Lilac felt like a sand castle. A sand castle that had been built only to be destroyed- built too close to the sea. Within seconds, the tide would smash against the shore, break down his walls, and drown him from the outside in.
Everything was going wrong.
The flowers in his hand- wilted. The shoes on his feet- scuffed. The smile on his face- shattered. The tears in his eyes- burning. The pain in his chest- lethal.
This was not how it was supposed to go. That was supposed to be him, cupping her face in his hands like the most delicate of flowers. That was supposed to be him, grasping her in the palm of his hands because his entire life had been building up to this moment.
Lilac glanced down at his chest, vision blurring beneath his tears. It felt like his heart was breaking- and he wondered if it was supposed to hurt this much. He wonders, briefly, why there wasn't any blood, because it damn well sure felt like he'd been stabbed through the chest by an angry narwhal.
"Valerie," he whispered, petals falling like rain from the roses he'd bought. Immediately, the fairy-type gym leader turned, brow furrowed in confusion. He watches as her expressions change lightning fast from surprise, fear, apprehension, sadness, and lastly, guilt. And there, beside her, is Koga, looking smug.
"Valerie," Lilac repeats again, voice breaking with anguish. "I thought- we... You're- Koga?"
He tries to communicate the sound of his heart shattering, but all that comes out is a series of words, so broken they don't even complete a sentence. Valerie steps forward, her black hair swaying with every step she takes. Still, she remains silent, only speaking when she can properly see the betrayal on his face.
"I am so sorry- it was not supposed to happen this way," she begins, but Lilac shakes his head, takes a step back. He can see his reflection in her eyes- his pale skin, shaggy lilac hair in a messy mohawk, his lithe and slender body, paling in comparison to Koga's fit build. His hazel eyes are darkening, even as they close.
"Of course it wasn't," he chokes out. "You were supposed to be with me. Not- not him. You promised me forever."
Valerie seems hurt, and suddenly Lilac is enraged at the absurdity at the situation. She doesn't get to feel hurt. She doesn't get to play the victim this time. She didn't just see the love of her life make out with another man. And Koga!
"It's just- people change, Lilac. You've been gone for so long-"
"Six months, three weeks and four days. That's how long I was gone," Lilac snaps, surprised at the venom in his voice. "And you're right," he scoffed. "People do change. Six months ago you said you were crazy in love with me. Now you've forgotten all about me."
The gym leader gravitates forward, blinking her wide eyes, but Lilac steps back, dropping the roses and crushing them beneath his feet. "I don't know who you are anymore," he whispers, reaching up and wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. The crushing weight of his realization takes his breath away. Before he can shatter completely before her eyes, he turns, running out the door, letting it slam behind him.