Born to Love You

After my stroll, I went back to the flat and saw Josef sitting down on the sofa in the living room. His elbows rested on his thighs as his hands were clamped together in front of him.

I cleared my throat, "Hey... umm..."

He got up off the sofa and immediately walked towards me before grasping me gently by my arms and looking straight into my eyes. The emotions that I saw in his eyes made my knees go weak, I felt like I'd been slapped in the face with all the sadness and grief that stood out in his brown eyes.

I felt like all the emotions that he was feeling was because of me; like it was my fault that he was hurting right now. Technically, it was really my fault.

"Arie, listen to me... I love you." He whispered and gently trailed his hand up to my cheek before caressing it with his thumb, "I've been loving you for 2 years now."

"Why? Why me?" I asked breathlessly and placed my hand on top of his before sliding it down to his arm.

"Because you have this aura about you that always draws me in. At first it was just your beauty... and then I got to know you, I mean, really got to know you. Every little thing about you always makes me fall a little harder than before, Arie. I'm convinced that there will never be a time that I will ever stop loving you." As the words left his lips, tears simultaneously fell from his eyes. I wanted to wipe them away, but it was as if all my muscles were frozen. I couldn't move; I couldn't even look away from his tear-stained face.

"No. You can't do this, Josef. You can't say that. You'll find another one better than me." I reassured him as silent tears rolled down my cheeks.

He shook his head, "No one will ever be better for me than you."

"If you really loved me, you would have said it sooner. I also like you, Josef. There was a part of me that fell in love with you; it was a small part, but I fell for you none-the-less. If only you'd voiced your feelings sooner, things would have gone differently," I whispered sadly and trailed my hand up so that my fingers were enveloping the back of his hand while my thumb rested on his palm, "You're the kind of man that my family would want me to marry; you're smart, handsome, kind-hearted, ever-the-gentleman, and to top it all off, you're from the Princely family of Liechtenstein."

"But there's Liam." He whispered softly as more tears rolled down his cheeks.

I nodded.

"If we do get married, what will our marriage be for you?" He asked; the sadness interlacing with his voice, making my heart crumble in my chest as I tried to tear my gaze away from his red-rimmed eyes.

"A marriage of necessity." I answered quietly. He closed his eyes and wordlessly nodded before letting go of his hold on my cheek.

"I love you, Arie and I'll try everything in my power to stop this marriage from happening." His words cut me like a knife; stabbing my heart over and over.

"W-what?" I stuttered out as I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"I love you enough to let you go and be happy with Liam. I can't force you to be with me. I don't want you to be unhappy." He whispered and lifted his hand up once more to caress my cheek with his fingertips.

His words made me want to hurt myself even more than what I was experiencing right now. The pain in Josef's eyes were so evident that I wanted to take all the hurt that he felt and suffer all alone. There was nothing I hated more than when I hurt those who were close to me.

"I can't ask that of you, Josef. Liam will understand. Duty above self." I whispered sadly and ignored the hot tears that were still streaming down my cheeks. I didn't want to hurt Liam, but I also didn't want to hurt Josef. By marrying Josef, I can fulfill my duty to the people of the United Kingdom and I will bring honor to my family. But, I will never be truly happy. I will always want Liam.

"You don't have to ask, Arie. I will do anything to make you happy, even if I get hurt in the process. I only want your happiness." He whispered and wiped my tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"But what about you? I just can't be happy knowing that I hurt you so much." I answered quietly and placed my shaky hands on his waist.

"I'll be fine. As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

"Promise me... that if this marriage doesn't work out... you will find someone else who deserves all your love." I stated firmly as I curled my fingers around the material of his shirt.

He nodded and leaned forward so that his forehead was resting against mine, "I promise."

"That's all I ask." I whispered and leaned up to lightly press my lips against his in what I hoped was the final time. I didn't want to hurt him anymore.

I never wanted to be a princess in the first place. I never wanted any of this.

***

"How is he now?" Liam asked softly as we sat on the sofa in the living room of my old flat.

I'd asked him to meet up here so that I could tell him what had occurred earlier. Liam, surprisingly, took my news without any violent reactions. He just hugged me close to him and kissed my forehead over and over as he wept with me.

"He was sleeping when I left. I'm so sorry, Liam. I promise you, nothing happened." I apologized.

"I believe you... and I understand. This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't hurt you in the first place. I should be the one apologizing," He answered and tucked a stray strand of my hair behind my ear before kissing my lips lightly, "When can I talk to him?"

His question shocked me, but I, thankfully, managed to regain my composure immediately, "Talk?"

"Yes. I want to talk to him"

"I-I'll ask him about it."