October 18, 2011.

4:12 pm.

Kevin's figure towered over the counter at the local hardware store as he waited. He wanted to give her time, and space but he couldn't. He needed to hear her say that she forgave him. He needed to hear that she wanted to be with him again. He needed to feel her soft gentle touch of her lips on his again. He missed the way she would whisper softy into his ear that she loved him when they parted from a kiss. She missed the way her soft hair smelled like fresh cotton and a slight mix of perfume.

Gabriella Montez had seen the gorgeous boy make his way into her family owned business. She had avoided him at all costs in the past three weeks. Kevin had gone crazy, missing every thing about the small Latino. He called her fifty-seven times. She ignored it every single phone call that had appeared on Gabriella's caller ID as "Kevin." He left forty voicemails that she left unlistened to. Kevin managed to send eighty-three text messages. She deleted them as soon as they arrived in her inbox. He even tried to contact her threw a Facebook wall post. This time, she didn't give in to his ways. The way he'd show her his pearly whites, and emerald green eyes. It worked every single time before. But this time she had to remain strong.

At school, she hadn't made eye contact with him. She avoided the stares his bright green sent her daily in the hallways. The way he looked perfect in his baseball letterman jacket. The way his light hair laid perfectly on his hair. She felt her heart begin to ache as she saw him talking to another girl, Rachel. Although, she ignored the urge to walk over to him. She was too busy gaining the strength she needed to fix herself.

Kevin wanted to speak to her, he needed it. He had no other choice but to basically trap her into talking to him. He arrived at her father's hardware store an hour before baseball conditioning.

The bell that they kept at the front counter had been rung, indicating someone needed service. She took another look at the boy who stood at the front of the store. She noticed that he was wearing her favorite color on him, green. It matched his eyes that she loved so much. The colored shirt sat perfectly under his winter jacket. She soon found herself gazing at the boy, noting to herself how handsome he was. Quickly she snapped out of it, Gabriella mentally punched herself in the face.

Slowly, she made her way from the back of the small store to the front to greet Kevin. She watched as the boy had his back turned to her, looking at the hardware magazine that was placed on the rack in the front. She cleared her throat, making her appearance relevant. Kevin swiftly turned to see the brunette with her arms folded across her chest, a look of disgust on her face. She spoke first, "Can I help you with something?" She questioned, pushing herself forward, but slowly. She felt that if she moved to quickly her body would be pulled like a magnet towards Kevin's muscular body. She watched as he reached his hand up to scratch the back of his neck, a habit he had when he was nervous. Silence filled the air, as the two stared at each other. After a moment, he spoke. His soft, desperate emerald eyes bore into her rigid chocolate eyes. This is the first time they had made eye contact in three weeks. She didn't understand how her already weak knees didn't collapse right beneath her.

"Can we talk," His voice was clam, but she could tell he was pleading with her, desperation in his tone. He had taken a step towards Gabriella, reaching out his hand to her. She shook her head, indicating that she had rejected his request.

"Kevin, go home." She stated firmly, turning to organize the rack of magazines by the counter. She had noticed the muscular body of the baseball player tense up. The muscles in his arm contracted, as he took another step closer to the brunette who stood on the other side of the check out counter.

"Please Gabriella, just talk to me." His desperate tone now more evident than before, Gabriella refused to look at the tall boy as she now just fiddled with the books about hardware. She knew if she even took one look at him, she wouldn't be strong anymore. She would fall under his spell. His soft, green eyes would bore right into her soul, captivating her.

"We talked before, and I'm pretty sure I made it clear we're done. What else is there to talk about Kevin? I made it easy for you. You want to be with Rachel, go ahead. I'm not stopping you," She turned to face him, getting a good look his face. He had bags under his striking eyes. His light hair was messy, and he hadn't shaved. The impact of her words hit him hard.

"I don't want her. I want you." He stated firmly, a bit of anger showing threw his voice. Gabriella nodded; taking in his words, she then shook her head. Her loose brunette hair falling over her shoulders, as she moved to replace the roll of paper in the cash register.

"I don't believe anything you say anymore, Kevin. I wasted too much time. I gave you too many chances for you to tell me the truth." A small tear fell from her right eye. Her harsh words cut him deep. Of course he was hurt by her words, but she was the one suffering the most. He had done this to her so many times.

"I'm not lying to you. I want you." His voice soft, as it was the other night when things between the two had ended. "You're all I've ever wanted. I need you. I love you Gabriella Montez," Gabriella had stopped what she was doing to look at Kevin.

