley hard… we definatley needed to pave the way for us in some form, I had a life (including worldy possessions to get rid of) and she had a life (including people to let down) it was SO complex. We had some great conversations and formulated some great plans that night, that we STILL benefit from now….Oh, and I fucked the pants off her, did I mention that?

The next morning, our hearts still sank, it still wasn’t a great day but we had so much confidence in us that we just attacked the world head on, kept our spirits up & actually for once acted like adults (which is handy sometimes!)… I didn’t take any photos of Kylie today, I didn’t have time, I actually can’t remember much about the day, I didn’t write in the book or anything, I just enjoyed her, enjoyed us & put on a brave face for OUR sakes, for OUR future (Which was only 4 weeks away!)

The bit I remember most about this day was airport…

As I hadn’t worked out how to get back to Manchester yet, we decided (seeing as we were in an airport!) to buy a ticket so that I could fly home (which makes sense!) But my flight was leaving before hers, so it turned out that I would be leaving her! And with the flight schedules being as they were, by the time I landed in Manchester she would be up in the air and our cell phone signals would be lost… the next time we could speak would be 16 hours! Which is amazing to think of as I type this, as I haven’t gone 1 hour without speaking to her since (let alone seeing each other)…& this was nearly 12 months ago!

Anyway, after getting my ticket we went through customs & hung out in duty free for a while, went and grabbed a sandwich and sat talking about what our life in LA was gonna be like, as the time ticked away and I had to get my flight back home.

Sidenote: We also discussed what I was going to tell everyone back home, at this stage only 2 of my friends knew where I was and who I was with but obviously no-one knew I was a month away from leaving!

When the time arrived for me to go, it was in a busy airport surrounded by hundreds of people… it was like a movie. I stood infront of her, she stood in front of me, I had to go one way… she had to go another (so cue the dramatic music please) I held her in my arms and squeezed her so tightly, we told each other ‘I love you’ and kissed as people swarmed around us busily getting on with their lives as though we didn’t exist, as there are so many teary goodbyes at airports I’m sure it just looked normal, which was so apt and as I placed my final goodbye kisses on Kylie we were both streaming with tears. We then picked up our suitcases from our feet and ushered ourselves away, slowly walking backwards as we mimed ‘I love you’. Eventually we both lost sight of each other in the busy crowd, I paniced for a second and stopped, caught one final glimpse of her walking away, I gave a big sigh, wiped the tears from my face, then turned around and headed for my plane, my heart aching but full of confidence that we would be back together soon.

The confidence didn’t last long… we started to text each other from seperate ends of the airport, telling each other how hard it was to walk away, to leave each other and that we were missing each other ALREADY!! By the time I had gotten my seat on the plane, I was a mess… I was slowly getting depressed and worrying that something might go wrong & it could be over (despite her texts to the contrary) by the time the plane then took off and I had lost my signal, I had managed to pull myself together, realised that I was suffering from a rush of emotion and even though I was still depressed, I began to plan my trip back into her arms.

As I was coming into land in Manchester I took a photo from the plane and tweeted it, along with a depressing message …then my phone lit up with 2 texts, 1 of them was from Kylie telling me she loved me & that everything would be alright, the other was from my buddy Mick (Kylie had tweeted him) asking if I was OK & would I like to go over for a drink…. I said yes, as I didn’t want to be on my own PLUS Mick had lots of alcohol!

So that’s what I did, jumped on a train and went and got drunk, regalled stories in real time to someone for the first time, just to make sure I hadn’t been dreaming! and sat patiently for my phone to light up from Kylie when she landed the next day.

And that’s the end of London… up until then, probably the best moments of my life ever, the next part of this story is what happens whilst we are apart, how I sell my entire life, what my family thought & what Kylie organises for my arrival in LA.