Sometimes, things just don't go the way you think they should. Love is a two person act, at least when it involves happily ever after. You have to understand that just because you choose them doesn't mean they choose you…
The light from the sun rising woke him up that morning. He didn't need to go to work so he hadn't bothered to set an alarm. It was rare he had these days off and he was going to make the most of it. A late start to the day, followed by a lazy afternoon of video games, then some take out and a movie to finish the day. He had his day all planned out, little did he know that the day had very different plans for him.
She was up early like everyday. There was a lot of work to do; there was always a lot of work to do. It was going to be a pretty quiet day though, nothing was planned and there was nothing urgent on the agenda. All that needed to be done was some catch up paperwork. No one else was going to be around that day, she was going to have the place all to herself and that was fine with her. She enjoyed being alone. It gave her the time to think that she really needed, especially lately. This was going to be her day… Or so she thought.
He doesn't understand what compelled him to get dressed and leave. There was a force that was driving him that he couldn't explain. It led him right here. He saw her car, knew she was here, knew what he needed to do, but had no idea how this had come up for today. This wasn't supposed to happen today. He took a deep breath and headed inside, to face something he never thought he would actually have to.
She heard the door and looked up. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw who it was. He wasn't supposed to be here today. She was going to see him tomorrow and she had it all planned out. She knew exactly what she was going to say to him but that was going to be tomorrow, not today. Oh well, maybe this happened for a reason. Maybe he was here because something was trying to tell her that it needed to happen today. Quickly, she threw on a smile and got up to greet him.
He saw the smile she put on and it tore at his chest. This isn't how it was supposed to be. Nothing like this was ever supposed to happen. He had thought he knew what he wanted, how this was going to end, and this wasn't it. The stairs seemed to take forever that day. It was probably the sick feeling in his gut that made them seem that way. That smile was murder to his heart because he knew it wasn't going to be there for long.
Something was wrong. That wasn't the face she was expecting to greet her when she looked up. It seemed scarily familiar to the face she had seen on him a little over 6 months ago. It scared her. This isn't how it was supposed to go. She had this planned, she knew what they would do as soon as she told him, at least she thought she did. Seeing that look now made her wonder what was really going to happen. She had made a promise to herself though. Next time she saw him, she was going to tell him. No matter what.
He knew what she was going to say. Something in her eyes told him what was going to happen if he didn't stop it now. He didn't say a word as he walked up to her and gently grabbed both of her hands. He looked down at them for a good minute before looking back up into her big blue eyes. There was fear there, fear and uncertainty. Things he had rarely seen in her gaze. He knew what he was about to do to her and it killed him, but it had to happen.
She knew. She just knew what he was going to do and it felt like someone put a knife straight through her heart. He didn't need to say anything for her to hear it all. His voice, his words, his eyes begging her to understand. She wanted to rip her hands away from his, to yell at him, to hit him, to do something, but she couldn't. There were no words, no actions coming from her. She looked up into his brown eyes and saw regret, but peace. This was something he needed to do. He had to move on. He needed to say it though. She just needed to hear it once in order for it to be real to her.
He knew he needed to say it but he knew how much he was hurting her and he didn't want to add to it. The look in her eyes though told him she already knew what he was going to say and therefore it didn't really need to be said, but it did. Those eyes told him she needed to hear it in order to move on, in order to truly accept it and be okay with what was happening.
She looked down at their hands right as he squeezed hers then let go. He said it. It was barely a whisper and then he was gone. He just turned around and left and the words were left echoing in her head. The three words she never thought she would hear from him. Not after everything that had happened between them, not after the way he had felt about her, how she felt about him. She didn't know what to do as she sank back down into her chair. Her heart felt like it was breaking, literally shattering into a thousand pieces. How could three little words cause this much pain? It was a pain she had never felt before, a pain that made her want to curl up and cry for days, to just not face the world because now she had to face it without him by her side. Those three words that would haunt her for the rest of her days…
"I choose her."