Hopes And Hearts [COMPLETED]

ch 9 || THE PAST

Three years ago

Jeremy enters the room, closing the door behind him.

" I can't do this," he says looking elsewhere but her. His voice sounds shaky, barely a whisper.

Evelyn turns to face him.

She had feared this was coming, this conversation, but she didn't want to believe it actually would, not on the day they were getting married.

"What do you mean 'this'?" she interrogates in disbelief and dread. Her voice rising high.

He tilts his head looking down.
His palms sweaty from grasping too tight.
"Us... ", he answers still looking away.

"In what way? You can't be in a relationship with me? You can't see yourself with me? What can't you do, huh?", she asks, growing more upset with each admission,tears welling up in her eyes.

"I am not sure I want to get married." He looks at her meeting her gaze now.

"I...I can't. I can't keep pretending as if.., everything is fine. I can't keep pretending that things are okay between us."

"Its... the wedding or me?," she asks choking back a sob.

"Tell me." Her body has gone rigid. She grips her dress for support from falling.

"I dont know.", he admits.

She looks down at her hands, gulping down the pool of tears, refusing to break any further.

"We haven't been ourselves lately. We haven't been happy, Evie" he confesses.

His words are not devoid of emotions but he pulls himself together, attaching indifference to it.

"And to commit an entire life to that."
Jeremy clenches his jaw, his teeth digging at his bottom lip.

"Speak for yourself."
She cuts him off accusingly, a burning fury etched upon her features.

"That's always been what I've wanted. A life, with you."

Silence spins around them, uncomfortable and thick as no one bares to the other, the storm raging inside.

"It's my Dad's death. I have been away." Realization dawns on her.

They were trying to leave the hurt behind. To live back the glory of their relationship before things turned worst.
But things could never go back.

"It's not that. It's different. You have been distant.You don't need me. You don't confide in me. We hardly spend any time together.
We fight a lot and we don't reconcile like the earlier times.We rarely even make love." He admits breathlessly.

"I am always there for you, Evie. But we need to rethink about this wedding. We need a break."

"Calm down and think about it."

He turns away and saunters out of the room not peeking a last glance at her.
like he did ,everytime.

She looks at the space blankly.

He had thought about it. Made his decision. What she wanted was not even an afterthought now.

But she had had enough. His words echo in her head. He was loud and clear.