The Road.

“Long time no see,” I hear someone say from behind me as I press the down button for the elevator.

I turn around slowly just to see Nathan smiling at me, I couldn’t help but to feel bad, the last time I had seen him had been a little bit over two months after our date.

“Hi Nathan,” I say in a low voice, I really didn’t know what else to say.

“I thought you had gone back to Paris.”

“Not yet, I have some… unfinished business.”

“By unfinished business do you mean Alex and you sister?”

My mouth drops, I couldn’t help myself. “W-What are you talking about?”

“I’m not stupid Meghan, I put the pieces together. You and Alex making out in the elevator, then trying to cover it up in front of your sister, not to mention that night after our date-”

“How do you know about that?”

“Well I was going to ask you out on a second date, but I guess I was too late.”

I look away feeling my stomach sink, how could have I been so stupid? Why did I have to believe that things with Alex were going to somehow work out? Why couldn’t I have seen that I had an amazing and caring guy who could have possibly made me happy.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble wishing the elevator would be here already.

“Nothing to be sorry about, it was just wrong timing.”

“Bad timing,” I repeat.

All my fucking life had been bad timing.

Bing. The small elevator bell rings as the doors open. I walk in and press the ‘L’ button.

“If you ever need anybody to talk to, you know I’m there for you.”

“Thank you Nathan,” I tell him with a small sincere smile.

Soon the doors open and I walk out and head out onto the crowded street. I stuff my hands into my pockets and walk towards Jack’s apartment.

I could feel my stomach twisting into knots as I walk into Jack’s building, for some reason I had a really bad feeling about being here.

I sigh and knock on Jack’s door twice before it opens, and then my heart drops as I see Alex standing in front of me.

I stand there staring at him unable to move or say a single thing.

“What are you doing here?” He finally asks breaking the silence.

“I have to go,” I whisper and turn around quickly.

I couldn’t go in there, not with him here. I couldn’t believe this was happening, why was I acting like this? So weak and fragile? Why couldn’t I just tell him it was none of his business?

“Meghan!” He shouts as he begins to follow me.

I walk rapidly down the stairs trying to ignore his footsteps getting closer to me.

“Meghan,” he says taking a hold of my arm.

“What do you want?”

I stare at him, part of me hoping he would just kiss me and tell me everything is going to be okay, but he just stands there with nothing to say.

“I have to go,” I say in a low voice just as he lets go of my arm.

I turn around and finish walking down the stairs.

_______________________

“I’m glad you could come,”

“That’s what friends are for,” Nathan says with a big smile.

I smile back and look down at my cup of tea.

“You still love him, don’t you?”

I nod; there was no point in trying to lie anymore. “I wish I didn’t, I wish I could just erase him from my heart.”

“We can’t help who we love, but we can try and decide if it’s worth it.”

“What if I can’t move on? What if I love somebody I can’t be with for the rest of my life?”

“There’s always going to be a small part of you that loves him, but you will find somebody who loves you back and deserves to be loved by you.”

“You really think so?”

Nathan nods with a small smile, “you just have to take every chance and opportunity love throws at you, you’ll have some great times and not so great times as well.”

“I’m scared; I’m scared that nobody is going to want to be with me.”

“That’s not true.”

“I’m weird, emotional, lost, confused-”

“We all feel that way Meghan; people just pretend to be alright.”

“Are you alright?”

“I’d like to think so,” he says with a smile just as there’s a knock on the door.

“I wonder who that is” I say placing my cup on the coffee table.

I head towards the door and then I open it just to see Alex standing in front of me.

“I know you don’t believe me, but I love you. I love you with all my heart,” Alex says and I can hear the sincerity in his voice.

“It’s too late, you should have figured that out a long time ago,” I say in a low voice.

“We can try it again, this time we’ll do it right,” he whispers cupping my face in his hands.

I stare into his eyes, I wanted to tell him I love him, that I wanted to be with him but the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth.

“Please say something.”

“I love you.”

And before I can say anything else his lips crush with mine. He kisses me softly and gently, just like he used to when we were teenagers, back when everything was as perfect as it could be.

I pull away and shake my head.

“I can’t be with you, I know you’ll break my heart again and I can’t go through that again.”

“Meghan I love you, and only you.”

“Please leave, pretend we never loved each other, pretend that this never happened.”

“Meghan please, give me a chance, give us a chance.”

“I want to, but I can’t. I know you’re going to break my heart and two times is enough,” I tell him as I step back into my apartment.

“You don’t love me; you think you do because Ariana doesn’t want you anymore. But I’m just your second choice, and I deserve better than that.” I tell him and close the door.

I though stand up for myself would make me feel better but it just made me feel worse. I had finally rejected the last chance of being with Alex ever again.

“Everything is going to be okay,” I hear Nathan say.

“I know,” I say in a low voice just as he gives me a comforting hug.