They strolled in together, his hand barely touching the bare flesh at the base of her back, easing her gently into the newly opened restaurant in town. She wore a timid smile, her blonde hair hung loose in gentle waves down her back, diamond earrings sparkled in her ears, matching the necklace she had received merely hours ago. She wore a black one-shoulder body con dress, with a hem that fell just about her knees, revealing her long legs that seemed to go on forever. A gift from Brooke. One she said would leave him wanting her.
The couple were met at the door by a bubbly waitress, who eagerly led them to their reserved table and took their drink orders. A red wine to celebrate their anniversary; three years to the day.
To all, it seemed like the perfect night out, the faithful husband presenting his wife with gifts before they headed out on the traditional dinner, void of kids for the night.
He took her smaller hand in his, rubbing it gently before offering her a small smile. She returned it half-heartedly, eyes straying to a couple across the dance floor. She had sensed him the moment they had walked in and she wondered if he had as well. When his blue eyes caught her emerald ones, she knew he had. She smiled his way and he did the same, his eyes shifting occasionally to the woman across from him only to return to hers.
Julian followed her gaze, the smile on his face faltering at the mere sight of him, sitting there staring at his wife. With a scowl, he turned back, ready to tell her he wanted to leave but when he caught sight of her eyes, he couldn't.
Sighing, he leaned forward, gasped her hand in his, "Peyton, honey, are you okay?" He questioned.
As she turned back to him, he felt his heart drop at the look in her eyes, but her words, her actions told him otherwise.
Adjusting the perfectly folded napkin onto her lap, Peyton plastered a fake smile on, reassured him she was fine and kept her gaze locked on the man in front of her, holding her hand and trying desperately to avoid the intense blue gaze locked on her from across the room.
***
The dinner was exquisite, their steaks cooked perfectly in white wine sauce. Making small conversation about their daughter, her impending start of kindergarten, the possibility of adding onto their newly purchased home, a room for her art.
Something to claim as her own, he said.
She simply smiled, lifted her glass and took a sip of wine as he discussed the potential of their new home, their new life in Tree Hill, her hometown away from the hectic lifestyle of LA. Something normal for Sawyer, he said.
Stable.
It all seemed natural and real to those around them but to their inner circle, well her friends, it was far from it and from each stolen glance across the room, she knew it was all just beginning to crumple.
Blue eyes looked up casually, stabbing his chicken with his fork as he met her gaze. A smile crossed his lips, more of a smirk but she didn't care she just smiled back and he grinned widely. With a wink, he turned back to Lindsey, who was far too involved, to Peyton at least, in what seemed like an one sided conversation, to even consider the possibility that her husband was eyeing another woman. She merely continued to smile widely, tossing a loud giggle here or there, as if she knew she was there and just refused to acknowledge it.
With a shake of her head, Peyton returned her attention back to her husband, smiling when he brushed his thumb across her wedding band. His dark eyes bright and full of love, adoration for her and she wondered if hers reflected that back.
He watched her.
His heart racing in his chest, waiting for her to glance his way again. If only for a mere moment, he just wanted to see her eyes and pretend it was all so different. He lifted his glass, looked at his wife, his head nodding at something she said. Her gray eyes sparkling back at him and he wondered how he had gotten here. To this moment sitting here with her when across the floor, sat his heart.
Only he knew the answer and he wished he could go back and tell the younger version of himself, that someday didn't mean never. He'd tell himself to stay and not leave her when the sun came up. He'd do it all differently. Say it all differently if he could just turn back time.
Lindsey laughed, pulling him from his thoughts and he smiled. Placed that fake smile he had mastered over the years on his face, lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm. Quirking an eyebrow, he looked across the room, his gaze settling on the celebrating couple. Following her husbands gaze, Lindsey looked over her shoulder, her smile fading as she caught sight of the curly blonde with her husband.
With a shaky smile, Lindsey looked back at her husband, his hand slipping from hers as he stood from the table and made his way across the room. Her heart falling with each step he took further away from her.
Her green eyes grew wide as she caught site of him approaching their table. His stride steady and sure as he weaved his way through the dancing couples. Her heart pounded in her chest and she wondered if Julian could hear each beat. Lifting her wine glass, she took a long sip, willing the alcohol to still her beating heart but as he stood there before her, his blue eyes on her, she wished for the world to slip away and only he remain.
