A Broken Story

1.1 How did it end up like this?

Love. When you hear that word, what comes to mind? The butterflies in your stomach when you hear your crush say your name? The camaraderie you feel between friends who were there through thick and thin? Or maybe you have a more pessimistic outlook, thinking that it's only a façade people put on to hide their more selfish and vile intent. Well, I know a man who used to be the quintessential romantic. The type to write poetry and serenade his partner rather than showering them with expensive gifts. It was a shame to see such a colorful soul be crushed down in a single night.

As the first snowflakes of December started to fall, the streets of Haverton started to empty and the town was already preparing for the festive season. The smell of gingerbread intoxicated those who passed the bakery, carolers were filling the air with a beautiful melody as they were practicing, and one man was trying to still his heart as he was about to meet with the love of his life.

Andy was standing in front of Jerry's diner, a personal favorite stop to eat. His large puffy coat was protecting him from the cold, though he wished he had worn something thicker than a pair of jeans. The bell rang as soon as he entered the front door, "Evening, Jerry!" He said with a beaming smile on his face.

Jerry Chung, the owner of the humble establishment, was flipping burgers behind the counter, "Ah if it isn't my favorite regular." He plopped the burger on a bun before wiping his hands and coming up to the counter, "Your lady friend is over there." He pointed to a booth by the window where a woman with long auburn hair was sitting down, facing away from them.

"Thanks, Jerry." He leaned into the counter a bit and whispered, "Is it ready, yet?" Jerry didn't say anything and just gave Andy a wink and a thumbs-up, "Thanks, you're the best."

Andy took a deep breath and approached the booth, sneaking up to woman before putting his arms around her, "Hello, Gorgeous!"

She jumped on her seat, "Oh god, hi!" After the surprise, her face immediately drooped down.

Andy took his seat and the sorrowful look she had didn't go past him, "Is everything okay, Clare?"

Clare stood up straight, "Yeah, yeah, everything is fine. Just a bit jet lagged, long flight and all."

One of the servers, came by and handed the couple a piece of pie each, "On the house."

"Thanks." Andy said with a big smile and started digging in. Meanwhile, Clare just looked at it with the same thoughtful stare, "Aren't you going to ea..."

"I want to break up." Her words struck like lightning, slowing the conversation down to a halt.

Andy was having a hard time believing what he just heard, "What? Did you just say you want to break up?"

Clare was silent for a moment, looking away to the window but soon spoke up again, "I've thought about this for a while now and I think... it's best that we go our separate ways."

"What?" Andy was confused and even slightly angry, "Why? Why now? Did I do something wrong? What happened? I thought we were doing okay." He looked away for a second, "Is there someone else?"

"No, it's just... we've been together for so long. I don't even know where I end and we begin. I need time and space away from you."

Everything that came out of her mouth didn't make sense to him and his confusion and anger didn't help, "You're not making any sense. There's someone else isn't there? Was I not enough for you?" His voice shook as he tried to manage his anger.

Clare just breathed in deep and breathed out, "Thank you for everything, Andy. It was great while it lasted." She just stood up, taking out the key to his place and sliding it to him, "I hope you find someone who can make you happy." And walked out of the diner.

Andy just sat there and watched as she walked away, "Yeah." He pulled her piece of pie to him and cut it in half, getting back the ring buried inside, "I thought that someone was you." He pocketed the ring and walked over to the counter, "Hey, Jerry. Mind if I take some from your stash?"

Jerry came out of the back with a couple of bottles of beers, "Way ahead of you, kiddo." He put the down on the counter and cracked them open, "I'm sorry, Andy. That looked pretty rough."

"Yeah..." He quickly down the bottle, trying to drown the five years worth of memories he had with her. You can practically hear his heart shattering like ice as he downs his fifth bottle, "What's wrong with me?"