This Is What Happens When Love Meets Destruction

Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of owning a cute two story house, with light grey trimming, and small flower boxes underneath the window sills. I wanted a big tree in the front, big enough to hold a tire swing just like the tree at my parents' house. I wished for a large front yard for me to plant my roses, tulips, snapdragons, and rhododendrons.

As I lean against my car, looking up at the house before me, it's hard to believe that it matched my childhood vision perfectly. Jack had gone through the troubles of looking for my dream house, and without batting an eyelash, had bought it. The boy has jumped through rings of fire for me, and crossed over many hidden pools of quicksand to abide to my every wish. So why was it that I had ran from him on our wedding day? Why was it that I had left him standing at the alter, a confused and heartbroken look on his face?

It's not that he wasn't good enough for me; Jack Barakat was so much more than I actually deserved.

The truth is that I was in love with someone else, someone a lot like Jack. A boy with a cute smile, and warm brown eyes. He was a sweetheart, with charming good looks, and a joyous smirk that sent the butterflies in my stomach into a wild frenzy. This boy was the boy who stole my heart when we were younger, and in an attempt to fill the empty void where my heart used to be, I pulled Jack into his place, hoping that things would fit just as perfectly as before. I've fooled myself into thinking that this was right for many years, but the truth is that nothing is ever as good as the original.

I know that it's unfair to Jack. After all the things we had been through, the good and the bad. We have a family together for fucks sake. All these factors weighed in on my decision making process, but after every time I went through and recalibrated my actions, it always led me to the same conclusion.

Alexander Gaskarth would always be the boy for me.

I'm not sure how long I stood there, staring up at the house. As if standing there and staring would put an end to the mess I had created.

After running away from my own wedding, I went straight to my parents house and changed before jumping into my car and simply driving away. I drove with no particular destination in mind, but rather just to get away from everything, and think to myself about what I was to do next. I made sure to call my parents and tell them that I was alright, and asked them to relay the same message to Jack. I didn't have the heart to talk to anyone else, least of all Jack. Jack, who had left me over twenty five voice messages, and had sent me over seventy text messages over the past two days.

I didn't listen to, or read any of them; I still can't bring myself to hear the pain in his voice, or read the hurt in his words.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced around the front as if searching for any witnesses for what I was about to do, and then straightened out my posture. Straightening out my shirt, and smoothing out my pants, I slowly made my way to the front door. Hesitating slightly, listening for any sounds on the other side of the door, before I tried the door handle. Finding it unlocked, I quietly opened the door and went inside.

Silently, I made my way through the house, following the quiet sounds of my two boys, who cooed as if someone were entertaining them with funny faces. I ended up in the living room where I found not only Jack, but Alex as well, holding either of my boys in their arms, keeping them preoccupied while their mother was nowhere to be found.

The thought of what I was about to do brought tears to my eyes, and I hastily wiped them away. A small sob escaped my trembling lips, bringing unwanted attention to myself.

"Vinnie?" Jack whispered, as if he weren't sure as to whether or not it was me.

"Hey Jack," I whispered back, and in an instant, Jack was on his feet, cradling Ryan carefully in his arms as he made his way toward me.

"Oh, sweetheart," he mumbled, a small tear escaping one of his eyes. Reaching up with his free hand, he caressed the side of my face, his fingertips tracing my cheekbone. His eyes searched my own, trying his hardest to read what was on my mind. After a few seconds, they quit searching and were replaced by a confused look. "Victoria Isabella," he said quietly, "what have I done to make you not love me anymore?"

"Jack," I cried softly, "you didn't do anything. It's all my fault. I'm such a stupid bitch, Jack. I left you standing at the alter for crying out loud!"

"Oh, no, shh sweetheart." Jack said, his voice breaking slightly as he wrapped his free arm around my waist. "It's not your fault." He tried to assure me.

"Yes it is, Jack," I insisted, "if I had just told you the truth, you wouldn't have been humiliated in front of our family and friends."

"The truth?" He repeated slowly. "The truth about what, Vinnie?"

"I ... " I trailed off, adverting my eyes to the ground; aware that Alex was still watching us, I didn't dare say anything else in front of him.

After a few seconds of silence, Alex must have took the hint, because he spoke up. "Jack," he said, carefully lying Eli down on his blanket on the floor, "I'll take Ryan. You and Vinnie need to go and straighten things out."

Reluctantly, Jack released me and walked over, meeting Alex at the halfway point. Over Jack's shoulder, I saw Alex look at me, and at that moment I knew that he knew that I now remembered everything from the wreck. His brown eyes pooled with a strange mixture of hope, happiness, fear, and dread. Gently, Alex took Ryan in his arms and stood there, watching as Jack crossed the room once more. Slipping his hand into mine, he pulled me from the living room and led me up the stairs, not stopping until we arrived at our room.

