Love is a Pretty Tragedy

[Chapter 10]

His breath heightened when those words came out of my mouth. Henry blinked a couple of times as it seemed his brain was still processing what I had asked him. It was a question, a very important one to make a girl wait this long for the answer. Was it that he wanted to ask me himself? Too early? We had not necessarily talked about marriage, but really it all made sense. This would make sure that we could be with each other now and in the future.

I was about to explain my timing, when he practically pushed me off of him. I stumbled backwards and tripped over my heel landing on my bottom. Henry did not even notice as he grabbed his clothes and started to put them on piece by piece. They were drenched from the rain, but it was like he didn’t even notice. His eyes were lost, somewhere else entirely. I was shocked. I stood up and blocked the door. “Henry!” I practically shouted at him. My voice made him focus, and his eyes met mine before he quickly looked at the ground. I began feeling very nervous. There was so much sadness in his eyes. He stood up quickly, now fully dressed, and grabbed his mouth. It seemed if he was afraid to speak. This wasn't looking good, and I didn’t understand.

"Es-telle." My name stumbled out of his mouth. "I can't."

It felt like my heart had just been broken in two. "Why not?" I spit out. We loved each other. We worked together. Many times I felt like we were meant for each other.

He was speechless at first, looking for something. Anything. "I don't want to. I mean…I just can’t." He finally got out.

"You don’t understand my parents are grounding me for the rest of the summer because of last night. They won’t let me see you otherwise." I tried to explain to him. “However, if we were engaged…they wouldn’t have a choice. We could wait a while until we actually get married, but…”

He shook his head as though he was trying to forget the reasoning I gave. "You heard me!" He screamed at me. "I don't want to. Maybe it’s better if I don’t see you anymore. Now let me out." I hadn’t even realized I was between him and the door.

Oh no, his anger is showing its ugly face. The one I remember from when we first met. There must be something else as I couldn’t believe what he was saying. That we should break up because my parents want us too. When have we ever done anything that our family wants us to?

"I don’t understand.” I then started to doubt us. Was his plan this whole time just to break up with me when the commitment became too real? I know we decided to just focus on the time we had together and not think about the future, but the future came a little bit earlier than we were both planning. Things just got real, and I needed him. How could someone who loves me do this? Why couldn’t we talk about this more?

A sense of bravery washed over me. Something that I thought could give me more time. “Tell me you don't love me. Is that why?" I blurted out. As soon as I said it, I knew it couldn’t be true. I wanted to take it back. To never hear those words again.

"I don't love you anymore." Henry said looking me in the eyes. A shiver ran down my back; I couldn't believe it. He was serious. My emotional stability shattered even more than before as it felt as though he had broken my heart in half and then proceeded to stomped on it a couple of times with a grin on his face. I could feel myself slipping into a depression. But first rage came. I couldn't stand to be in the same room as him, to smell his scent, to hear his voice. Everything I once loved, I now hated and all in a millisecond. I looked at him one more time with disgust, but also with a desperate hope that he would take it back.

Our eyes met again for an instant and his were impossible to read. He had a somber expression on his face as his eyes quickly darted to the ground. My chest started heaving and soon enough the tears came in buckets; I had no one to turn too anymore. I couldn’t help it, a gut reaction. I slapped him across the face that left a sting in my hand before I slammed the door behind me. I ran out into the rain where no one could see my tears. I kept running into the house. Everyone was staring at me, but no one followed my dripping footprints up the stairs.

I ripped off my soaking wet dress and plopped down on my bed. The tears were still falling hard; I was starting to cry more than talk these days. I really had no one. He was my everything. A boyfriend was never supposed to be your all, but he was. We were everything for each other. My brother; gone. My best friend; almost nonexistent. My boyfriend; no longer loves me. I only had my parents, who I hated and would never speak to again. I would soon have a new life in Chicago, but I knew that wasn’t what I truly wanted. I would have been happier with the decision that I had made today – to marry him and continue to live here at least for a little while. My heart ached inside, and I had no idea how to get rid of that feeling.