***
Next thing she knew, he was leading her to the dance floor. Her hand in his and her heart fluttering from just his simple touch. She closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, telling herself just one dance. Just one time around the dance floor and she'd go back to pretending he never existed and that she never loved him.
But when his hand came to rest against her hip, pulling her lightly to him all thoughts left her and she wanted to stay in his arms forever.
His fingers gently caressed the bare flash on the base of her back, causing her to shiver and him to smirk. He knew she hated it when he smirked at her expense but when her breath caught and her eyes fluttered closed, his heart stopped and everything faded.
And it was just them and the moment and he had been given that second chance, if even it was all pretend.
And the ring she wore was his.
So he smiled, pulled her a little closer and let himself believe.
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
"Perfect song choice, huh?" he whispered, offering a sexy grin as his gaze met hers and his hand drifted lower down her back, gently tracing circles on her skin.
"What did you do, slip the DJ a fifty?" she replied, fingers unconsciously rubbing a spot on his neck, slowly fingering his blonde hair as they rose up. "This should be your theme song." She added with a smile.
"Funny." He whispered, lips dangerously close to her ear as he led them deeper into the crowd, away from the watchful gaze of their spouses.
"I thought so." She replied as she let him guide her across the floor, her eyes closing when his lips brushed her ear and she swore she felt him brush a kiss against her skin.
Pulling back slightly, she met his gaze, her head titled causing her hair to brush his hand and his eyes to darken. "Lucas…" She whispered.
He lifted a hand to her cheek, his thumb gently caressing her skin. "Your beautiful." He whispered.
"Luke." She rasped out. He was looking at her like he had done so many times in the past. Like she was his everything and no one else existed and he loved her. "Lucas…"
He shook his head softly, silencing her words. He touched his forehead with hers, his eyes staring darkly back at her. Slowly, he lowered his arm dangerously close to her bottom, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.
She, in turn, pinched him lightly on his neck, making him yelp slightly and his hand to return to her hip.
"What was that for?" He asked, pulling back to meet her eyes. A faint smile on his lips.
Quirking an eyebrow, she flicked his ear with her finger and pulled him back to her, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. "Just dance with me, Luke."
***
Julian sat, eyes sullen, swishing the last drop of wine in his intricately designed glass watching the two as they swayed together in time to the music.
"They look good together. Like they belong."
Glancing over his shoulder, he faintly smiled at Lindsey as she sat down beside him, her gray eyes watching the duo on the dance floor.
Gulping down the last of his wine, his eyes drifting back to the dance floor, following their movements until they became hidden by the other couples.
"I hope you realize that once the song is over, we can go back to our own lives and you and Peyton can continue your evening."
Julian looked up, eyes glancing at the dance floor before he turning back to Lindsey. "And you honestly believe all thoughts of each other will vanish? You should know better than anyone, she's apart of him as much as he is apart of her. There's no going back."
Lindsey wore an expression of surprise, followed by confusion. "You married her and I'm married to him. And isn't it your anniversary night, is it not? So that means everything goes back to the way it was."
Shaking his head, Julian took a deep breath, leaned forward, his face inches from hers and replied. "Don't you get it, Lindsey? They'll never let each other go and we're just casualties of their love affair."
***
Since you've gone I been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I keep crying baby please
His hands rested on her hips, his forehead against hers and wanting nothing more than to kiss her then and there.
"Peyton…" He whispered seductively, his eyes darkening when she leaned slightly forward and brushed her nose with his. It's was theirs and it was intimate and she just wanted to pretend. Even if it was just for a moment, she just wanted it to be different and he was hers.
But he wasn't and this wasn't real.
Her eyes fluttered shut, her hands unwinding from around his neck and falling onto his broad shoulders. His hand pressed against her cheek, causing her eyes to open and her to step away slightly from the look in his eyes.
"Afraid your husband will see you enjoying this moment far more than his planned evening?" he whispered.
She returned a smile, offering a quick smirk. "I sense jealousy."
He chuckled in return. "Always."
And that smile she loved returned to his beautifully chiseled face as he pulled her back to him, his palm dropping lower and lower down her dress, their forms covered by the dark dance floor and the couples dancing around them. His palm finally met the bottom of her dress, raising under the skirt of the material as he felt her shaky thigh.
