Falice

Sorry

I run away when things are good
And never really understood
The way you laid your eyes on me
In ways that no one ever could
And so it seems I broke your heart
My ignorance has struck again
I failed to see it from the start
And tore you open 'til the end

•••

FP was sitting on the couch watching tv when he heard the door swing open. Jughead came in. He was frustrated. The look on his face made his fatherly instincts kick in. He grabbed the remote and shut off the tv. "What's wrong?" Jughead didn't say anything. FP knew his son never liked to be open with his problems so he had to get creative. He remembered what he used to do to him when he was younger and was having a bad day. He looked around for Hot Dog. Once he found him laying by the couch he picked him up and followed his son into the kitchen. He watched him rummage through the refrigerator. "Come on, boy. Talk to me." Jughead looked up and was face to face with the dog.

"That only worked on Jellybean."

"Don't deny the fact that you're a sucker for this dog."

"He's our third Hot Dog."

"Even better, Forsythe Pendleton Jones the what?" FP was waiting for him to finish the sentence for him.

"The third," Jughead cracked a smile for a slight second. "A for effort," He grabbed the sheepdog from him. "But F for creativity. Pretty sure Jellybean would back me up on this one."

"It's a family name."

"Jones is the family name, dad. Forsythe and Forsythia are not."

"Whatever," He fondly rolled his eyes. He took a seat and gestured for him to sit too. "Enough of that. Really, what's up?"

"Betty and I got into a huge fight-" Jughead sat down and let the dog rest on his lap. "-and we're not on speaking terms right now."

"Ah," FP understood. "Well, son, this is where I would tell you to make things right with her."

"Anything other than that?"

FP shook his head no. Jughead sighed. "Why?"

"Well answer me this, do you love her?"

"Of course," Jughead answered with full certainty.

"Do you like seeing her hurting?"

"Of course not," He shook his head.

"Exactly," FP started to make his point. "Don't break her heart, son. You'll end up breaking your own."

"Have you were been heartbroken?"

"I have," FP answered his question. "But it wasn't what I felt that hurt. It was the way I knew she felt that hurt me more."

"Why is that?"

"Because, son, I know I was an idiot. I didn't appreciate what I had until it was taken away." FP looked at the image pinned to the wall beside him from the corner of his eyes. There she was, the Alice Smith. "At first I didn't feel what I was supposed to, I could say, but the more I got to know her the more I grew to want her."

"Did you know you loved her?"

"I think I was figuring that out at the time but one thing was for sure. I was left heartbroken in the end."

"So you did love her," Jughead concluded.

"That, Jug, was what took me so long to learn. I loved her but it was too late."

"Too late? Why?"

"I didn't know how to love her and that cost me her. Me, being the loveless jerk I was, broke her heart having to let her walk out of my life."

"Why would you do that?" Jughead was baffled by his choice.

"Because I loved her."

"Then why would you let her go?"

"Sometimes they can be the one for you and you won't be the one for them. She deserved someone who loved her the way she deserved to be loved."

"But you did."

"I did but I didn't know."

"How did you not know you loved her?"

"Because I didn't know until she broke my heart." FP explained. "She loved me and I knew that. I loved her but I never let her know when I should've. I let her go because I didn't deserve her. I was only hurting her. I was being selfish and inconsiderate. I would do anything to turn back time and make things right with her. I want to tell her I'm sorry."

"You broke her by trying to love her."

"I did and that's why her happiness was worth my broken heart. I'd rather be hurting than see her hurting." FP said. "Treasure what you and Betty have going on. Don't make the same damn mistakes I did."

"Do you ever wonder could have been?"

"I do," FP nodded. "I believe that if I was meant to love her then I would." That was exactly what he was doing. He loved Alice and he was proving it to her. He finally had her heart again and he wasn't going to break it this time. He made sure to show her that he loved her. He was not going to break his heart again by breaking hers.