"Yes."

Yes. So that was it. He hadn't heard wrong. That was her answer. That was the truth.

He has to hold back the tears that are forming in his eyes, and all of sudden he feels a painful ache in his heart. His heart, that loves her so much. His heart, which he had given to her long ago. Long before she knew.

He glances at the people behind her. Her friends. Her friends? And he doesn't think about how they must be happy now, and the thought that it was any of them that she cheated on him with doesn't cross his mind either. He just looks at them, and he realizes that this is not his world. He realizes that the girl he loves, and he, does not live in the same world. They never did. They never will.

He looks back at her, and she meets his eyes. And suddenly the girl standing in front of him is no longer the one his heart belongs to. Suddenly, her eyes become empty, and he doesn't know her anymore.

He can hardly look at her. He swallows, because there's a gulp in his throat that refuses to go away. He wants everything to go away, because the pain in his heart is starting to feel too heavy. For a moment, he doesn't think he will be able to walk out.

Because that's what he's going to do. He knows what he will do, and he closes his eyes when he says it.

"I'm done."

He takes one last look at her, afraid to see her. Afraid to see anything left to love, anything left to feel.

He repeats his words. And he leaves. He leaves her. He leaves that world, her world. He leaves everything. He leaves the past few months. He leaves every feeling he has felt in his heart for her.

Taking steps into the elevator is harder than he had expected it to be, but what is even harder is breathing. He almost has to gasp for air.
Is this what heartbreak feels like?

The phone rings. He doesn't want to answer it. He really doesn't.

But he looks at the number presentation. It's Sarah. His new friend. The one Serena was jealous of. The one he too secretly thought maybe had some interest in him.

He doesn't know why, but he answers anyway. She proposes to meet, so they can talk.

Talk. He's not really interested, but he says yes anyway.

After hanging up, he feels it again.

Pain.

Someone like Sarah will never make that feeling go away.

Only someone like Serena could. No, only her.

He's in love with her. How could that ever change?

The elevator stops, and he walks out.

Dan Humphrey has learned today's lesson, that's for sure: Love? HURTS.