"My, we're shaky, aren't we?" His voice was low, lustful and she wanted to disappear further into the shadows with him.
She inhaled his sinful cologne, its scent intoxicating her as she fell into a daze. Between his less than friendly touches and the dark dance floor, she was feeling quite hazy. That was what their relationship had divulged into as of late, a mere encounter of sexual tension and stolen glances, touches and anxious hearts.
After eight years, they had gone full circle. Back to secretly wanting the other and denying it to those around them. It had been easier when there was distance between them. She in LA and he on the east coast. They just went on living, their life's forever connected by the birth of their daughter. A daughter conceived on a night that ended it all when she said someday and he took it as no.
And she spent the last three years raising their daughter with a man she let herself believe she loved as much as him. He in turn would fly out once a month, spend a week with their daughter and fly back. He'd never say a word, unless needed only acknowledging her with simple nod of his head and a wave.
And she went on pretending she never really cared and it all had been nothing more than a high school crush leading to them becoming another hometown statistic.
But standing here in his arms, all that pretending seemed unreal and every moment missed seemed just a little more painful, more tragic.
He continued his sexual touches, raising his hand from her thigh to her heaving cleavage. Fingering her diamond necklace and continuing his travel dangerously close to her breasts. "Anniversary present, I may assume?"
Peyton smiled wickedly, her words leaving her mouth before she could even think . "I love diamonds. You never gave me diamonds."
He stilled their movements, his eyes raising up to meet her own and right then and there she regretted her words.
"Luke, I…"
His hands slipped from her body, his eyes darkening as he took a step back. "I tried once but you said no." His voice was harsh, unfeeling as he slipped into the crowd, his eyes locked onto hers. "Well, now you have them."
And he was gone, leaving her longing for the comfort of his arms.
***
Peyton hurriedly retreated to the restroom, her eyes stinging with tears as she weaved her way through the now crowded dance floor. Pushing against the door, she smiled at the attendant , she rushed to an empty stall and let the tears fall. Pressing a hand to her mouth, she held back the sob that suddenly lodged itself in her throat.
"Miss? Are you okay?"
Closing her eyes, she wiped the tears from her face, slowly stood, opened the stall door and greeted the attendant with a faint smile and mumbled yes. She was fine and she'd tell herself that until the day she didn't think of, didn't need, Lucas Scott with every breath she took.
She reached into her purse for her makeup, her eyes drifting to her reflection in the mirror and she wondered where it had all gone wrong.
But she knew the answer and she could tell anyone the exact second her life changed and her dreams crumpled.
Biting her lip, she pressed the concealer to her cheek, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as one thought crossed her mind; Why couldn't they ever get it right.
***
When she had finally composed herself, she headed back to their table and was surprised to find Lucas and Lindsey seated with Julian.
"I asked Lucas and Lindsey to join us, Peyton. That's all right, isn't it?" Julian asked, watching her reaction and the way her eyes darting quickly from Lucas back to him, leaving him wondering just what happen on the dance floor.
With a nod, Peyton eased herself down into her seat beside her husband, wishing Lucas would notice her discomfort and leave. He just smiled, leaned back in his chair and draped an arm around his adoring wife.
"So Julian, tell me, what do you think of our little old town? It's nothing like LA but it's home, isn't it Blondie?" Lucas asked, his voice dripping with venom, his eyes watching Peyton as she lifted her wine glass to her lips, trying desperately to avoid his gaze and not let him see her reaction to the nickname he gave her long ago.
Shakily, she nodded her response. Her green eyes meeting his intense blue eyes across the table only to quickly move to the large window over looking the water, just over his shoulder.
"It's different that's for sure." Julian said as he grasped Peyton's hand in his larger one and eyed the blonde man across the table.
"Don't worry it grows on you," Added Lindsey, a small smile on her lips. "When I first moved here, I missed the noise of the city."
"But it's home." Whispered Peyton.
With a smile, Lucas lifted his wine glass, tipped it towards her, "That it is."
***
"I was on my way to another stuffy party to get investors for my new movie when I bumped into Peyton leaving a bookstore. It was actually the second time I had seen her and both times I meet her, she looked like the saddest girl in the world to me." Julian explained, his eyes bright as he told of how he meet Peyton in LA, to Lindsey.
