(Some of the song lyrics from "Escape" by Enrique Iglesias are used in this
chapter - they aren't mine.)
"Shay, no! I- we- wait."
"I don't know what else to do, Aaron. I'm out of solutions. You said it yourself, we can't stay like this."
"Fixing does not mean abandoning, Shay. What happened to forever? We can make this work." he paused. "I love you."
Trembling, she took a deep breath. He was making this so hard.didn't he understand how long it took her to get here? Couldn't he see how hard it was for her to renounce everything she'd known for the past year and a half?
"No, Aaron, we can't," she tried to wipe away her tears, but one escaped. It tasted salty as it mixed with her strawberry-frosted lips. "We tried and look where it got us - right back where we started. I love you too.that's why this is so hard. Our friendship won't survive another fight like we had last Saturday.I won't survive it."
"That won't ever happen. EVER! I promise, Shay, I'm not going to ask you to skip any more tournaments. It was a big day, though.our year and a half mark.I just wanted to be with you. When you love someone, you don't just leave them." Aaron sputtered, wringing her hands in his. He was trying desperately to cling to something - anything.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It would be so much easier to just.no. Shay wasn't about to go back - not once she was this far. "There's a difference between loving someone and being in love with them."
"Shannon, my love will always be here. If you feel like leaving, I'm not going to make you stay, but I love you. I will never stop loving you." With that, Aaron slowly stood and, after gently wiping away Shay's tears, walked toward his car.
'Shannon. He called me Shannon,' she thought. She never let anyone else call her Shannon, just Aaron. There was something about the way he said it that made it his. His voice inflected when he called her and made her feel feminine.pretty.loved. She pulled her legs up onto the rusted metal bench, hugged them to her chest, and cried.
***
She wasn't sure how long she sat there. An elderly couple walked by, each holding the other as if they were their whole world. Robins flew overhead, weaving a melody with each other. A father and his son played in a sandbox fifty feet away until dusk fell. Two chocolate labs ran freely beside the paved path following a woman jogging. A few butterflies danced through a nearby tree. The world seemed to go on without her for hours. Seemingly oblivious to the world around her, Shay sat on the bench until dark, adjusting to, well, life.
"Miss?" a security guard was tapping her on the shoulder. "Miss?"
"Yes?"
"This is a public park. It closes at dusk.I'm sorry."
"Oh, yea, I'm sorry, lemme just-"
"Take your time," the guard interrupted.
"Thanks."
She gathered her thoughts and her purse and headed down the sidewalk. Although she was tired, Shay wasn't ready to go home. Instead, she found herself walking in the opposite direction of her house. She wasn't quite sure where she was headed, but felt drawn. She allowed her mind to wander and found it, and herself, standing in front of her church.
"Shay, no! I- we- wait."
"I don't know what else to do, Aaron. I'm out of solutions. You said it yourself, we can't stay like this."
"Fixing does not mean abandoning, Shay. What happened to forever? We can make this work." he paused. "I love you."
Trembling, she took a deep breath. He was making this so hard.didn't he understand how long it took her to get here? Couldn't he see how hard it was for her to renounce everything she'd known for the past year and a half?
"No, Aaron, we can't," she tried to wipe away her tears, but one escaped. It tasted salty as it mixed with her strawberry-frosted lips. "We tried and look where it got us - right back where we started. I love you too.that's why this is so hard. Our friendship won't survive another fight like we had last Saturday.I won't survive it."
"That won't ever happen. EVER! I promise, Shay, I'm not going to ask you to skip any more tournaments. It was a big day, though.our year and a half mark.I just wanted to be with you. When you love someone, you don't just leave them." Aaron sputtered, wringing her hands in his. He was trying desperately to cling to something - anything.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It would be so much easier to just.no. Shay wasn't about to go back - not once she was this far. "There's a difference between loving someone and being in love with them."
"Shannon, my love will always be here. If you feel like leaving, I'm not going to make you stay, but I love you. I will never stop loving you." With that, Aaron slowly stood and, after gently wiping away Shay's tears, walked toward his car.
'Shannon. He called me Shannon,' she thought. She never let anyone else call her Shannon, just Aaron. There was something about the way he said it that made it his. His voice inflected when he called her and made her feel feminine.pretty.loved. She pulled her legs up onto the rusted metal bench, hugged them to her chest, and cried.
***
She wasn't sure how long she sat there. An elderly couple walked by, each holding the other as if they were their whole world. Robins flew overhead, weaving a melody with each other. A father and his son played in a sandbox fifty feet away until dusk fell. Two chocolate labs ran freely beside the paved path following a woman jogging. A few butterflies danced through a nearby tree. The world seemed to go on without her for hours. Seemingly oblivious to the world around her, Shay sat on the bench until dark, adjusting to, well, life.
"Miss?" a security guard was tapping her on the shoulder. "Miss?"
"Yes?"
"This is a public park. It closes at dusk.I'm sorry."
"Oh, yea, I'm sorry, lemme just-"
"Take your time," the guard interrupted.
"Thanks."
She gathered her thoughts and her purse and headed down the sidewalk. Although she was tired, Shay wasn't ready to go home. Instead, she found herself walking in the opposite direction of her house. She wasn't quite sure where she was headed, but felt drawn. She allowed her mind to wander and found it, and herself, standing in front of her church.
