Summary: Ron does something stupid, really stupid. And it's cost him the love of his life. The story will start out with "the incident" and continue with flashbacks of when he's in school and when the relationship began, all leading up to this first chapter and bits afterwards. Ron/Hermione
Chapter One: AloneHe stood in the hall outside of the apartment door, hesitant upon entering. His shaking hand brought the silver key to the lock, slowly turning it until he heard the soft click and the door unlocked. He reached out to open the door; the metal knob felt cold, icy. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning the knob and pushing the door open. Opening his eyes, reluctantly, he stepped forward into the semi-darkened room. The setting sun sent pale rays of warm light into the apartment; they cast eerie shadows. He crossed the room to close the half-opened curtains. They're midnight blue; blue was her favourite colour. Sighing heavily, he retreated to the sofa, falling carelessly backwards onto the plush cushions. He stared at the vast space around him; it had emptied considerably now that her belongings were gone. The room was cold, dark, empty. It mirrored his own feelings. He leaned back and once again closed his eyes. He pulled off a gold ring from his finger and subconsciously played with it. He let the haunting events of recent sweep him away.
"I have to tell you something," he said softly. They were seated on the couch facing one another. He held her hands in his own.
"What is it love?" she asked.
He cringed slightly at the word. I don't deserve to be called that. He stared at her intently. Her eyes were filled with concern.
"Did something happen?" she questioned.
"Y – yes," he stuttered. He knew this was going to be difficult, but he didn't realize how much.
He saw fear flicker into her golden brown eyes.
Oh Merlin, she doesn't deserve this.
"I did something," he began. He felt his hands become cold and clammy, he felt his chest tighten, he felt himself start to tremble.
"What? What did you do?" He could see the fear growing in her eyes.
"I did something," he repeated. "Something really stupid. I wish I could take it back. I'm so sorry." Her grasp tightened on his hands. He knew that she could tell what was coming.
He took a deep breath and continued, never once looking up at her. "After the Quidditch match, we decided to go out to the nearby pub, to celebrate our victory. And we were having a really good time, and there were a lot of people there congratulating us. I had too much to drink. I saw a woman sitting alone, so I went over and talked to her." He tensed up. He was about to lay the final blow. "We left and went to her house. I was so drunk, I didn't realize what I was doing. One thing led to another, and I…" He could feel tears prickling his eyes. "… I… slept… with her."
Her hands pulled away from his. He looked up at her; there were tears falling down her face, her eyes were filled with such pain and anger. It was the worst thing he had ever seen in his life.
"You… bastard," she seethed.
It hit him hard. He finally broke. The tears that threatened to spill finally fell from his eyes.
"I'm so sorry!" he cried. "I didn't know what I was doing! I would never do anything to hurt you! You know that!"
"Well it's too damn late for that," she spat.
She stood abruptly and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her, but not before dropping something on the ground.
He walked over and picked up the tossed item. It was her wedding ring. He stared blankly at it.
The silence was deafening.
He was pulled from his reveries. He felt the salty sting in his eyes. His gut was overwhelmed with an empty, sickly feeling.
Why did I do it? I loved her so much. She was my whole world. All she did was give me her undying love. And I broke her heart.
He ran a hand over his face, staring blankly at the floor. He felt the overwhelming pressure on the room build up on him. He was surrounded by feelings of hate, anger, pain, betrayal, sadness. He doubted whether or not he could ever feel joy or happiness again.
He had broken her heart, betrayed her trust. He could never repair the damage that was done. So she did the only thing that there was to do. She left. And with her she took a piece of his heart. But he had deserved it. Despite the hollow empty feeling left inside, he knew he deserved it.
He stood up and walked into the kitchen. The gold band was left on the couch.
X-X-X
He opened the wooden cabinet door and pulled out a glass cup. He filled it with cold water from the faucet. He brought the glass to his lips and took a long gulp, feeling the coolness of the liquid slide down his throat, slide down his chest. It didn't help him feel any better, though. The anger and emptiness still lingered. It was a fire inside of him that could never be quenched.
"ARAGH!" he screamed, hurling the glass against the wall. It shattered into hundreds of pieces; the bits of glass and water sparkled like crystal – mystically, almost – in a faint patch of orange sunlight. He stared at the crystalline effect it created on the deep-coloured maple flooring.
In weakness he slid down the side of the counter. Tears flowed freely.
Realization finally hit him.
He was back where he started. Back to the place it took so long to run from, where he tried to run from. The one place he hated; the only place he truly feared.
And it was his fault that he was there. It was his own stupidity that led him to that fearful place. He had allowed himself to get caught up in the moment, to let his guard down, and to disregard all that he cared for.
He felt himself succumb to the darkness that threatened to take him. He was falling into his worst nightmare.
He was alone.
x x x x
A/N's: just re-doing this chapter. It was quite on the 'blech' side. lol. Ok, so now that this will actually be a story, I thought I'd point out that the characters are in fact Ron and Hermione. Yay! They're so cute. Heehee. anyhoo… yeah. lol. I don't really know what to say. Haha. Oh well. P
I want to thank Val my beta – w/o you I'd be lost. ) thanks mucho! And thank you in advance to anyone who reviews!!!! I love you all! mwah! :D