Lucas's eyes darted to Peyton's, his brow furrowing at Julian's comment but she looked away, a smile on her lips as she pressed a hand to Julian's cheek, avoiding his gaze.
"So you ran into her twice in one week. Must be fate." Lucas said, his eyes never leaving Peyton's face, hers remaining on her husband. His heart pounded in his chest, his breathe caught as he waited for Julian's response.
Shaking his head, Julian looked to Lucas, his dark eyes watching his expression. "No it was year or so later. She was leaving a book signing."
At his words, Lucas felt his heart fall. She had been there. She had come.
"Who was it for?" he asked.
"It was yo…"
"No one you know." Interjected Peyton, cutting off Julian. Her eyes meeting Lucas's and feeling her husband's eyes on her, knowing they were full of questions.
Lindsey eyed Lucas as he shifted in his chair. His elbows coming to rest on the table as he leaned forward, his gaze locked with Peyton's. "Luke…"
"You were there." He said softly, ignoring Lindsey.
She looked away only to look back when he reached out and grabbed her hand.
"You were there." He said again.
"Luke, this isn't…"
"You were there." He said a little louder. "Why…Peyt…"
Yanking her hand from his grasp, she pushed back her chair, smiled at Julian, whispered she needed to powder her nose and quickly rose from the table. Her green eyes darted to Lucas and she softly whispered, yes as she hurried to the back of the restaurant to escape the hurt she saw in his eyes.
***
He followed her.
Ignoring Lindsey as she called his name across the restaurant. He just kept on moving, weaving between the couples on the dance floor and side stepping waiters as they carried food to tables.
He needed to get to her.
He needed her to tell him why.
He need to comfort her.
He just needed her.
She glanced once over her shoulder and upon seeing Lucas following her she redirected her route and headed for the kitchen.
She needed to escape.
Pushing against the swinging doors, she shoved waiters aside, looking desperately for a way out. Her heart pounded in her chest as she caught sight of the back door. Swinging it open, she stepped out into the pouring rain.
A sob escaped her throat as she stumbled out the door. Her tears blending with the rain that fell down around her and she never heard the door open and shut behind her. His arms reached out catching her from behind, causing both to fall to the wet ground.
She frantically pulled away, rising up and nearly dropping back to the ground as she stumbled away from his grip. Turning to him, hair matted down from the rain, her dress clinging to her. Her eyes looking sadder then he had ever seen them.
And she looked broken and he wanted to do nothing more but pull her to him and tell her everything would be okay, like he had done so many times before.
But he didn't and she just stared at him with the rain pouring down around them.
"Why didn't I see you that day?" He asked, breaking the tension. His own hair matted to his forehead. His blue eyes blazing with anger, pain and adoration for the woman standing before him.
"Why did you leave?" She cried, begging him with her eyes to finally tell her all she wanted to know. "Why did you leave me that day?"
"Peyton…" He knelt there in the rain, his hand reaching out for her only to have her take another step further away from him.
"You said forever. You said you'd love me forever. You said you'd never leave. You…" Her voice broke as she looked down at him. "You promised. You promised me, Luke, you promised you'd never leave."
"I do love you!" He yelled. "I've loved you since the first time I ever saw you. You were this stunning goddess. This angel that I wanted but thought I could never have and when you spoke to me that day at the lake, I knew I was going to love you forever. God help me Peyton, I still love you and…"
Shaking her head, she closed her eyes, needing to block his words from her mind, her heart. "No."
"I love you."
Her eyes flew open and she took another step back. "You lied."
"Peyton…"
"Why didn't you wait for me!?" she cried hysterically as he rose from the ground.
"You said no, Peyton and I…"
"I said someday, Luke. SOMEDAY!" She screamed.
"I was hurt and young and I thought I was loosing you!" He cried, tears falling from his own eyes. "I wanted you so badly and I missed you and…"
"You left me there alone." Her voice broke a little more as she stood there with tears streaming down her face. "And I just wanted you. I've always only wanted you and you left. You left me. You promised."
He took a tentative step forward only for her to step back. Sighing he looked to the ground and back to her, "I'm sorry."
