Love Me Back

Chapter 20

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Ace was bored. Yawning, he turned another page in his Stephen King novel and, looking out his window, was confronted by the same old boring fucking scenery. Oh, look, a maple tree and a wooden fence that stretched for miles on end. Wow. Absolutely breath-taking. He was getting absolutely sick of it. Ace looked to his right and looked at the mess of his bedroom. He should probably clean it up later, though he hadn't been able to bring himself to after Camille had left.

After Camille left him, he hadn't been able to do much by himself. Her mere absence was like ripping apart his body, one molecule at a time, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Ace pushed that thought out of his mind. He'd clean his room later.

But first he had work. At the nearby aquarium, Underwater Discoveries.

Ace stood up and started for his bedroom door, picking out his "friendly staff uniform" and pocketing his car keys from the coffee table. As he dressed, he wondered what he would do after his 3-6 hour shift. Maybe grab a drink at the cafe, or just go home, like every single day of his fucking miserable life. Ace hopped into his car and--

His heart clenched. It was like he was swimming through the Atlantic, alone, and there was no one that had cared to rescue him.

He stifled a sob, as everything rushed back. Camille. The way her name sounded on his lips as he kissed her. The way her hair smelled after she took a shower. The way she bit her lip and twirled her hair around her finger when she was nervous. The way she molded into him like they were perfect puzzle pieces. The way she looked when she wore his favorite hoodie. The way her laugh rang in his ears after he told her a stupid pick-up line. Dammit, why did it have to be him?

Ace looked up at the roof of his car. Blinked back the oncoming tears. Told himself--commanded himself--to put the key into the ignition and start the damn car. He couldn't afford to be late again.

Ace finally arrived at the aquarium. He entered through a backdoor and waved a hi to his co workers and nodded hello to wandering customers, and he stumbled through the shift like a zombie, until it came time to close the aquarium.

"Go check the back of the museum for lost tourists, Ace." His manager called.

Again?

Ace trudged his way through the hallways, stopping once in awhile to look at the animals trapped inside their glass walls. They stared back sadly, and he left.

The last room he checked was so dark he almost missed the form of a girl curled up in the corner.

Sitting down next to her, he asked her how she was. And just like that, they clicked.

As Ace talked to this mysterious girl, Cara, his thoughts subconsciously wandered to Camille. He wondered if she still loved him. If she had found someone else. If she was happy.

She had explained that she had fallen out of love with him, that she couldn't love him anymore. And that had crushed him, like he was Atlas and he couldn't hold up the sky.

It's not you, it's me, she had said, just like what every single person said when they broke up with someone. I'm sorry.

The girl finished her story. Ace mumbled an apology, what everyone said after they heard about something bad that happened. He thought about what happened between him and Camille.

What had he done wrong? He had given her flowers, loved her like every day was their last, kissed her like she was air and he couldn't breathe. He had fucking loved her like she was his soul; without her, he was dead inside.

And she had left.

Ace missed her. Camille, the brokenly perfect girl that had used to be his. He missed everything about her: her voice, and her hair like spaghetti, getting tangled up whenever they lay under the stars together.

But her voice, oh her voice. That was probably the most beautiful of it all. Camille's voice spoke in octaves and pitches, and it rose in waves and lowered in shocks, and every note she uttered was jagged and rough, like when the waves broke on the rocks on a stormy day. When she told stories--when she spun tales as they roasted marshmallows over a fire together--her voice would go all soft, like she was talking about something sacred, something that made her eyes light up like fireworks.

Ace remembered their last day together. He had walked out of seventh period and waited outside room 76, just as he had done all year, everyday. Ace patiently waited for the flood of students to rush past him, before he took a step forward, anticipating Camille. She came out of the classroom, but instead of her usual charming smile and her cheerful voice, her form was hunched, her hair spilling over her face. She looked up at Ace, her beautiful face now displaying an expression of sadness and exhaustion.

"What's wrong?" He had asked, moving towards her to put an arm around her shoulders, but she backed away.

"Ace, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." At that, she looked up at him. "I just can't be with you anymore."

Ace froze. "What? BUt I thought--"

"Ace, listen to me. It's not you, it's me." At that, Ace ran.

"Ace! I'm sorry," Camille had cried, her silhouette fading in the distance as Ace turned around for one final glance.

He hadn't stopped running until he arrived at their place. The place where the creek ran into a lake, where they had camped every year, skipping stones and toasting marshmallows and singing songs.

Ace had screamed, kicking the rocks at his feet. They tumbled into the water willingly, leaving only bubbles and clouds of dirt behind.

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Finn looked directly at the mysterious boy, speechless. The unnamed boy stared back. He lowered his phone and hand, raising an eyebrow. Finn slowly maneuvered his way to him and they stood face to face.

Finn finally spoke. "Hi."

The boy looked at Finn. "Were you just eavesdropping on my conversation?"

Finn looked away.

"I mean, my name is Finn..."

The boy smiled. "I'm Ace." He stuck out his hand.

Finn reluctantly complied. Setting down his drink, they shook hands, but he just couldn't hold back his questions any longer.

"Where is Cara?"

"HOw do you know her?"

"DOes she...does she love me?" Ace choked at that.

"Still? I don't know..."

"I just--Do you think I have chance?"

"I mean...how much do you love her?"

Finn sighed. "A lot, sadly."

Ace looked at Finn with empathy in his eyes.

"Then you might have a chance."

A moment of silence passed before Finn spoke again.

"Where's Cara? Can I see her?"

Ace looked down at the table. "I'm not sure."

"Not sure..."

"Whether..whether if that would be a good idea or not." Ace finished, looking hesitant.

Finn took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Opening them, he gestured towards a table and Ace took a seat. "I'll get you a drink," Ace said. "And then we can talk. What do you want?"

"Hot chocolate."