Love's Requiem

That’s right he had a date, which really wasn’t the problem. It was he had the balls to bring Lisa as his date. I automatically balled up my fists when I saw the two of them walk in, Alex had a dumb grin on his face, and Lisa looked overly happy. Before I could even turn my head, Jesse, and Frankie were at my sides with Niko shooting us a strange look from where he was talking with some people.

“Easy Bella,” I heard Jesse say to me in a low tone.

“B, chill” Frankie told me as he put his hand on my arm cautiously.

“Go to Niko” Jesse told me. “Bella, go to Niko now.” He repeated.

“Come on B,” Frankie told me as he led me to Niko.

“That’s the bitch,” I told Niko in Croatian.

“Is he for fucking real?” I heard Jack say to Rian as I hugged Niko tightly and buried my face in to him.

“It’s okay Isabella, nothing is going to happen as long as I’m here.” Niko assured me in
Croatian and kissed the top of my head.

“Bella! What up?” Alex exclaimed coming up to us.

Frankie tried to immediately jump in front of me and get in Alex’s face but luckily Jesse stopped him.

“Nothing much Gaskarth, how are you?” I said being polite.

“Can’t complain, hey Niko, Jesse, Frankie.” He said giving the three of them head nods.

“Hey Bella, great apartment.” Lisa said in a fake tone.

Niko gave me a squeeze just as I opened my mouth to say something, “Thanks, I’ll catch you both later I better go say hi to Gabe.” I said walking away with Niko.

“I want to claw her face off.” I said bitterly in Croatian.

“About time you come to say hi to me, my little Dalmatian sex fiend.” Gabe joked hugging me; Niko gave me a strange look.

“You’re so much better off just not asking, Gabe this is Niko, Niko this is Gabe.” I said introducing the two.

“I’ve heard of you!” Gabe laughed, “How ya doing man?” He asked shaking his hand.

“Good, and yourself?” Niko said politely.
“Can’t complain, well I could seeing as someone who lives maybe a half hour away never wants to chill with me.” Gabe went on giving me a fake glare.

“I told you I couldn’t stand you.” I retorted sticking my tongue out. “Play me some midtown songs and I’ll hang out with you.”

“I’ll play two if you play one with me.”

“You’re serious?” I asked in shock.

“As a heart attack sailor moon.”

“Hold on a sec!” I exclaimed darting for my room grabbing my two acoustic guitars and running back. “Okay, okay, let’s do it!” I exclaimed, yanking him to the couch to sit with me, and also yelling at Frankie to kill the music.

“What song do you want me to play?” Gabe asked while I tuned the guitar I had.

“Like a movie.” I told him.

“Alright, I’ll play that after you and I play Comfort in yourself, do we have a deal?” He asked as Niko sat on the arm of the couch next to me.

“Definitely.” I nodded as I tuned my guitar down.

“1.2.3. Go.” Gabe counted off as we both began playing the song.

Unfortunately I had to start off the song,

“How come everything always has its way of turning right back around again?” I sang.

“Like that night that she was leaving and not believing that this time her fears were all just
doubts.” Gabe sang.

By this point everyone was now paying attention to us, it also looked like Alex had ditched Lisa with Kara so he could stand a few feet away from Gabe and I.

“I’m never going back, I’m over feeling sorry so just deal with it. There’s nothing wrong with that, find comfort in yourself and know that what you have’s not what you are.” We both sang the chorus.

And then it slightly hit me why Gabe probably chose this song, to help me realize I shouldn’t be this bummed out over Alex. At least not tonight I shouldn’t, so I continued playing the song, and when we finished Gabe played my request and I enjoyed myself. As it got closer to midnight, Frankie, Jesse and myself began setting everything up on my roof for when it was time. We had bottle rockets, firecrackers and some sparklers by Jesse’s request. We also began bringing up all the champagne bottles that way the frigid air would quickly chill all the bottles.

“How you holding up B?” Frankie asked while Jesse headed back inside.

“Trying not to think about it.” I told him honestly.

One thing Frankie and I always seemed to bond over through out the years, heartbreak. He was there for me when I first ended it with Niko, and then while that went on he also was having similar problems of his own. We also both tended to react the same way to things so it was easier to calm the other down and get through to each other.

“Look, sometimes you have to realize that maybe what you want isn’t what’s always good for
you.” He told me as we leaned against the ledge.

“I’m not following.”

“What I’m trying to say is, you’re 24 and still are going through a tough break up. The guy you want to get with keeps playing games with you. Maybe you should give it a break and see what else is out there? Why put all your chips on red when there’s always black?”

“I guess, I mean that makes a lot of sense. I think I’m just pissed that he had the balls to bring her after everything.”

“Come on B, you know why he did it.” He said shaking his head. “Who’s staying with you currently?”

“You think this is all because Niko’s here?”

“I don’t think, he’s insecure and he really should be because personally I’ve got nothing but nice things to say about Niko. So what better way to get back you, and try to make you jealous than get with the chick that hit you.”

“Yeah but then that just goes against any common decency we have as friends.”

“Well it could be worse, they could be all over each other in your face.”

“That’s true.”

“Come on B, let’s go back in it’s getting cold.” He said as we headed back down the stairs in to my apartment.

“So Bella what are you going to do on your time off?” Kara asked me while the two of us were talking with Gabe, Zack and Rian.

“Going to Russia.” I told him honestly, as I glanced over at Niko who was talking with Frankie in the kitchen.

“Okay, now really what are you going to do? Vegas again?” Rian chuckled.

“No, I’m really going to Russia. Niko is taking me as a Christmas present.” I explained,

“Wow” Kara said looking at Rian.

“In defense before you all think something, the Croatian national team is playing Russia and it’s the last game so he’s taking me.”

“That now makes a lot of sense.” Zack nodded, “That sounds pretty sweet none the less.
How long and when?”

“About a week in the middle of January.”

“Nice,”

“It’ll be cool, I always wanted to go to Russia.” I told them as I looked across the room and made eye contact with Alex who gave me a small grin.

Around quarter to 12, Alex came up to me out of nowhere while I was heading to the bathroom.

“Why have you been avoiding me all night?” Alex asked me as I walked down the hallway.