Damn the Day I Met You

One night, it turns out, could get you into a lot of trouble. That’s what I realized before the night was even over. Sandwiches from my favorite shop and a night in watching corny movies may just have won my heart over more. Rose pedals leading to the bedroom and a nice relaxing bubble bath made sure I fell for him even harder. Candles lighting the room and his feathery touches sealed the deal.

Everything was so amazing, so perfect. So scary. That is the only reason I have come up with for what I said earlier this morning. I gave Tristan the answer he’s been waiting for, and yet I somehow royally fucked up. He wasn’t mad, oh no, mad would have been good in this scenario. No, Tristan Bertina was disappointed, hurt, and sad. The worst part being that he didn’t hide any of these emotions. Oh no. Tristan made it loud and clear that he was anything but happy about my choices.

“Two and a half weeks! You tell me two and a half weeks before?” Tristan exclaims. It was a reasonable question, one that I didn’t have an answer for. “And after last night? I plan the most romantic evening and you wake me up with this ‘good news’?”

He was right about that too. I probably shouldn’t have shaken him awake telling him I had some good news. I probably shouldn’t have made this choice in the first place. But it’s too late to back out now so I just have to sit here and wait for him to settle down.

Tristan continues to pace the room while glaring at me with sad eyes each chance he gets. “I have done nothing to make you want to leave early. And if I’m mistaken, please tell me. I need to know what made you decide this.” Then he stops. He stops moving, stops talking, and just stares at me with those tear laced eyes. He wanted the one answer I truly didn’t have the words for.

“It just makes sense. I start senior year in a few months and it would be nice to be settled in and all beforehand. Plus I—I think it will be less painful this way.”

“For who?”

“Me, you, all of us. The more we push this out the more feelings complicate things.”

“Feelings complicate things? Another month or two isn’t going to make it any harder to watch you walk away. That day will be torture for me. The next day might just be the worse of my life. And the weeks to follow won’t be any better.” He grabbed a jacket from the hook and left the room.

“Where are you going?” I chase after him down to the front door.

Tristan turned to face me for a split second. “I have some things to take care of.” And with that Tristan left the house without a single ‘I love you’ or ‘goodbye.’

Hours later I was still sitting at the kitchen table, replaying everything that happened and everything I messed up on. No one came home, no one called. I still couldn’t decide if this was a good thing or not. Sure I was worried, but I also knew that I was at fault and I understood that Tristan needed some time away. What made the suffering worse was that everyone I called to talk with didn’t answer or were busy. Even my own mother brushed me off.

When the front door finally opened I jumped out of my seat. It was well into the evening, past dinnertime, and I couldn’t be more relieved to see the two familiar faces. Lucy glanced my way and then stalked upstairs to her room. Tristan walked into the room I was in and pulled me into a hug. When he pulled back and saw my eyes he stepped away even further. “You’ve been crying.” He states, caressing my cheek and wiping away the tears.

“Well of course I have! I haven’t heard from you all day!” I exclaim pulling away from his touch. “I didn’t know where you were or who you were with and I didn’t want to become that possessive girlfriend but I can’t help it. I was worried sick when you didn’t come home. Especially after that fight we had.”

Tristan steps forward and intertwines his fingers with mine. It was a small gesture but enough to stop my rambling. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I admit that I left this morning due to our fight but I really did go to figure some things out.”

“What was so important?”

And like the adorable, romantic man he is, Tristan gave the easy answer, “you,” and pulled me into a kiss. A kiss that I swear I would never forget. It wasn’t just a kiss, but a promise that everything was okay and that everything will be okay.

“I don’t know about you but I have a ton of schoolwork to do.” He says when he pulls away. I laugh and detangle myself from him.

“Yeah, I have a lot of stuff to catch up on. Study date?”

“Mm. I don’t know how much studying we would get done if we were in the same room together.”

I lean in to whisper in his ear even though no one was around, “I’ll make the incentives really good.”

It took Tristan no time at all to grab his homework and pull me up to our room. Surprisingly a lot of studying and homework got done that night. We were lucky that Lucy only interrupted us once and that was during an actually studying period. She had apologized for how she acted earlier and was headed to bed.

“Three weeks.” Tristan says when Lucy leaves the room. His face was serious and stern.

“What?”

“Give us three weeks. Don’t leave the next day after class. Stay those few days, let’s have a short amount of time of this life without school.” He wraps his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. “Please, just give us those few days.”

“I have one condition.”

“Anything.”

“Don’t mention me leaving. Don’t plan for me leaving. Don’t throw me a party or tell everyone I’ll be gone. Don’t act as if it is our last days together no matter how true you are. I want things to be as normal as possible. I want to live in this house with you and Lucy, and I want to be in a relationship with you without feeling like the clock is ticking.”

Tristan smiles, “three weeks could be three years and I would still love you as much. Nothing is going to make that change. I would never make this a big deal, now or in the future. You are my girlfriend and you will continue to be my girlfriend.”

Three weeks. Twenty-one days. It felt like a lifetime away but of course a lifetime was always just a flash. I knew I made a mistake. I knew I would regret this decision the instant I stepped onto that plane in three weeks. But it was too late to change my mind now. I had to make a decision and I made it.

In three weeks I would be leaving behind the best thing that has happened to me and heading back the place I once called home.