All The Love, H (H.S.)

nine

Olivia,

Well, all honeymoon phases must come to end, even in the best of relationships, and unfortunately for us, that plunge back to reality took its toll.

They say that everything is going well until it suddenly isn't, and that was certainly the case for us. It started out as small frustrations. Me having to cancel plans on us because I was called in for a trauma. You focusing on your novel to the point where you swore you couldn't spend a second away lest you lose your train of thought.

And those things-those little things, weren't the problem at all. But it was the meaning behind them-the bigger picture that ultimately led to our downfall.

Every since your best friend Courtney had gotten engaged you had been dropping hints. A comment on how exciting it was that they were moving on to the next chapter, a tab on your laptop left open on your Pinterest wedding board, even the signature 'I caught the bouquet at the wedding so it's mine turn next'.

I loved you Olivia, I really did. But getting married? Well that was something I had never planned on doing. I thought we'd discussed it. I'd thought you'd understood that even though I didn't want some eloquent ceremony, that didn't mean I didn't want a life with you. I just wanted a life with you without all the labels.

In my time with you I'd learned many things, with one of the most important things being that if you had something in your head, even if you tried to hold it in, sooner or later something would trigger you into saying it out loud. And unfortunately for me, this trigger came in the form of a wedding invitation, the wedding invitation of yet another college friend.

"What's that?" I asked, as I walked through the front door of your apartment. You were leaning over the counter, a scowl firmly planted on your lips.

I came around behind you and wrapped my arms around your waist, planting a kiss on the top of your head. Looking over your shoulder I spotted the white stationary. It was a wedding invite that had caught your eye.

"Another wedding invitation. Natalie, my friend from college," you said slowly, and I could tell there was still some disbelief in your voice.

"Well, that's exciting." I said. I was met, however, with silence. Apparently it was not a moment of excitement.

"Okay we aren't excited then?" I walked over to your cupboard and grabbed a glass, filling it with water in the sink.

"Not much to be excited about when your friends are getting married right and left and your boyfriend doesn't believe in marriage now is there," you snapped. And there it was, your true feelings about where our relationship was headed, or rather, where it wasn't.

"Olivia..." I began, but your words had already begun to explode from your mouth.

"Do you know how long Natalie has been with her boyfriend?" you picked up the invitation from the table and aimed it at me, using it as the weapon to my demise. "Less than a year. They've barely even been together and they know they want to spend the rest of their lives together."

"Liv, I've told you, just because I don't want the title doesn't mean I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you. I do, it's just..."

"It's just what Harry?" your voice escalated. "Oh, right it's just that you don't want to marry me." And there it was. Out there in the open. I knew that our previous discussion hadn't satisfied you. I suspected that perhaps you had thought I would change my mind, and that's why you had accepted my answer without argument. But in this moment, your patience had run thin, and your true opinion on the matter was about to be spoken.