Dance with a Devil

"Violet!" he exclaimed, surprised and yet relieved at the same time.

Violet smiled. Her eyes lingered on his black eye.

"Hi, Garrett."

He let her inside and he pulled her into a hug. Violet snuggled into his chest and they stayed like for awhile. She missed that. In the weeks that she and Garrett were apart, she'd never noticed how much she missed his hugs. They were filled with so much love and warmth.

"Let's go upstairs," Garrett said, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs. Violet saw his parents peeking through the kitchen doors and she took a breath.

Garrett plopped down on his bed and Violet smiled, looking around his room. He had such an adorable room, she thought. There were posters on every inch of the wall, ranging from Star Wars to Ryan Adams. She loved his room.

"I haven't heard from you in ages," said Garrett. "How've you been?"

"Miserable," Violet replied, honestly.

Garrett chuckled. "I know that feeling," he nodded.

"Do you really?"

Garrett was silent for a second. He looked up at her as she kicked the rug on the ground. She looked nervous and he chuckled.

"When you can't be with the person you love, it's horrible. Especially when you know that you're supposed to be together," he shrugged. "So yeah, I do, because you are the love of my life, Violet."

"You're waiting for my answer, aren't you?" Violet asked, still staring at the ground. "You want to know if I picked you or John."

Garrett sighed. "Yes, but–"

"It's hard, okay?" Violet finally looked up at him. "And so pathetic. It's pathetic because two men that I seemed to have feelings for are fighting for me, and I can't choose any of them. It's like I've been lifted onto a throne. And you know what sucks even more, Garrett? I'm a woman. I shouldn't need a man to make me happy, but the fact that my heart is telling me that one of you is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with is making me miserable, because I need to be with one of you."

"Violet, I love you."

"I know you do."

"I love you more than anything in this world and I want for you to choose me because I know I can make you so happy. I can give you what John can't. I can love you."

"I know."

Garrett fell silent. Their eyes locked for five seconds and in those five seconds, Violet saw her entire life with Garrett flash before her eyes. Their first meeting, their first date, the day they moved in, the day they became the most perfect couple in the world.

He closed his eyes.

"It's not me, is it?"

Violet looked away and she didn't say anything. She heard him let out a shaky breath.

"Wow, okay."

"Garrett–"

"I should be so pissed right now," he said, chuckling. "I got a black eye for you. And I'll do it again and again because I won't stop loving you. You were my life for the past two years, Violet Casey."

"And you were mine, Garrett Nickelsen," Violet said, giving him a sad smile.

They stood together in silence. Violet didn't dare move because it was the least she could do. Garrett finally found his voice and said,

"You should go before I go on a rampage and try and make you stay with me."

Violet let out a laugh and nodded her head. Memories flashed before her eyes as she took each step out of his house. His parents were sitting in the living room and the tears fell from her face and onto the hardwood floor.

She jumped into her car and sat there, taking deep breaths. When she finally got the courage to start the ignition and drive, she blasted the radio to drown out her thoughts. She drove so slowly that she knew she would get a ticket if a police car was around.

She stopped in the place she always stopped. She got out of the car and stood in front of the house. Anger was starting to boil up in her veins and that surge made her fish the keys out of its hiding spot and barge into his house.

"JOHN!" she shrieked, looking around. Her eyes landed on her mural and her breathing was getting heavy. She entered the living room and saw John in the kitchen. He spun around, holding a bag of peas to his lip.

"Violet?"

She marched over to him and stopped right in front of him, smoke billowing out of her ears.

"I should hate you," she said, her voice hard.

John looked at her, confused. He had a cut on his lip, but that was all that he got from the fight. It wasn't as bad as Garrett's black eye.

Violet shook her head. "I should hate you. You were nothing but horrible to me when we first met. You mocked my perfectly healthy relationship with the man that I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with. You were horrible to me when I did nothing but help you. And yet you became this man. I made who you are, John, and you do this to me. Why would you do this to me?"

"I–what?" John said, his mouth slightly agape.

"You destroyed what could've been the happiest thing going for me. You ruined my life," Violet hit his chest, pushing him back.

John took a step back and he closed his mouth. His posture straightened and he set down the bag of peas.

"I can fix it."

"You are ruining my life, John."

"Then why are you here?" he spat, angrily.

Violet closed her eyes. She stepped closer to him and touched lip. John flinched but at her touch he softened and stared down at her, his green eyes locked with hers. She shook her head and placed another hand on his face.

"I've been through too much with you that I can't give up, John. I can't give up on you. You went from the beast to the prince."

"Why. Are. You. Here?" John asked, his words coming out broken and shaky. "If I'm ruining your life..."

"Say it," she whispered, running her fingers down his face, causing him to close his eyes and grasp her wrists to stop her. "Say what I've been asking you to say to me."

John opened his eyes.

"I'm in love with you."

Violet's lips crashed onto his. John's hands found her waist and pulled her in as close as she possibly could. Violet wrapped her arms around his neck and she kissed him back with full force and without it being so wrong. It was right this time. It was her choice.

John broke off and he breathed heavily. He kept his hands on her body and she looked up at him and smiled, brushing a piece of his hair out of his face.

"I'm in love with you too, John O'Callaghan."