"You promised." She whimpered out as she took another step back, only to meet the wall.
"I'm sorry." Reaching out, he gasped her hand in his, and pulled her to him. His hand coming to rest at the base of her head as he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her to him. "I'm sorry." He whispered against her hair, his eyes closing when he felt her hands grip his shirt like she use to so long ago. Clinging to him as if he was her lifeline and without him, she drown.
She buried her face in his neck, her warm breath causing him to shiver as she softly spoke. "Why didn't you wait for me?"
"I don't know."
Pulling away, she rested her hands on his chest, her eyes meeting his. "Luke…"
It was a plea. He knew that. He heard it in her tone, saw it in her eyes and all he could say was, "You said no."
"I said someday, Luke. A year. That was all I was asking for and you left." Her voice was a mere whisper and tears fell from her eyes as she pushed against his solid form only to be held in place by his grip around her waist. "You left and I was alone and pregnant and you started another life. You gave up on us!"
Her fist came down on his chest causing him to flinch but he held her and took each hit.
"You said I was the one and I was your everything but you went and said I do to someone else." Pushing against his chest, she struggled to get out of his grasp, her fist hitting him over his heart and he closed his eyes, trying to erase the pain he saw in her eyes but he knew it would forever be burned in his mind. "You gave up on us and I said someday, not no, you jack-ass!"
"I gave up on us?" He yelled, his eyes shooting up at her words, his grip tightening around her waist as she continued to struggle against his hold. "You gave up on us, Peyton. You did this when you put on Julian's ring and started playing house with him! With my daughter!"
"It's always my fault, isn't it?!" she shouted. With one final shove, she broke free from his hold, her eyes dancing with fire as she glared at him. "Fine! Blame me. Tell me how it's all my fault and how I said no and every ounce of pain is my doing! Tell me Luke, tell me!"
He stood there, the rain falling down around them and all he could see was that night and the that hotel room in LA. And all he could hear were her words, echoing in his head as she pleaded with him, begged him to wait, to give it a year and ask her again. He could feel her touch as she gripped his hands in hers, felt her lips on his and the warmth of her body as he gently caressed her every curve.
He could see it all, standing there in the rain as it flashed before him and he wanted to go back and say it all differently so he could make it go away and she wouldn't be looking at him like that; with such disappoint and so much pain.
"Peyton, I…god!" Shoving a hand through his wet hair, he turned away from her, his shoulders sagging with regret.
"Whatever. I don't care anymore. I just want to learn how not to love you. I want to forget you existed. I just want to wake up in the morning and not think of you first thing. I just want…"
"Don't you get it?" he cried, spinning on his heel. "Peyton…this, us, it's all that matters and I should have listened that day! I should have heard you…god and I'm sorry for that. If I could I would change it all and take it all back but I can't and I'm sorry for that. I'm so sorry for that."
She glares at him, her eyes narrowed in just the way that had him wanting to smile but he doesn't. He just stands there waiting for her to say something, anything.
"Peyton…"
"No. You can't do that. You can't say that it's my fault and turn around and say all that. You can't."
"What do you want me to say, Peyton? Tell me! Do you want me to say that it's my fault, that I'm the bad guy and that these last five years have been hell without you? Is that what you want me to say? Cause I'll say it. I'll say whatever you want me to say just tell me what you want me to say!"
Her mouth opened and shut as she flung her hands in the air and groaned. Tilting her head back, she let the rain wash over her, willing it take it all away and leave her feeling numb.
"I hate you." She cried out. "I hate that I can't get you out of my head, out of my heart. I hate that I can't stop loving you. I hate you."
Taking a step toward her, a faint smile on his lips, he shook his head at her. His blue eyes holding her gaze. "No you don't. I know you and you could never hate me. Just like I could never hate you."
Shaking her head, she lifted a hand to her quivering lips a whisper passing through, "You don't know me."
"I know you. I've always know you Peyton Sawyer."
"Not anymore. You don't know me anymore. I'm not that same girl."
A crack of lightening sliced through the sky, causing her to jump and him to reach out for her. His hand caught hers in his and he gently tugged her a little closer to him. "If I didn't know you, then how come I know you hate storms but you love the rain. Or that when Sawyer calls you Mommy, your face lights up like nothing I have ever seen before. I know that you still hate the mornings but you'll get up early just so your there for Sawyer. Regardless of how tired you are. If I didn't know you, how would I know that you sneak away at night to talk to your mother and never tell Julian?"
