Be My Valentine?

“I’m done with you!” I screamed at him, hot black tinted tears sliding down my cheeks. I slammed the bedroom door shut, turning the lock to keep him out. I grabbed my bag from the closet, ignoring the attempts he made to open the door. I shoved as much clothes as I could into the bag; I’d come back later when he wasn’t home to get the rest. Right now the most important thing was to get out of here.
“Babe, just talk to me!” Craig called from outside the door, desperation evident in his voice.
”Fuck off!” I reached under the bed, grabbing my scrapbook from under it. There was no way I would ever leave this here, it had pictures of my friends and family in it; memories I was never willing to get rid of. Once that was safely at the top of my bag I pulled the strap onto my shoulder, grabbing my purse from the bed where I threw it when I first walked into the room. I didn’t have the heart to look around the room; I’d end up loosing my nerve. I walked to the door and put my hand on the knob. It jiggled beneath my hold as Craig tried to open it. I reached up and wiped at my tear stained cheeks, removing the evidence of my emotional breakdown.
“Charlie, please talk to me.” His voice cracked and I knew without seeing that he was crying. My heart ached at the thought but I stood my ground. I stood straight and turned the lock on the door, pulling it open. Craig stood there, leaned against the frame, his hand in his hands.
When he heard the door open he lifted his head, looking at me. He immediately burst into a round of apologies and attempts to get me to talk or at least listen to him. “You don’t understand, it’s not what you think. Just let me explain!”
I turned to look him in the face, “It’s not what I think?! Craig, you were gone for three weeks, you never called me once! Just 2 or 3 texts a week! And then I come home from work to find not only you on my couch, but some blonde bimbo on top of you!” I paused, my face red with anger and hurt. “So don’t tell me I don’t understand; I understand perfectly. I understand we are over. I can’t do this anymore, and I won’t.”
This time I ran from him, not caring about the rain pouring down on my hair that I spent an hour on straightening this morning. The tightening in my throat was the only way I could tell I was crying again; the rain mixed with my tears, camouflaging them. I opened the door to my car, sliding in. I was wiping the water from my face when the keys were snatched from my hands.
“Craig, give me the fucking keys.” I glared at his fist that had the keys in it.
“Not until you talk to me.” He held the door open with his free hand.
“I don’t want to talk to you!” I cried, grabbing at his hand, trying to pry his fingers open.
He ignored the scratches I was causing with my nails, his face never showing a flinch. “Charlie, don’t leave!”
“I don’t want to be around you! I hate you Craig.”
“I love you, and you know you love me,” Craig’s hair was plastered down by the weight of the rain. All of his clothes stuck to him in a way that would have made me swoon an hour ago. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me and I’ll give you the keys.”
I looked up at him, making eye contact for the first time since I walked in to find him with another woman. “I hate you Craig. Now give me my keys or I’ll make it so Leila will be an only child for the rest of your life.”
Craig stared at me, he was the vision of broken. He was lifeless as he dropped the keys into my hand and let go of the door. I shut the door and shoved the key into the ignition. I tore out of the driveway only glancing at my rearview mirror once; Craig was standing there staring at the car as the rain pelted down on him harshly. I broke my heart into pieces that I wasn’t so sure could ever be put back together again.

♥

“I’ll be fine Mom, stop worrying.” I sat down on the bed I occupied as a teenager.
“I’m just worried about you, honey.” My mom pushed my hair out of my face, something she’s been doing since my hair was long enough to fall into my face.
I gave her a weak smile, “I know. But I just want to go to sleep and pretend today never happened.”
She nodded and kissed my forehead, “It will be okay.”
I nodded back, praying that she was right and this awful pain would stop. I watched as she left the room, shutting the door behind her. I opened my bag and changed into an oversized t-shirt and a pair of cloth shorts to sleep in. I sat back down and sat Indian style on the bed, my scrapbook sitting in front of me.
My own form of masochism; looking at all these memories we once shared. I looked at a picture from the first night we met, our first date, pictures of us on tour, us asleep together, us kissing. All happy memories… We were so in love, I don’t know why he would cheat. That only made it so much worse.

I hadn’t expected this. I knew that he got busy on tour and most nights he was so tired he forgot to call. I understood that; I wasn’t one of those clingy girls who required their boyfriend to call every free moment he had. He had a life and I was letting him live it because I knew at the end of the day when he slept he would dream about me and vise versa.
Tears spilled from my eyes as I turned to a picture taken a short few weeks ago. Craig and I in front of the door to our apartment; our first place we shared together. After we moved in he was sent up to New York to record a music video and I couldn’t go with him. I knew he was due to be home today, so I rushed home from work. When I walked in he had some blonde bitch on top of him. I went numb then, I blocked out most of the pain until I made it to my mother’s house.
“Would you dance
if I asked you to dance?
Would you run
and never look back?
Would you cry
if you saw me cry?
And would you save my soul, tonight?”

I heard my favorite love song playing loudly outside my window. I sat down my scrapbook and got up. I walked over to my window and looked out. Craig stood there in the rain wearing a tan trench coat, holding an ancient boom box above his head as he belted out the words to the song.
“Oh, I just want to hold you.
I just want to hold you.
Am I in too deep?
Have I lost my mind?
I don't care...
You're here tonight.”

“What the hell are you doing Craig?” I yelled down to him. “You’re going to get pneumonia!”
“I don’t care!” He said, letting the voice of Enrique Iglesias take over.
I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by your forever.
You can take my breath away.
“All I care about is getting you back!” He set the boom box down and started climbing the tree by my window.
“You idiot! You’re going to kill yourself!” Despite my words I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. This was probably one of the most romantic things I’ve seen.
He made his way to the branch right by my window. “Charlie, without you I feel dead. I love you and refuse to let you go.”
“Get in here you retard.” I pulled him through the window by his collar. I relaxed once his feet were planted safely on the floor.
He pulled me to him, soaking my clothes all the way through and I shivered. “Charlie. I promise you that nothing happened with that girl.”
“Than what did happen?” I looked away from him.
“I told her I would sell my old apartment to her. She was happy and she hugged me. It caught me off guard and I fell. She fell with me. Honestly it was all a big misunderstanding.” He paused and gently took my face in his hands. He turned my head so I faced him. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”
He leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. “I don’t to be the man who makes you cry.”
I looked up, meeting his eyes. “I want you to be that man.”
His face turned to a look of confusion.
I smiled, “But only if you’ll be the man who kisses away the tears afterwards.”
He smiled. “Always.”
“Promise?”
He made an X over his heart, “Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“Not without me you don’t.” I smiled and pulled his face down towards mine as our lips met in an electrical kiss.