erik menendez // if you love me..don't let go

chapter twenty-five

Erik's POV

I felt like the shittiest person alive. Correction: I was the shittiest person alive. I could feel it in my bones and in my blood. We were just doing so good and then I ruined it all. There's no way to build it up again now. It's over.

The tension-filled car wasn't helping in that matter. The only sounds you could hear was the muttering of the engine or the occasional back and forth between my father and John, Scarlett's father. I sat in the seat directly behind Scarlett, meaning I could see her in the reflection of her window. Sometimes she would look directly out the window and it looked like we were making eye contact. My heart would clog my throat when that happened. But when she wasn't looking out the window, she looked deep in thought. Her teeth worried her bottom lip and her eyebrows were slightly scrunched. It was the cutest thing ever. I wanted to reach out and run my finger across her cheek, but I couldn't. And so I watched her from a distance.

Scarlett's POV

I walked down to the back of the plane where I sat last time and where Erik was. 

"Can I sit here?" I pointed to the chair next to him.

"Uh, I actually think I'm going to lay out on the two chairs and get some sleep." His eyes avoided me and he stuttered all over his words. "Sorry." He quickly added.

Sadness was soon replaced with anger. I didn't know what was going on, so I couldn't exactly get too mad at him, but it was just the fact that he wasn't telling me at all. He just started acting different out of nowhere with no warning whatsoever.

***

I didn't sleep at all on the flight home. My mind was too occupied. Erik and I were going strong. I thought everything was good. But then he just switched up. After the plane landed, Erik and his family took a separate car then Dad and I. I tried to have a formal goodbye with him, but he just gave me a slight nod of his head and didn't even look me in the eye. I wished he could talk to me. If he talked, we could sort through whatever was going on, and then everything would go back to normal, just like the first time. I just wanted to go back to when we would steal glances at each other in a crowded room or slowly get closer until our arms were touching. I wish that I could've used him as my pillow on the flight home. Maybe then I could've gotten some sleep.

"Scarlett!" Annabelle jabbed my arm. "Snap out of it!"

I promised Annabelle that she could come visit me the evening when I got home, and so there I was. I was laying flat on my back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as Annabelle looked at me with pure worry.

"Sorry." I tried to sound genuine, but I couldn't get true emotions to pour out from me. My mind and heart just felt blank. But maybe that was because I was so exhausted.

"Now you need to tell me," Anna pursed her lips and looked at me through narrow eyes. "What happened on the trip? You were so excited to leave, and now...now you just look, well, not excited."

Of course she could read right through me. That's the type of friend she was.

When I didn't answer her, she gave me a gentle shove to the shoulder. "Well now I know something happened. Tell me!"

I groaned and ran my hand over my face. There was no escape from this, I knew I was going to have to tell her. Otherwise, she would probably find out herself by some weird stalking.

"Okay," I started off. "Remember that Erik kid?"

Annabelle practically jumped. "Oh my gosh. The cute guy from the cafe, right?"

I nodded my head in agreement. This time, she full on squealed. Her hands were fisted and brought up in joy. 

I then continued on with my story. I told her everything from the cuddling on the plane to the walk in the park and to the very first kiss we had. And obviously, all the other kisses we had. I was not the type of person to be a bitch and say someones very personal and fucked up family life, so I left out the part where I was told everything that Erik went through. I also left out the part about how Jose acted the whole entire trip. I knew that if I said even an ounce of bad information about him, Annabelle would instantly start flaming me with questions trying to delve deeper into it.

Then I went through the hard part: Reliving through the part of the trip where he just blocked himself out of the world and from me. I probably sounded so stupid. It wasn't even that serious if you heard it from a different point of view. It only happened not even one day ago, and people would probably think it's just like any other ghosting a man would do. But if they were in my brain, in my heart, seeing through my eyes, they would understand. They would get all of the chemistry and intimacy we had with each other. They would realize the amount of secrets we've shared with each other. And then they would understand. They would understand why it broke my heart so much to see my boy being so distant and not willing to talk to me.

But Annabelle got it. Maybe in her head she was thinking I was stupid, but if she was, she certainly didn't show it. Her eyes were twinkling with what may have been tears, making me want to bawl my eyes out. Her lips were pulled into a slight frown. I could see sympathy and guilt written all over her face. As if she had done something.

"I'm sorry," I laughed, trying to cover up the tears that were now infinitely spilling down my cheeks. "I don't want to vent to you."

Annabelles hands went straight to my cheeks, wiping at every single one of them, making sure none fully fell. "Scarlett." Her voice was laced with sadness. "I asked you to tell me. I asked you because I wanted to know so I could take care of you. Here you were, just looking so broken and so I needed to know. My job as your best friend is to always be there for you and help you get through these tough times. I know it may seem like your world has just ended, but you don't have to worry at all. The world of you and Erik has just started. I know you. And I, sort of, know Erik. But from the things you tell me about him, I know that you, a very strong woman, and him, a sweet, caring man, can get through this. It will take some time, that's for sure, but you will get past it. Every serious relationship has to go through a tough time to get to where they will hopefully be forever. You can't reach the top without fighting the obstacles."

We can get through this.