A faint smile crossed her lips at his words and she gently pulled her hand from his, missing the warmth of his touch the moment her hand fell to her side. "Cause your stalking me."
He chuckled, lifted his hand to the back of his neck and smiled. "I know you."
"Maybe." She whispered. She looked at him, watching him as he rubbed his neck, his eyes squinted in the way that she adored and drove her mad. "I'm sorry."
His blue eyes widened and he took a step forward, her hand lifting stopping him from coming any closer.
"I'm sorry I never let you know I was there that day...at your book signing. I saw you and I was so proud that all I wanted to do was run up to you and hold you. But then Lindsey…"
"Peyton, you don't…"
"She kissed you and…my heart dropped cause I thought you wanted us but I was wrong. You had moved on and I was just some girl you once knew. I…"
"We weren't together then."
"What?" She took a step forward, her hands reaching out and gripping his jacket. Her eyes searching his. Needing for him to say it wasn't true and they didn't once again let their own stubbornness get in the way of their lives.
"Lindsey and I we weren't together. She was just my…"
Shoving him away from her, she roughly ran a hand through her wet her. Her green eyes filling with tears as she stared at the man before her. "God! Why can't we ever get it right?"
"But we can!" He explained. "We can tell them it's over and you and I…"
"No! I will not destroy the only family Sawyer has known. I will not do it not even for you."
His eyes darken at her words and he lunged forward, grapping her forearms and yanking her to him, his voice a low growl as he looked into her eyes, "She's my daughter and we're a family. You, me and her. I'm her father not him!"
Shoving him away from her, she narrowed her eyes at him, shook her head and turned to leave only to stumble in her haste to get away from him. "Damn it!" She yelled.
Rushing to her side, he dropped to his knees and engulfed in her in his arms as sobs over took her.
"You're a jackass…" Her voice broke as she clung to his arm, her body shaking from the cold rain and the sobs that racked her body.
"I found you first," he whispered. "I found you first." His own tears sliding down his face as he gently rocked her in his arms. "How do I get you out of my head?"
"I don't know." She cried, her grip tightening on his arm as he loosened the hold he had on her. "But don't. Please don't let me go."
Brushing a kiss to her temple, he pulled her tightly against his chest, his chin resting on the top of her rain soaked hair. His own tears falling harder then before and she clung to him like he'd disappear.
"I'm so sorry for everything…so sorry…" he whispered as he gently lifted her chin and his heart constricted in his chest at the heartbroken look she had in her eyes. "Peyt…"
Before he could react her lips were on his and his hands were tangled in her hair, pulling her closer. Her fingers worked feverishly to undo the buttons of his shirt, needing to feel him. His own hands drifting downward, cradling her face in his palms. His words of love whispered against her flushed skin as she sought his warm skin beneath his dress shirt.
His whispered words of apologies gently in her ear. Her hands clinging to him, pulling him close as the rain continued to fall down around them.
"We shouldn't…Luke," She whispered softly. Her hands cupping his face. Her eyes searching his. "This is wrong."
And he sighed as he rested his forehead against hers, his hand lifting to her cheek. The pad of his thumb gently tracing her swollen lips. "I know. But I…Peyton I need you. Your it for me and…"
Pressing a finger to his lips, she faintly smiled. Her eyes glistening with tears, "You're my heart." She whispered. "your everything but…we can't do this and I won't be…"
His lips brushed hers, silencing her words. His own eyes glistening with tears as he pulled away. "I know you can't." Cupping her face with his hands, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and slowly rose. His hand reaching out to help her up.
Slipping her hand in his, she slowly rose. Her eyes meeting his. Her hand lifting to his cheek. A faint smile on her lips, "You're my everything, Luke. You always will be."
And she slipped from his touch.
"Peyton." He called as she turned and walked away. His voice breaking.
Pausing, she looked over her shoulder. Her vision blurred, "Yeah?"
"I'm going to love you forever, Peyton Sawyer." He said as tears fell.
Smiling, she closed her eyes and softly whispered as she walked away, "I'm going to love you forever, too."