Breaking Hearts and Breaking Bones Has Never Been So Romantic

"You know, Alex, I'm glad that you thought of coming here." I said, digging my hands into the pockets of my hoodie. "It's such a beautiful day today." I added, looking around, taking in the beautiful sights of Central Park.

"Yeah, Alex," Ryland spoke up from beside me, "it's about time you came up with a useful idea for once."

Alex didn't reply with a smarty remark, nor did he reply at all which surprised me, so I turned to look at my brother. I found him to be gaze behind us, his eyes squinting in an attempt to keep the sun out of them. I cleared my throat slightly, getting his attention. As he turned to look at me, the light reflected off of his glasses and shone right back into my eyes, causing me to blink and look away.

"What?" Alex huffed. "You try to get my attention and once you do, you decide not to look at me?" He asked, a tad on the defensive side.

"No," I replied, looking back up at him, "I had to look away because you just about blinded me with those fucking glasses of yours."

"Oh," he said, laughing slightly, "sorry about that, but, as you know I have very little control over what my glasses tend to do."

"Whatever," I sighed, "what were you thinking about just now?"

"Nothing." He said, shaking his head.

"Come on, you had to have been deep in thought about something Alex, I mean, you didn't even flinch when Ryland was getting lippy with you." I said, nudging his side with my elbow.

"Oh, well," he paused momentarily, glancing over his shoulder once again, "I was just thinking." He mumbled, clearly not putting any of this 'thinking' he was talking about into the conversation we were having.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Brother, seriously, I don't know about you sometimes." I sighed. "And it makes no sense to me too because I know you're a smart boy, but, it's just that sometimes I worry about you. You know ... " I trailed off when I noticed some little whispers being exchanged between Alex and Ryland.

Turning to look at them, I noticed that they were also making gestures toward me, making me realizing that they were planning something.

"What are you boys doing?" I asked, causing them both to jump slightly; they had been so deeply immersed in their plot against me, that they didn't even notice I had caught them.

"Nothing." Ryland said coolly, shoving his hands back into the pockets of his jeans.

I opened my mouth to reply, but Alex cut me off by draping an arm across my shoulders, pulling me closer to him as we walked.

"Ryland and I have decided that you need a boyfriend, Angie." Alex said in a matter of fact tone.

"Yes, and we think that we've found you the perfect guy." Ryland chipped in. "He's smart, he's funny, and, as much as I'd hate to admit it, he's pretty damn good looking."

"He's quite the sweetheart too." Alex added, lowering his arm from my shoulders to let them hang at his sides once again.

"You guys, I don't want a boyfriend right now." I protested.

"Keep telling yourself that, but subconsciously you really do." Ryland insisted.

"So, who is this guy?" I asked, though I already had a rough guess as to who it was.

"Someone." Alex and Ryland both said at the same time.

"Alright, I'm going to do something that's gonna piss you off, but you'll thank me for it later." Alex said hesitantly.

"What?" I asked slowly. "Alex, what are you - "

Before I knew it Alex had placed two hands in the middle of my back and pushed me down to the ground. I was just barely able to pull my hands out of my pockets to break my fall, or, at least to keep myself from landing flat on my face. Feeling the sharp pain in my hands from the pavement scraping up the palms of my hands, I hissed in pain.

"Alex!" I screamed, and looked up, only to see that he and Ryland had taken off, looking as if they were running as fast as they could down the sidewalk, trying to get away from me before I got up.

Upon seeing them, I huffed and muttered a few choice words under my breath before I looked down at my hands to examine them. I frowned when I saw little bits and pieces of dirt and gravel embedded in my skin, and already as I saw the beads of blood starting to build up and flow out of the cuts.

"You bitch face, Alex." I mumbled as I made a move to reach over and brush away the gravel, but I stopped short when I heard someone come up behind me.

"Angie, sweetheart, are you okay?" Gabe asked, squatting down beside me. "What the hell was all that about?"

"My brother was just being a little shit ... again." I frowned.

"Oh." Was all Gabe said before he reached over, gently taking one of my hands in his to examine it. "Owch." He added, seeing all the scrapes and cuts. "Well, come on, Angie, let's go get this cleaned up." He said, and before I had a chance to reply, Gabe had picked me up with ease, and started toward a nearby water fountain, packing me bridal style.

Once at the fountain, Gabe gently set me back on my feet and turned on the water before taking my hands, putting them under the running water, and then started to help me wash my hands, ridding them of the dirt, gravel, and blood.

I sighed very, very quietly to myself, unable to keep my mind off of the thought as to how much I actually loved the feel of Gabe's soft hands upon my own. I bit my lip, watching him as he gently washed everything away and soothed away the stinging sensation. After a couple of minutes, he reached up and turned the water off before he reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

"Sorry, but all I seem to have with me is tissue paper." He said, reaching over to dry my hands off for me.

I raised an eyebrow, giving him a questioning look as to why he was packing around tissue paper, and he laughed slightly when he caught sight of my look.

"I had been coming down with a little cold last week so I started to carry some tissue paper with me; I guess I still had some extra sheets left with in my coat." He explained. "And don't worry, they're not used." He added with a half smile.

"Well, I'd hope not." I joked.

Gabe looked up, locking his brown eyes with mine momentarily before he lowered his gaze back down to my hands. He finished drying my hands, and patted away any remaining little droplets of blood.

"There you are, Angie." He said gently, throwing the tissue papers away into a nearby trash can. "Good as new." He paused for a second before he added, "Well, save for the cuts and scrapes." He grinned.

"Alright, thanks Gabe." I said, giving him a small smile.

"No problem."

With that, we started off down the sidewalk, heading in the general direction we had last seen everybody else. Beside me, Gabe shoved his hands into his pockets and began to hum a soft tune. Although I had only really known Gabe for a couple of weeks, I was already starting to pick up on his little habits, certain things he did when he was feeling a certain way.

