Sick of Losing Soulmates

09

So Where Do We Begin

Lilliana had been avoiding Maribel. She was terrified to face her best friend after what had happened. Maribel had been calling and texting her nonstop but she just didn't feel the need to be interrogated by her best friend and she definitely didn't want to answer any questions. I'll just wait till this all blows over, she thought, Aiden will get over whatever he's going through and then I will be able to hang out with my best friend again.

Except she wouldn't know if Aiden would get over whatever he was going through because she was also avoiding him. To say she was scared of him was an understatement. She was actually terrified about him hurting her again. Yet, Lilliana still cared for him and she knew that he loved her. She felt obligated to still be in a relationship with him because she knew that, deep down, they were soulmates. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

When she wasn't attending her classes, Lilliana was in her dorm room, doing her best to avoid everyone and everything. She took the time to study and catch up on her homework. It was very hard to that, however, when Aiden called her every 3 and a half minutes. He kept on calling her and leaving her messages to ask what was wrong. When Liliana saw his messages, she rolled her eyes. He really didn't understand that he was in the wrong.

He calls her again, and this time she picks up. She doesn't say anything at first, but Aiden can hear her soft breaths through the phone.

"Lilliana?" Aiden asks, as if he wasn't really sure that she was on the other end. "Where have you been? Why have you been ignoring me?"

"I've just been busy," she replies in a hushed voice. Lilliana didn't have the energy to talk to him or put up with him.

"You've been busy for the past week?" He asks in a condescending voice. Lilliana rolls her eyes. She can feel her tolerance level dropping dramatically.

"You know what? I don't have time for this right now," Lilliana said, getting angrier by the second.

"Wait, wait!" Aiden said, begging her not to hang up. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a bad mood." You're always in a bad mood, Lilliana thought. "Please, let's just meet up for a bit. Let's get coffee or something."

Lilliana contemplated it for a minute. The last few times they had been together, he had hurt her in some way or form, and she didn't want to put herself through that again. But her heart continued to tell her that he wouldn't do it again. He cares about her too much so he doesn't mean to hurt her. Lilliana sighed.

"Fine. Let's meet at Van Gogh's Cafe in twenty minutes."

"Great! I'll see you soon." Lilliana hung up without saying goodbye and pulls on her sweatshirt. As she's heading to the cafe, she thinks about the possible outcomes of her meeting with Aiden. Their relationship would either continue while Lilliana suffered silently or it would burn in flames, and who knows how Aiden would react to that. She got to the cafe and immediately saw Aiden sitting at a table in the corner waiting with two mugs. She walked to the table and sat down in the chair across from him, not saying a word.

Aiden jumped when she sat down, surprised that she had arrived unannounced. Once he saw her, a smile found a way onto his face. "You're here! I hope you don't mind, I ordered your favorite. A hazelnut with milk and sugar."

Lilliana smiled, more to herself than him. He really doesn't know me at all. Still, she took a sip from the hot drink, deciding it was best to not say anything. They sat in silence for awhile, just drinking their coffees in silence while listening to the calm music playing in the cafe. After a few minutes, Aiden broke the silence.

"So, where have you been?" He asked.

"I told you already," Lilliana said in a monotone voice. "I've been busy with homework and stuff."

"Are you sure?" Aiden ask, a bit of cynicism in his tone. "Because I'm pretty sure that you were with Maribel and she's the reason you've been ignoring me."

"Excuse me?" Lilliana asked, completely confused and baffled as to why he was bringing her up.

"It's true, isn't it? She's been telling you not to see me anymore. I knew she always hated me, I just didn't know that she'd go this far." He kept on rambling on about how much Lilliana preferred Maribel to him until she cut him off.

"Not that it's any of your business," Lilliana started, "but I haven't seen my best friend in about a week. So she isn't the reason I haven't met up with you."

"Then why? And don't give me that bullshit saying you're busy with homework, because we both know you're not a studious person anyways."

Lilliana felt a strange sense of courage.

"Actually, Aiden," she said, her voice sharp, "it's you."

Aiden was blindsided. "What do you mean by that?"

"The reason I haven't seen you in awhile is you. Your cynicism, your attitude, the way you treat me. I just can't handle it anymore!" Lilliana's blood started to boil. She needed to calm down before she had a full on outburst in the small cafe.

"Baby, wait, come on-"

"Don't call me that." She cut him off, staring at him with an intense hatred. She had never disliked anyone as much as she did right then in that moment.

"Lilliana," Aiden said. "I really don't understand what's so wrong. I never meant to hurt you in anyway. Please, tell me how to fix this."

Lilliana scoffed. "If you don't know how to fix this, then I can't help you. I can't be in a relationship with someone who doesn't want to put in the effort.

It was quiet again. But this time, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Lilliana fumed silently while Aiden just sat there, confused as hell about what to do. Once again, he broke the silence.

"So where do begin, Lils? How do I start to put in the effort?"

A million things ran through Lilliana's head. Everything she wished to tell him. Don't tell me what to wear. Don't tell me how to do my makeup. Don't criticize me. Don't be rude to my best friend. Don't hurt me. But she didn't say any of this.

"I don't know," she whispered before getting up from her seat and walking out of the cafe to her room, leaving Aiden confused and her annoyed. She tried to be brave. She really did. But she couldn't be brave without fearing that he would hurt her again. She didn't want another bruise or mental scar from him, but she just didn't know how to get away.

Hi guys! I have a laptop finally so I'm going to be writing more and therefore I'll be updating more. Also I want to thank everyone who reads and votes for this story. It means a lot more than you can imagine. I'd like to specifically thank @hey_its_bry for voting and commenting on every chapter i love you so much 💕. Anyways, enjoy this chapter! The next one should be up in the next few days.