"You don't need me, you never did nor will you ever need me. You don't love me; you love the idea of me. You only want me when it's convenient for you. And I used to wake up every day hoping that you want to be with me. That maybe you still care about me. I let you love me like this, because it's better than nothing. But I know very well, that I deserve better than this, Kevin. And when I think you've changed. When I think that this time it'll be different. You go and prove me wrong. You've run out of second chances. I'm not going to wake up anymore hoping you still love me, and want to be with me. It's not right for you to love me when you can. Maybe someday you'll realize how much I truly cared, and loved you. And when that day comes, I'll have moved on, to someone who never let this hurt control me. I'll have someone who wakes up everyday loving me, and all of me, and someone who wants nothing else than to have me forever. I know you're not him, Kevin." Tears were now spilling from the eyes of the petite brunette. Silence filled the air as Gabriella's rant had come to an end. Neither had expected that to come from her.

Kevin took a step towards the crying girl. He reached for her cheek. She shook her head, pushing his hand away. She looked at his pleading eyes. She was filled with so much anger towards the boy, but immediately softened when she looked into his eyes. His once bright green eyes, now dark with sadness. "Please Gabriella." His voice cracked as he reached for her beautiful face. She didn't deny him this time, letting his hand rest on her smooth cheek. Whipping away the falling tears, his soft voice speaking again, "You know when the first tear falls from right eye it means happiness," She looked up at him. "And when it falls from the left, it means pain." He paused, letting his soft lips fall on her forehead. "You deserve to be happy," He stated against her forehead. Something he did, that she loved. She nodded, wrapping her tiny arms around his massive figure. "I'm sorry Gabriella, I really am."

She let his massive arms envelop her as she cried into his chest. She was trying to process how she wound up in his arms once more. The smell of his cologne filling her tiny nostrils. Kevin had been her first love, and she needed to get away from him, to feel again. Taste the kiss of someone knew. Kevin knew he held such a high rank in her heart. And he would use that to his advantage. He took advantage of the one who loved him more than words could explain. She broke every single time he did this. She was afraid that if she didn't take the baseball player back into her arms every time he had come crawling, she'd never feel love like they had again. She was wrong.

"Please stop that," She managed to squeak out. A sniffle following as she pulled apart from their warm embrace. Her chocolate brown stared into the green orbs. A state of confusion passing over his face. "Stop telling me that you're sorry. Stop it. It'll only make things worse, for both of us. Don't you see that?" Her tone had gone from quiet to more harsh within seconds. "I should be the one saying sorry here. You know why?" She paused, anger rising in her tiny body. Her dark eyes filling with rage. "I'm sorry for letting this go on this long. I should've stopped this when it happened the first time. The first time you left me for someone else. I was alone, by myself. But when you wanted me, I was there for you. I cradled you in my arms as you said you were sorry for hurting me. And all I said was that it was okay. And it wasn't. It never will be, Kevin. Don't you see that?" Kevin remained speechless as Gabriella turned her back o him, walking towards the counter where she resumed filling the cash register with a roll of paper, she spoke again. Her voice was softer, more delicate then moments again. "I was just to blinded by the fact that I loved you more than I loved myself. I'll love you forever, Kevin."

He was taken back by the last sentence she let leave her lips. "You will?" He questioned, stepping forward again to be closer to the beautiful Latino that stood in front of him. He thought she was still beautiful. Her brown hair was pulled neatly into a ponytail at the back of her head. He scanned her wrists. The bracelet he had gotten her for their six month anniversary still attached to her wrist. His eyes traveled over the small brunette's body. Just as Gabriella did, Kevin looked at her. Examining her closely. He then allowed his emerald green eyes to attach onto her avoiding chocolate ones.

"Yes, that's the problem." She said in a quick breath, her eyes avoiding the green beams that were desperate for her brown ones. With those four words Kevin then felt the pang in his chest that Gabriella had been feeling for over a year now. He felt the desperation she had. The need to love someone who had given up.

Kevin went to speak those two words that she had forbid him from saying. But he refrained and reached across the small counter. He was surprised when she allowed him to rest his hand on her cheek. He repeated a phrase he had earlier, "You deserve to be happy," And with the he leaned over and left a small kiss on her forehead. Gabriella closed her eyes tightly as if she were a little child at a birthday party making a wish as the candles on her cake had been blown out.

Their candle had been blown out.