"Aria, where are you?", I heard him yelling into the phone.
I hated it when he said my full name. It was always a sign of forewarning.
So I preferred Ari, my friends always called me so.
"In my car.", I answered shortly.
I was angry and I didn't bother to hide my anger.
I wasn't in the mood to talk. Especially not to him.
I just wanted to get away. Away from him. Away from everyone. Away from rumours. Away from the whole civilisation.
"Great answer, really. Want to have an award because of your intelligent answer?", he snapped furiously. "I know you're gone, I want to know exactly WHERE."
"Liam, I'm driving a car. I get sidetracked by talking to you on the phone. Leave me alone."
"No, Aria. This time you won't hang up, do you hear me? You won't. You might escape now, but you know exactly, I'll call you again and again. So let's just talk now. And you can't escape forever, do you hear?", his voice raised.
Indeed, he had called me at least 20 times last hour. I knew he'd call me endless times if I hung up.
"There's no use crying over spilt milk. You said we are done. You told me it's over. It's your fault, not mine!", I shouted back.
I couldn't control my voice any more. No, I couldn't control myself any more, it was not just my voice which I hadn't any control of.
"It was a misunderstanding! I know Allen's feelings are one-sided! I know you aren't into him! I overreacted, I.. I am sorry. I should have listened to you. I should have trusted you."
He tried to explain the situation, this mess, this freaking catch-22 situation we were in.
But there were not enough words in this world to describe how sad I was.
My long term boyfriend, my everything, the guy I fell in love with in 8th grade.
Since ever I could think, he was by my side.
Well, not anymore.
Exactly that guy blamed me to have a secret relationship with the school jerk - Allen. He said I'd cheat on him.
I was disappointed. Gosh, no. More than this.
Disappointed was the understatement of the year.
I breathed in and out, getting ready to do the worst part of this whole thing here with Liam.
"You should have thought about it before you tore my heart in thousand pieces. Before you had listened to Chloe. Before you had believed all rumours. I guess it's too late now.", I couldn't hold back my tears now.
"Ari. Please. You know this is not right. Listen to your heart, Ari.. Please don't do that to me... What am I gonna do without you? When you always been the better part of me? It won't benefit either of us!"
I didn't answer.
"Ari!", Liam cried loudly.
My heart almost stopped as I heard him crying. Desperation, anxiety, self-hate and sadness - I could sense it all in the way he literally cried my name.
Because in all these years, I never had heard him cry before.
"Liam.", I swallowed. "I need to go. Now."
I heard him whisper my name one last time.
"Aria.."
It was so full of pain, it hurt me through the phone. It left a dumbness on the left side of my chest, under my ribs.
