Forced Than Loved ★ Pablo Gavi

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★☆★☆★

Overdue Conversation

★☆★☆★

This was the best hour to be at the beach. The sky was painted in soft orange and pink hues, blending perfectly as the sun kissed the horizon. The waves shimmered under the golden light, rolling in a rhythmic melody that was calming... almost hypnotizing. If I could, I would come here every day, just to sit and watch the sea. To let my thoughts drift away with the tide. But today, my mind was too loud.

Pablo and I walked side by side, our footsteps sinking into the soft sand as we made our way closer to the shoreline. The cool evening breeze played with my hair, carrying the scent of saltwater and the distant chatter of beachgoers enjoying the last light of day. It was peaceful, the kind of peace I usually craved, but right now, it felt like the calm before the storm. Because no matter how beautiful the setting was, no matter how much I wanted to pretend that this was just a casual evening at the beach, I knew what was coming. We both did.

As we reached a quiet spot, I stopped, my eyes locking onto the water, watching how it glowed under the fading sun. And even though I wasn't looking at him, I could feel his gaze on me. It wasn't just a glance, it was heavy like he was trying to read every emotion on my face before I even spoke. After a few moments, I finally turned to face him, and my breath nearly caught in my throat. Even in this golden hour, with the sun slipping away behind him, he looked unreal. The warm glow highlighted his features perfectly, casting soft shadows over his jawline, illuminating the messy strands of his brown hair, and making his hazel eyes gleam like molten gold. How could someone look this effortlessly breathtaking?

But I wasn't here to admire him.

"So... where do you want to start?" His voice was soft, hand esitant, almost like he was afraid of my answer. His hands twitched slightly at his sides, and for a moment, I thought he was about to reach for mine, but he stopped himself.

I inhaled deeply, bracing myself for the words that I had kept inside for too long. "Well, we can start with the bad things that happened during our relationship." My voice was steady, but inside, my heart was twisting itself into knots. I hated this. I hated bringing up the past, hated having to open up old wounds when I wasn't even sure if they had healed properly. But this conversation needed to happen.

Pablo's expression faltered, his lips parting slightly as if he wanted to speak, but I didn't give him the chance. The words were already spilling out before I could stop them. "Pablo, I loved being around you. You made me happy. But I hated what happened on the beach that day. There were so many other ways to joke around, to have fun, but instead... you let her push me in. Lucia hurt me. Did you not hear me? Did you not hear me cry out for help?"

His brows knitted together, his mouth opening again to defend himself, but I kept going, needing to let it all out. "Maybe you thought I was laughing. Maybe you thought it was harmless, but I wasn't laughing. And I know it's partly my fault for trusting her enough to go with her in the first place, but I thought I would be safe. I thought..." I shook my head, pressing my lips together for a second to compose myself before looking back at him. "But that's not the only thing that hurt me, Pablo. You changed. You were so sweet, and so loving at first, but then you started pulling away. One moment, you made me feel like I was the most important person in your life, and the next... it was like I barely existed. I was confused. I didn't know if you even liked me anymore." Yeah, I never mentioned that before, but at times he would act a little distant, and I never understood why to be honest, maybe Lucia's doing it again, but it was only for around a little over a week, hence why I didn't mention it.