Henry’s POV

My feet would not move from their place. I could not believe what just happened. What I just said. I wanted to linger in the room where her scent still was, something after today I probably would never get to smell again. I do not know what evil inside of me made me able to look her in the eye and tell her that I didn't love her. In the back of my mind, I just kept replaying the images and emotions from last night. I had to protect her. I also started to worry about her brother – his body was missing from the casket. I realized that must have been his car that I saw and that most likely vampires did have something to do with his disappearance. How could I be with her when I am associated with them?

Seeing her tears, I wanted to take it back. I loved her so much. She was so much more of my life than I will ever be of hers. I wanted to hug her, tell her that everything was going to be okay. There was really no need for me to go that far. I needed to get my point across and break up with her, but I did not need for my final words to be that. This was not the time or the place for me to have to end things with her. Not when she is in her current emotional state. I despised her slightly for having to put me in this position right now. I couldn’t tell her that I was going to marry her, just to back out in a month that would have broken her heart even more.

I couldn’t help it tears started falling from my eyes as I sat down on the futon. I truly loved her more than anything. I felt more like the monster I truly was. Her keeping the human side of me died when I made her cry. Henry Owens now known as the popular, cocky guy that had everything but what he needed. I wanted to break something, scream my lungs out, or just kiss her soft lips again. I knew that I had to compose myself and leave before a whole house full of people comes after me after seeing Estelle bawling. I would have eternity to let those words ring in my head.

As soon as I entered through those double French doors, every eye in the place was on me. They all knew that it was me. I was the one that made her cry. My eye caught her father's, who had a certain glimmer in his eye, and a smirk to match. He was happier than ever, now I was finally out of his daughter's life. Something that he had wanted ever since I entered it. I knew what he thought of me. More than ever did I want to confront him now, but I knew that it would make everything even worse than it already was.

I took down the road in my pickup truck, not knowing where I was going. I couldn’t help to think of her giggling or singing along in the passenger’s seat egging me to join in. I felt as though I could look to my right and she would be there, her curls falling softly on her shoulders as she looked at me with such happiness in her eyes.

I slammed on the breaks and sat in the middle of the road. Where could I go and not think of her? Nowhere. I didn’t know how to live with myself. I wanted to turn back so badly. We were supposed to have at least another good month. A month that I was going to prepare how to tell her properly, not break her heart and mine. A silly little part of me wanted us to remain friends after she left for college. Then when she came back for holidays or summer break, we could have gone to our spot, and I could enjoy those moments again – even it was only a few hours. I was supposed to see her find happiness, follow her passion and age gracefully.

It was supposed to be so much different. A horn blew from behind me, and I saw it was a middle-aged man in a truck smacking on gum. I flicked him off before slamming on the accelerator. It was almost sunset, and I didn’t want to see myself on the streets tonight. If I was this pissed now, there could be a mass murder tonight if I stayed out too long. I wasn’t about to let myself hurt anyone else. As I got closer to the apartment, I could feel the old anger that Estelle had helped make disappear make its return already. I busted threw the front door, pissed at me, at everything.

My destination was my room, but I was stopped as I noticed that the lights were turned on. I looked to my left and saw the same guy that was over here earlier sitting at our kitchen table. This never happens. Twice, the same guy? Something was going on. I gave another glance at him. The mystery guy was extremely built with a chiseled face to match. His jaw looked as though it could crack anything. He had long black hair and almost black eyes. The most interesting thing about him though was a deep scar just above his eye. I raised my eyebrows to acknowledge they existed. I was about to continue onto my room, when my brother stopped me. "Henry, my friend would like to have a word with you." Keane's voice boomed through the room. He was pissed at me, probably for causing a scene in front of his "friend”. Although, he wouldn't call me out until after he left. Something was up. I slid out a chair and plopped down in it.

A smile formed on the man's face and two, incredibly white fangs appeared. "Henry, is it? Strong name." The stranger questioned.

"And you are?" I spat back. I wasn’t intimidated. Even though I had no idea how he already had fangs, the sun wasn’t even down yet.

The man seemed a little taken back, as well as Keane. He shook it off and set his strong arms on the table. He looked me in the eyes and said, "I have an offer to make you."