So, you and Russel had fallen in love. Possibly the only time you'd ever been in love before. You'd get so excited to see him even if it was only was for like 5 minutes every day. You see, you were working a non-stop job and never got much free time. You knew that a promotion would fix that problem and you knew with hours of hard work you could get one. Russel agreed to hold off on your relationship until you got that promotion since you hardly got to see him. You had just found out from your boss that next year the position would be open after a man retired and asked you to fill it. Of course, you obliged in hopes to take things further with Russ. You love him of course.
—-
It was near the end of your lunch break and you had yet to break the news to Russel. You knew he'd be just as excited as you to hear the news. Still, you waited until you got home even though it was hard to keep it a secret.
"So, Russ; guess what I found out," you asked. You had just gotten home from work so the answer was kind of obvious. He still wanted to make sure what he was hearing was correct though. He looked up from his food and raised his eyebrows signaling you to go on.
"In a couple of months...-". You weren't able to finish that sentence. Russel put the pieces together and pulled you in a tight hug, kissing the top of your head.
"Finally, " he laughed. "It's taken long enough," he said with an upbeat smile. You blushed at the thought of you two finally together and agreed with his thought, ready for things to finally proceed.
~Big ol' time skip~
You were talking with Russel, about a month before your promotion. Things, despite what you thought would happen, weren't going so well. Russel had been on and off with you. Some days not saying a single word to you and somedays laughing and talking with you like nothing was out of the ordinary. You were confused, to say the least. You already had asked Russel about this but he has played it off as a joke. You were fed up though. You needed to know if he still had feelings after waiting for such a long time.
"Hey, Russ. So this year as you know, I'm just trying to cut emotional problems and stuff out of my life and I just need to know if you still have feelings for me," you rambled. You knew just a simple yes would reassure you until things got to proceed but that's not what was going to happen apparently.
"You know what (Y/N)... no." He sighed. "I can't do it anymore. Bye," he said getting up to leave. It was blunt. He didn't say much, but it hurt worse than anything you've ever felt. The only man you've ever loved just up and left. It was so strange and unexpected you didn't know what to do.
You were in utter shock. You had so many outcomes for the situation but that definitely was not one of them. You didn't know if you had the power in you to even cry. There was nothing else you could do. He was gone.
---
You told your friends about the situation and they did what any friend would do after they heard what happened. They bad mouthed him. They called him names and said you were too good for him.
Something didn't feel right though. You still...loved him. You don't know why but all you wanted to do was go back and apologize to him, even though you had nothing to apologize for, and laugh and talk with him again even if it was just for five minutes. You realized those five minutes had been what was getting you through those stressful and difficult months and he was basically your only source of happiness. How did you let him slip away?
—-
Weeks had passed and you still felt the way you did before. You needed to get him back. Unfortunately for you, you didn't know how to reach out to him. What would you say? Would you freeze up? You couldn't risk it. So again you just let time pass hoping things would work themself out.
Obviously, that's not what happened. Things were the same so you decided if you wanted them to change, you would have to do it yourself. You needed to talk to Russel and at least get some closure as to why he left.
After knowing Russ for so long, it was pretty easy to pick up on his schedule. The only days he'd stay home are Tuesdays and Thursdays. You had to catch him before he left the house.
Without seeming too stalker-ish you picked a Friday. He usually went out for coffees on Fridays and you hoped that the tradition hadn't changed. Thankfully, it hadn't.
You saw him in the window. He looked happy. Was he better off this way? Should you just leave? Maybe this was for the better.
Those thoughts left once he looked at you and smiled, waving for you to come inside. You were confused. So confused. You didn't hesitate to go inside though. Maybe he felt the same way.
"(Y/N), how've you been?" He asked with a bright smile.
"I've been... ok."
—-
You both caught up with each other. You told him about the promotion and he told you about a new show with the band that they were working on. You came here for a reason though and it wasn't small talk. You had to see where things went wrong.
"Uhm, Russ, I did come here for a reason though."
He looked at you, watching your nervous hands fiddle with the hem of your shirt.
"I- I'm still- I still love you." You said spitting the words out as fast as you could. This was possibly one of the hardest things you've ever had to do.
You looked in his eyes for a response since his mouth didn't seem to give one. Nothing. You saw nothing. He just stared.
"This was a mistake I should go." You shakily got up from your chair. You felt an anxiety attack coming on. Things were getting bad.
You walked out the door, hoping to find someplace desolate and quiet. Somewhere comforting. Instead, the comforting place found you. Russel had pulled you into his arms holding you tighter than ever. Almost like this would be the last time he'd ever see you.
This time though, it was different. You guys talked. He talked about why he left, how the next day he came to your house but left you alone because he thought you would hate him. You talked about how you both felt through the awful experiences without each other. And you talked about how you felt happier than ever with each other. Communication is key.
Not proud of this. It was a draft from a hot minute ago that I wanted to finish. It's don't though :) I'm going to be making another Noodle one pretty soon because the Café one is literal shit. If y'all have ideas for it please tell me. It makes writing a whole lot easier. Anyway sorry for spelling and stuff but I hope you enjoy anyway!!!
