I Didn't Know I Could Break Your Heart

Marrietta's hands shook as she pushed the intercom button for apartment 3B. She felt terrible about being here and even worse because of what had just happened. There was something about the way that it took him forever to get back to her that made her think she should just turn and leave. But her feet were glued to the ground. She had to try.

"Hello?" His voice was clear. There was no hint that he might be tired or annoyed by an interruption. That made her feel more confident.

"Uhh... hey. It's me." She paused, "I know I shouldn't be here and I have no right to ask you for a favour, but... Rodger and I broke up. And we're supposed to be friends, or at least we're trying to be, right? So, I don't know... maybe, if you'd let me, I could-"

There was a sharp buzz and he replied, "Come on up, Mary. You're always welcome to crash on my couch."

She smiled to herself as she pushed open the door. The halls of the building were a depressing grey and every door was the same light brown wood with a golden doorknob. It was the picture of conformity. Even though it was not the nicest of buildings and wasn't even in the nicest part of town, she had always loved the way it smelled.

The smell brought her back to a time when everything was fine in her life. When she was just rebellious and trying her hardest to piss off her parents. She had walked down these halls, nervously checking over her shoulder every five seconds and had knocked on the very same door.

He opened the door, smiling mischievously as he saw her. She felt a chill shoot through her spine. He took her hand gently and pulled her into the apartment. He made her feel like she was in a different world. It was almost has if she was flying high above the city.

Of course, the logical part of her brain told her that that was just the second-hand pot smoke that she inhaled entering the apartment, but her heart had always told her otherwise. It had always said that he was the drug.

It was the combination of the strawberry-scented shampoo in his hair and his always sweaty shirts from his hundreds of practices. The smell made her hot. It made her need him like he was water and she had been stuck in the Sahara desert for days.

He turned her around and traced a figure gently across her cheek bone, "Hey there, beautiful," He whispered, kissing her right next to her lips, "You're a little late, honey. Anything been bothering you?"

"No," She lied, pressing her lips into his. He was her escape. The only way she could make herself forget everything that had happened. She knew that she shouldn't be there. The danger in the situation was burning in her blood, causing all of her worries to run through her mind in one word: Parents. "Are you sure they don't know about this place?"

He laughed, "Mary, your parents are never going to find us here. It's my little secret. I've managed to keep my parents from knowing about it too. It's the ultimate bachelor pad. A place where kids and parents will never find the people that they're looking for. Trust me, baby, they don't know you're here."

"They always used to know when I was running off somewhere. When I was lying to them," She fretted, trying not to moan as he kissed her neck, "Please, listen to me for a second. It was really sweet for you to get this place so that neither of our parents would know, but... I have a feeling they still know."

Running a hand through his hair, he licked his lips softly, "Look, Mary, this apartment is going to be my home once I move out too. So if you're not comfortable with it, maybe you should just leave."

She had looked at him in complete and total shock. Slowly, she had nodded and walked out of the apartment, resolving never to go there again. Until now.

Knocking on the door, she took a deep breath. He had sounded friendly enough, but she couldn't help but think he wasn't going to let her stay. What she had done to him was horrible and looking at him again was going to make it worse. They had talked over the phone before, but never face to face again. She hated to think that he was just playing some horrendous joke on her.

He opened the door with the same smile he had on all those year ago, although maybe it was a little more subdued. Leaning against the door frame, his chocolate brown hair hanging in his eyes, he said, "You know Tyler's going to kill me if he finds out about this, right?"

Marrietta smirked, "Why? You're not scared of your best friend, now, are you?"

"Scared? No. A little doubtful of whether or not I can keep him from beating my ass when he finds out about us, yeah. Definitely," He replied, moving aside to let her come in.

"Trust me," She said, throwing her bags onto the couch, "You can stop him, Rudy."