Come Back To Me

Chapter VII-Coming Clean

Your eyes remained staring at the door that had only closed. Your heart, as well as the entire world around you, felt as if it had stopped. This was the moment you were certain that you had absolutely no idea where to go from there.

A million thoughts rushed through your head, as always, and all at the same time. Your eyes remained stuck on the door, but to you it was almost as if you were watching a movie; a collection of moments, of memories long buried deep in your mind as it tried to keep them away from your heart resurfaced, flooding everything within you. Almost nothing made sense to you, nothing but him.

You didn't even realize how you got yourself to bed, how you forced yourself to close your eyes and rest; it made absolutely no difference. Your moments were, at that point, the only thing that your brain could focus on, and how everything had changed, how time, luck or even fate had treated both of you.

A silent knock on your door however, forced you to snap your eyes open. You looked around, and acknowledged that it was morning. You checked your phone to make sure of the exact time, completely ignoring the messages and missed calls by Lucas. You yawned, and thinking that the knock on the door was a mistake, tried to go back to sleep. However, the knock echoed again, this time louder.

You stood up, taking a look in the mirror and slightly fixing your hair before turning towards the door. You sighed as you opened the door, completely shocked as you saw who was standing right in front of you.

" Piero?", you questioned, more to yourself. He had changed a bit since the last time you'd seen him, but still he managed to look like he always did; warmly handsome. He was smiling, but not too widely.

" (Y/n), it's... It's definitely been a while.", he said and broke into a bigger smile, which caused you to smile as well, failing to hide your melancholy.

" It has been a while indeed... H-ow have you been?", you said, trying to break the ice, but failing miserably.

" It's been... strange.", he almost whispered as he looked down for a few minutes before continuing, " Would you like to let me in? It feels weird talking to you like this.", he added with a laugh, and you widened your eyes immediately and motioned for him to get in.

" Sorry, I completely forgot you were standing, well, there...", you said, touching the ends of your hair in embarrassment.

You turned to face him and you were surprised to find yourself enveloped in a tight hug by Piero. You felt tears running down your cheeks as you hugged him back.

" This is not what you might think it is, I just have missed you so much, (Y/n)", Piero said softly, and you nodded against his shoulder.

" Me too, Piero, me too. It's just that everything's messed up. So messed up.", you whispered, your tears only multiplying. You felt his fingers slowly running up and down your back.

" I know, I know... Tell me, tell me everything because I have...", he said and then he broke from the hug in order to look at you,"... I have to tell you some things too.".

You quickly nodded, and you both sat on the edge of the bed as you started talking. You spoke of everything that had happened, explaining him all the things you were feeling about the situation with the letters, your relationship with Lucas, the event, the dinner, your encounter with Ignazio, the words you spoke to each other. Piero simply listened, and by the end he released a long breath.

" Well, you must know that what happened that day almost destroyed Ignazio. I, I thought I was somehow helping the situation, but apparently I was only making it worse.", he said, and you furrowed your eyebrows.

" What do you mean, Piero?", and your eyes widened as you saw him reach in his pocket, taking out an envelope, the envelope with Ignazio's name on the outside. He left it in front of you, and stood up, looking away from you. Your fingers touched the paper.

" I returned earlier that day, and found both of them. It broke my heart, knowing that you'd left. I knew, I knew it was over between us, but I was hurting too much, too much to let you and Ignazio be happy. So, when I saw that you'd left him an envelope too, I thought it'd be easier if he thought that you had decided to leave him too. I thought that somehow, that would have been the best thing for everyone.", he said slowly, and took a deep breath before turning to face you, tears now in his eyes too.

" But I was so wrong, (Y/n). He was devastated, he even thought of leaving the band. Nothing could make him whole, make him feel alive again. For some months, he was a ghost. He hardly ate, hardly slept. His eyes were red almost constantly. Practically, he was wishing for death...", Piero said, and sat down again, as if he'd been exhausted simply by narrating the things that had happened.

" Sometimes I wanted to open up the letter, you know? It would have made everything easier, I thought that if I read it, I could maybe help him, maybe you'd have written something terrible, something that would have given him closure. But then I thought of the possibility that you could have written him something wonderful, and my ego wouldn't have any of that. I... I was a terrible friend, a terrible... person.", Piero paused as he took his glasses off, tears clearly flooding his orbs by then.

" So I didn't. I just left it all to luck, to chance. But tonight, when I saw you entering the hotel, Ignazio behind you, I... I thought I shouldn't leave anything to luck anymore. I know it might be l-ate for me to apologize, but I couldn't live with myself anymore, knowing the pain I've caused to both of you can somehow b-e lifted if I...", he tried saying but then broke down completely, his cries fulfilling the walls of the hotel room.

You hadn't spoke a word while Piero was speaking. Your mind was clouded with rage, with unspoken rage at him, at his audacity to rip the happiness you and Ignazio longed for. However at the same time, you understood his heartbreak, acknowledging the reason for his action. It was natural, you had hurt him too.

Therefore, you wrapped your hands around his torso, leaning against him and softly kissing his cheek.

" Piero, I understand... I absolutely understand. I treated you horribly, and you're only human. Humans tend to mess up, especially when hurt. So I understand you...", you whispered, and he looked up to you, trying to breathe normally.

" Forgive me, (Y/n), please... ", he pleaded, and you slowly nodded, tears in your eyes too.

" Of course, Piero, of course. As long as you forgive me too...", you said, and he quickly nodded as he moved and hugged you again, this time tighter than before.

" Thank you, (Y/n). It feels good to have you, even as a friend.", he whispered as he took a deep breath and looked at you, straight in the eyes.

" Now it's your turn. Go save him.".

" What?", you questioned, and he smiled, for the first time since he'd walked in the room.

" Explain everything, you belong with him... He's not the same as before, (Y/n), he's desperate to show how he's all fine and healed, but he's so broken. Ignazio needs you, only you. Stop wasting time.", he said, and you felt yourself nodding at him as you stood up.

You hugged him again, and rapidly left your room, almost running to where Piero told you Ignazio was staying. You knocked, taking deep breaths, trying to calm yourself.

The door was answered by an extremely happy looking Marisa. Your eyes spotted Ignazio standing behind her, looking down.

" Oh my god, (Y/n), what a timing! I had no idea you were staying here too.", she said, her smile not once breaking from her face.

" Yeah, I'm staying here for a while, I guess... You, you're staying with the band too?", you asked, your eyes constantly looking at Ignazio, who only met your orbs as his girlfriend spoke the words that broke your heart.

" Well, I'll be staying with them a lot more from now on..", she paused as she showed you her hand, " We're getting married.".