Love to Hate You

You Can't Hurry Love - Epilogue 2

"They're going to wonder why we are both gone," Victoria gasped as I slipped a hand under her shirt. I grinned and continued to nip at her neck, feeling smug as she pulled me closer to her. I moved back to her lips and kissed her softly.

"Guess you better figure out how you're going to explain disappearing with your ex-boyfriend repeatedly," I said quietly, making her groan.

I immediately regretted my snarky remark as she pulled away from me. She crossed her arms and looked away from me, and I felt my stomach drop. Her eyes were dark and sad. The small bathroom we had snuck into was still dark, only illuminated by a small nightlight.

"I should probably ask Robin to take me home," she said quietly. I shook my head and set my hands on her waist.

"Icky, wait, I'm sorry—"

"You know, I wasn't the one who made this stupid decision. You did. And you were the one who wanted to stay friends. And you were the one who started getting me to sneak off during parties with him," she snapped, glaring at me. I felt even worse than usual and looked at my feet.

Victoria and I had stayed together all through the year and through graduation – she practically dragged me across the stage with how hard she worked with me to bring my grades up – and she had gotten into a fancy liberal arts college about an hour away. But then, she mused about staying close and going to the community college, and I had gotten panicked that she was going to throw her life away for me.

So, I had broken up with her two weeks ago. But I couldn't exist in a world where she wasn't in my life, so I insisted on staying friends. I apparently couldn't exist in a world where I didn't touch her how I was used to, either.

"You won't even tell me what I did wrong, but you still insist on acting like my boyfriend," she said, exasperated with me. I looked at my feet.

She didn't do anything wrong. She was just too special to waste her potential on me. And I wasn't acting like her boyfriend – I wasn't able to drape myself over her in public or make her shriek with laughter when I tickled her, or pull her onto my lap, or go to bed with her. A summer I had looked forward to for years was ruined because I wasn't good enough for the girl I was crazy about.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Vic," I said, tucking a curl behind her ear and keeping my hand on the side of her face. Her eyes were welling with tears.

"Then what happened, Eddie? I thought we were happy. I was so happy," she said, her voice cracking. I felt my chest seize and my eyes started to burn.

It was not something I had come to lightly. I remember when I had first felt the terror of her giving things up for me when we were laying around my room, listening to music and trading kisses. She had made the comment in passing, so nonchalantly, and it made me sick for her.

"Maybe I'll just stick around here so I can be close to you."

She deserved to have incredible experiences and live a life full of every opportunity. And I was going to ruin it for her. I would have never forgiven myself if she gave anything up for me.

"I was happy, too," I said quietly, unable to stop myself. Her shoulders dropped and she looked up at me.

"Then what happened, Eddie? I am driving myself crazy trying to figure out what I did wrong," she croaked, tears finally falling. I wrapped my hands around the back of her neck, tracing her cheeks with my thumbs.

"You can't give things up for me," I replied, my voice also cracking. She sniffled and furrowed her brows.

"What?"