Texts to a Lover ✔️

10:17 P.M.

Wordlessly, she got up from her seat, a concealed feeling of hurt glimmering in her eyes.

"Excuse me," she explained, her voice curt and forced, "I need to leave." With a swift turn, she headed towards the entrance of the restaurant, leaving bewildered expressions in her wake.

"I have to go too," he told the two impeccably dressed individuals sitting across from him. He reached out to his wallet, slamming the fifty dollar bill against the heavy wood. He stood up with a glare directed at Melissa, and ran off in the general direction that she had. The cool night air hit him hard, but he continued to run until the cold wind took his breath away. He made it to his car in mere moments, and sighed in relief as he saw her leaning against it.

"You scared me," he breathed out, walking towards her. "How'd you find the car?"

"I didn't mean to," she replied, her tone icy, but her voice thick with emotion. When she finally looked up at him, he noticed the smudges of her makeup and the tears trailing down her face.

"Babe," he groaned, pulling her into a tight hug. She didn't resist, but her arms remained limp by her sides, with no attempt to wrap them around his own body.

"I don't love her," he mumbled against her soft hair, "I love you."

"I know that. It's not you I don't trust. It's her," she told him, feebly pushing him away from her. Nevertheless, he took a step back, his eyes never leaving hers.

"So trust me when I tell you that nothing happened. It's not like last time," he pleaded with an edge of desperation. His voice seemed shaky, as if he were on the verge of tears too.

"But how am I supposed to know? It's like she's your weakness!" she exclaimed, taking another step back. It sent a deep pang through his heart, but he remained rooted in his spot. He opened his mouth, searching for the right words, and once they finally found him, he could taste the saltiness of his tears on his lips.

"She's not my weakness. Not anymore. That guy I was before, the guy she made me into, but I'm not him anymore. Now, I'm the kind of guy I've always wanted to be," he confessed, finally finding the courage to take the steps in order to remove the distance between both of them. "I'm honest, I'm focusing on school, I'm caring, all because you've shown me how it's possible to change. Your love's done that for me. Before, I was an idiot. But now, I'm your idiot. And I'll always be your idiot."

Her tears had become faster, blurring the little she could see in the moonless night. Her hands pulled him closer to her, and as she wrapped her arms around his neck, relief coursed through her body.

"I love you too," she mumbled against his neck, before pulling back to meet his darkened blue eyes. "And I believe you."