He sat on the bed staring at the news paper, looking back at him was the face of the girl he once loved the girl he once had. As he looked at her face he remembered the days when they were happy younger years before it all go so complicated.
*10 years old*
"Bella, wait!" The little boy yelled as he tried to keep up with the brown haired girl in her yellow summer dress.
"It's not my fault you're such a slow poke, try to keep up!" The little girl yelled back as she continued to race through the woods towards her final destination.
"That's not fail Bell you know I can't run that fast." The little boy yelled back. After a few moments he broke through the trees to the stream, they had finally reached it. They slowed down and marveled at the water flowing over the rock and the grass with the flowers on the banks.
"It's so pretty." The little girl whispered admiring this magical place.
"Yea, almost as pretty as you." The little boy whispered back, causing the girl to turn pink in the cheeks.
He couldn't believe or understand how things had turned out. He looked at the smile on her face and saw how happy she was, how happy she was without him. Things weren't supposed to be this way, they should've been married by now with kids living a happy life together. How had this happen? He kept asking, but he knew how, this was his fault.
*14 years old*
"I figured out what I want to do with my life, I think." She said quietly to him as they lay on the banks of the river staring at the stars.
"What?" He said back turning to look at her.
"I wanna write, I want to write a great story that everyone will love, I wanna go and experience college and life, I wanna see the world. I wanna get out of this town so bad."She said with so much passion in her words you could feel it.
"Don't be ridiculous Bella you know the chances of you getting out of here are not greater than mine." He said crushing her dreams with his simple words.
"No I'm going to try hard I'm going to great in high school and get good grades, I'm going to go to college and get out of here."She said with conviction trying to prove that she was serious.
"Yea and who is going to pay for college Bella? Your dad, you know he don't make much being a small town cop." He said to her with anger in his voice.
"No, that's why I gonna do good in school, maybe I can get in on scholarship.
"Don't kid yourself; You know you're going to end up here. We're gonna get married and raise a family, you'll be happy a swear it, I can make you happy."He whispered the last part trying to make her understand.
"Maybe" She whispered sparking the hope inside the boy.
Everything had gone so well from there. They had spent most of high school together officially becoming a couple during the summer between their freshman and sophomore years. They spent all their time together, loving each other, laughing, and having fun. It was all perfect; it was all just as it was supposed to be, or at least how it was supposed to be in his head. He couldn't at the time pinpoint where it all went wrong but somewhere along the line in their relationship it had done wrong. He sat, still staring at her fact in the paper as he sipped his whisky. He was remembering now where things had gone wrong.
*18 years old*
"Gosh it's good to be back here." The now adult version of that little girl said.
"Yea, it's been a while since we've been here." He said as they sat together on the banks on their river in their spot.
"Tonight was really great." She said to him remembering the dinner that she had taken her to at a little restaurant in town.
"Year it was but the night isn't over." As he said this he got up and kneeled on one knee finally having worked up the courage to ask her what he had wanted to ask her the whole night.
"Bella Swan, you are the most amazing women in the world. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" She froze staring at him mouth hanging open.
"I...I don't know what to say. I mean…I don't, can I think about it?" That was not the one worded answer that he was hoping to hear.
"What is there to think about Bella? I mean come on we've been together for three years. You knew that this was going to happen. We are meant to be, you were meant to be my wife and to stay with me." He said slowly growing angrier as his rant went on.
"I just don't know if now is a good time, just let me think about it for a little while. Please." She was desperate to escape and to be alone.
"Yeah sure I guess." He said as he closed the ring box and stuffed it back into his pocket.
That night he went home trying to figure out a way to make her understand where she belonged, she belonged next to him. He sat on his bed with his head in his hands, building back his determination. He decided that he would talk to her in the morning and he went to bed still with the dreams of them being together in his mind and in his dreams.
The next day he went to her house and knocked on her door. When she answered she was wearing shorts with her hair a mess and her glasses on.
"What are you doing here; I thought I told you I needed to time?" She said surprised and upset that he had shown up here so soon.
"I know Bella but damnit, you just left me hanging list night." He was angry at her that she did realize that next to him was where she belonged.
"I told you I needed time to think about!" She yelled finally losing her patients with him.
"Think about what Bella? You belong with me!" He screamed back at her hoping desperately to get his point across.
"I'm not so sure I do." She said in a lifeless voice.
"What do you mean of course you do, this is the way it was always meant to be." He said to her his emotions playing in his eyes.
"I don't think it was." She said now with tears in her eyes her voice was cracking and she was so close to breaking.
"Of course it was."He yelled furious that she would think otherwise.
"I got a full ride to Yale." She whispered finally admitting the secret that she had been keeping.
"How?" He asked unbelieving.
"Doing what I told you I was going to all those years ago. I worked hard in school. You should know I was valedictorian of our class." She couldn't understand what he would think so little of her.
"So you'll turn them down say that you've decided to stay here instead." He was almost pleading with her not to do this, he was sure she wouldn't do this.
"I can't. This is my opportunity to get out." She said looking at her. He realized then she wasn't only talking about the town.
""I see." He whispered.
"Yea." She said now with tears running down her face.
Without another word he looked her in the eyes and turned around. He stopped at his car door and looked back at her.
"You'll never make it you know, you're a small town girl Bella, you belong here." With those final words he got in his car and left.
He knew then that his words were false, he knew that he used them hoping she would believe them. How could she though when he couldn't believe them himself. Those words could've broken he knew that he was hoping for that, A few days after that fight he received a letter from her in the mail. He dug through the box looking for it. He finally found it, old and worn form the many times that he had looked at it over the years.
Thank you for making me realize this wasn't what I wanted. I hope you have a happy life and can let me go like I've let you go. You'll find what you are looking for some day, what you're looking for isn't me.
Bella
He read it again it was short and sweet just like her. He looked down at the news paper again, looked at her face and the title of the article and he finally realized that it was time to move on and let her go. It had been almost 4 years, and he was still living for the hope that she would come back. Looking at the smile on her face in the picture he knew she wasn't coming back. He took the note and the newspaper with him as he stood walking to the kitchen. He opened the lid to his trash can and threw them both away finally letting her go. However before he closed the lid he couldn't help but take one last look at her face before shutting it.
Bestselling Author to be Wed
We recently received the news that bestselling author, Bella Swan is to be wed to her college sweetheart in the upcoming months. When asked about it she had this to say.
"I'm so excited; I can't wait to be by his side for the rest of my life. I've finally found the person I belong with and we can't wait to spend forever together". We here at the staff of News Now are very happy for the couple and wish them the best of luck.