And usually, when he hummed out a nameless tune, he was nervous about something.

"You got something on your mind, Gabe?" I asked quietly, causing Gabe to stop his humming abruptly as he turned to look at me.

"I'm sorry your brother pushed you down." He said simply.

"Gabe, you don't have to be sorry for it, you're not the one who pushed me." I grinned.

"But, I know I'm the reason why he did it in the first place." He said quietly. "Because, he knew that I would immediately come over and help you, while in the meantime everybody else would run away, leaving us by ourselves."

"Come on, Gabe, I don't think that Alex and Ryland would plan out something that childish." I laughed.

"Then where are they, if they're not 'hiding' from us?" Gabe asked with a half smile.

"They're ... " I trailed off, my eyes scanning the surrounding area, only to find that we were in fact left alone by ourselves.

At my silence, Gabe laughed softly, and then cleared his throat. "I know that your brother has been telling you all kinds of things about me having a crush on you." He said, his voice just above a whisper.

Suddenly, I felt a lump form in my throat as I began to fully comprehend what was going on. I frantically tried to swallow down the lump, while at the same time, keep my composure, trying to play it cool. But knowing me, and how I was with guys, I would probably say the wrong thing, or say something stupid.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gabe watching me, anxiously waiting for me to say something. I cleared my throat slightly and turned to look up at him.

"Yeah ... he has been telling me something along those lines every single night." I admitted.

"He's been kicking my ass every single day, telling me to tell you, so," Gabe paused for a second, his cheeks turning the lightest shade of pink, "here goes." Gabe took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I really like you Angie." He whispered. "I don't know what it is about you, but for some reason, I just can't get enough of it. You make me so nervous like you wouldn't believe, yet at the same time, you give me this feeling that I love. You're unlike any other girl I've ever met."

Studying his eyes, and his expression, I saw that there was nothing there to suggest that what he was saying was anything short of the truth. I didn't know what to say, how to respond; no one has ever told me anything like that before. No one has ever been so truthful with me before. Gabe frowned a little, and the light in his eyes dimmed ever so slightly when I didn't immediately answer.

"I know that you've been hurt many times before, Angie, but I swear to you that I'm not like those guys. I know I can be a bone head from time to time, and a jerk, but, I could never go out and hurt you intentionally like your ex-boyfriends have." Gabe sighed softly, reaching over to brush a couple of strands of hair out of my face, and then tucked them behind my ear. "I know that you're not looking for a boyfriend right now, but, I just have to tell you how I feel. I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend or anything, I'm just simply telling you the truth. But ... maybe one day, when you're not so scared of being in a relationship, we can work something out." He bit his lip, lowering his eyes to the ground. "Preferably someday soon." He added in a hushed voice.

At that moment, I cursed myself for never knowing what to say in these sorts of situations. Here Gabe was, standing before me, pouring his heart out to me even though he knew I wasn't looking to be involved with anyone at the moment. Here he was, telling me nothing but the truth, letting me know that he was willing to wait until I got over myself, and started to let others in once again. Here he was, Gabe Saporta, a man who, according to my brother and my friends, was the perfect guy for me, just standing in front of me, waiting for me to say something in response to everything he had just said. And, here I was, just standing here in silence, not saying a damn thing as if I had suddenly lost the gift of speech.

Gabe shifted nervously, his complexion now starting to turn a darker shade of red, and without a doubt in my mind, he was probably thinking himself a fool for saying the things me did. Suddenly, as if something inside me had snapped, I stepped toward Gabe, placed a hand on his cheek, and stood up on the tips of my toes to press my lips to his.

It took him a second or two to fully comprehend what was going on before he leaned closer toward me, wrapping an arm around my waist, while deepening the kiss. It was a simple closed mouth kiss, and Gabe didn't ask for more. But, I was still able to feel every single bit of his emotions, and his sense of longing as we stood there, sharing our first kiss.

Slowly, I pulled away, and couldn't help but notice the strange sensation that my heart was beating both faster and slower at the exact same time. Yes, I had thought it was something that could only happen in the movies, but here I was, experiencing the feeling for myself.

Above me, Gabe laughed nervously. "Oh, well, that was ... very fun." He grinned before he blushed, and laughed nervously once again.

"Yeah," I admitted, trying to suppress a little smile of my own, "it was."

Gabe locked his eyes with mine, begging me to continue talking.

"Gabe, you're a real sweet guy, and I admit, I'm starting to like you more than just a friend. And, I'm sorry that I seem so ass backwards when it comes to dating but, I just ... so scared to end up getting hurt like I have been so many times before." I paused for a second, contemplating what I was going to say next. "I just need a little more time, Gabe. I know I can trust you with my life, it's just that I'm not entirely sure if I can trust you with my heart yet."

Gabe sighed softly and nodded his head. "Alright." He said quietly. "I'll give you all the time you need, Angie, I'm not going to pressure you, or rush you into anything."

"Thank you, Gabe." I whispered.

Gabe bit his lip, studying me for a couple of seconds before he leaned over, kissing my lips gently. Only holding them there for a few seconds, he pulled away from me altogether and shoved his hands back into his pockets.

"So ... how about we find the rest of our gang?" He asked.

"Knowing them, they're around here somewhere, spying on us from behind some bushes or something rather." I replied, gazing around for them.

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like them." Gabe grinned as we started off once again.

My brother was right about one thing: ultimately in the end, I was thankful in a very strange way that he pushed me down when he did, because if he hadn't, it might have been a while longer before Gabe and I were left alone again.

I just hoped in that in the end, I would trust my judgment and make the right decisions. Goodness knows, I can't take anymore heartbreak.