"Vinnie," Jack whispered, "babe, please tell me what's going on."

"Jack, I don't even know where to start." I muttered.

"Vinnie," he said softly, his fingers once more tracing over my cheekbone. Slowly, he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me lovingly. I kissed him back, wishing that if I did so, everything would just magically go back to how it was before. We all know that it's impossible to change the past, though, least of all with silly hopes and wishes.

Pulling away from Jack, I felt a few more tears start to fall. "The truth is, Jack, that I don't love you the same way that you love me. I thought I did but then ... something happened."

"What was it?"

I licked my lips, and then looked up, locking my gaze with him. "Then Alex and I got into that car wreck." I mumbled.

"The car wreck?" Jack repeated.

"Jack," I started, and then stopped, not sure exactly what I was going to say.

"What happened after the car wreck?" Jack asked.

"After the wreck, I was barely hanging in there, Jack." I said quietly. "I honestly didn't think I was going to make it, and neither did Alex. He ... he kissed me, Jack, and I kissed him back. Then ... he told me that he loved me, and that he always had, and always will. And I ... " I trailed off, not having the heart to finish the rest of my story.

"And you realized that you still loved him too." Jack finished.

"Jack, I'm sorry." I cried. "I didn't remember any of it, until a few days ago. Please don't blame Alex, it's not his fault."

"Not his fault?" Jack repeated, anger and frustration starting to show in his voice. "He kissed you, Vinnie! When he thought you were on the verge of dying! What the fuck!?"

"Jack, please don't get mad," I whispered.

"Vinnie, how the fuck can I not get mad about this? He's supposed to be my best friend! He shouldn't be going around, kissing my fiancé just because he thinks she's going to die! He's had his chance so many times with you, Vinnie, and then ... then he goes and does this?"

"Jack, it's not like he sat around, reminding me of it everyday!" I yelled, not because I was angry, but rather because I was scared. "He did his best to hide it from me, hide what he had said and did. Even if he still loved me, he tried his hardest to keep me and you together, Jack. He put your happiness above his, so you'd better remember that."

I'm not sure if Jack heard the last of my rant, because he was out the door, and making his way down the stairs before I had even finished. Scared, I hurried after him, but his legs were a lot longer than mine, and he was a boy hell bent on taking his anger out on someone.

Alex looked up from where he had just laid Ryan down to sleep next to Eli, and then stood up hurriedly when he saw the look on Jack's face. Backing up slightly, Alex held his hands up as if he were trying to reason with Jack.

"Jack?" He asked nervously, "what's - "

Jack cut his question short when his fist collided with the side of Alex's face, causing his knees to buckle, and he fell into a heap on the floor.

"Jack!" I gasped. "What the hell."

"He's the one that you love, Vinnie," Jack snapped meanly, "go ahead and take care of him." With that, Jack turned on his heel and left, leaving both Alex and me in shock.

"Alex, I'm so sorry," I cried softly as I hurried over to help him sit up.

I saw that there was a cut just below Alex's eye, but he didn't seem to notice the pain.

"Vinnie, if I could go back and change what I done after the wreck, I would. I would have never kissed you, and by now you and Jack would have been across the country, enjoying your honeymoon." He whispered. "I'm sorry; I never meant to come between you two. I forced you two together, I have no right to just come up and tell you that I still love you."

"Alex," I said quietly, "you thought that I was going to die; it's not like you just woke up one morning and decided to kiss me."

Alex sat there quietly, staring off into the distance. "Do you really still love me, Vinnie?"

"Yes," I admitted without a moment's hesitation. "You stole my heart, and forced me and Jack together without ever giving it back."

"Why do you love me, though?" He muttered.

"I don't know, Gaskarth," I replied, my voice thick with tears. "I just do. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"Honestly, it's more than enough." He whispered gently, before slowly turning his gaze to meet mine. He hesitated momentarily, deliberating his next move carefully, before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me deeply. Eager for more, I kissed him back, but he placed his hand on my shoulder, pushing me back slightly so he could break the kiss.

"Before I do anything else, I have to talk to Jack." He told me.

I nodded my head in agreement, and then sat back, watching as he climbed to his feet. He made a move for the exit, but he stopped, leaning over one last time to kiss my forehead gently.

"I love you, Vinnie." He said as he pulled away.

"I know," I called after him as he disappeared into the hallway. "I love you too."

A few seconds later, I heard the front door close, meaning that I was alone in the house with my boys. Gazing over at them, I saw that they had slept soundly through the entire incident, neither one of them having moved since Alex had set them down to sleep. As I watched them, I felt my heart drop once more, wondering how this whole thing would affect them in the long run.