In Real Life Imagines

Learn to Love Again (Part 6)

Rae's POV:

I walk into the living room and pause hesitantly, my stomach churning nervously. Drew looks up from his phone and gives me his usual sweet smile.

"Hey babe. What's up?" He asks, motioning for me to sit down beside him. I give him a weak smile as I sit down, playing with the bracelet around my wrist. He tries to slide his arm around me, but I shrug out of his reach.

"Rae, what's wrong?" Drew asks, his eyebrows creasing in concern, a frown forming on his lips.

"I'm sorry." I whisper softly, looking down at my lap because it hurts too much to look him in the eye.

"What do you mean?" He responds slowly.

"You know I love you and I always will. You were the person who made me feel again after Brady hurt me." I ramble. Drew puts his finger under my chin and makes me look up at him.

"What are you saying?" He asks. I take a deep breath and let a tear fall, my heart feeling like it's being squeezed. How can I possibly hurt such a sweet boy?

"I can't do this anymore." I say, motioning between us.

"W-what? But I love you. Please, I can't lose you." Drew begs, grabbing my hands in his. I shake my head as more tears fall, and I quickly wipe them away, sniffling a bit.

"I just, I, I don't know. My head is spinning right now. Your mom doesn't like me as it is, and I don't think that will ever change. I mean I love you, but as a friend. I know it isn't what you want to hear, but after spending so much time pretending to be Brady's g-" Drew cuts me off.

"No, no! Please tell me you don't have feelings for him!" He shouts, getting angry and I wince slightly. When I don't say anything, Drew continues.

"But he hurt you Rae!" He protests.

"I know Drew, and that's why I'm so confused. But I just know I can't possibly stay with you when I'm thinking about another guy. It isn't fair to you. I feel like it would hurt you and I don't wanna see you hurt." I explain. Without thinking, Drew leans in and pushes his lips against mine.

"Please Rae." He whispers.

"I just want you to be happy! And I know you can't be happy with me." I reply softly. All of my emotions hit me at once and I bury my face against his chest, letting silent tears soak his shirt. He holds me tightly in his arms, rocking me slightly.

"I trust you to make the right decision and just know that I will wait forever for you. If you decide you made a mistake and want to come back to me, I'll be here with open arms," Drew comments into my hair. We sit there for a while in silence, neither of us daring to say anything. Chance walks in to grab a bottle of water and pauses when he sees that I have been crying. His eyes widen and he sits down across from us.

"What's wrong? Who do I have to kill?" He asks with a frown. "I-I broke up with Drew." I mumble, looking down. Chance looks between us in confusion.

"What? Why? You guys seemed so happy together." He comments.

"Because she's in love with Brady." Drew mumbles bitterly before I can say anything. I sigh and squeeze my eyes shut.

"What? Rae! Are you crazy? After what he did to you, and the way he treated you when you first took this job?" Chance exclaims.  The good news is that even though Chance is super protective, he's a softy when it comes to love.

"I must be crazy, Chance. Spending all this time pretending to be his girlfriend reminded me of why I fell in love with him in the first place two years ago." I explain quietly.