petrichor

End of You and Me | 2

Jared froze, then like nothing happened, he quickly regained his composure. "Babe, why?" he asked, "What did I do wrong?"

Riley knew this was one of his strategies again, she couldn't fall for it. "Doesn't matter, I call quit." What she planned to do next was to get up and leave, she felt like she didn't need to explain it to him anymore, and even if she did, Riley wasn't sure if Jared wanted to hear it. But before she could make her plans a reality, Jared took her hand.

"Please, don't leave." he pleaded, his body language begged Riley to stay, "Please, Riley, you complete me. I can't leave without you."

A part of Riley's brain told her to stay.

What if he'll change?

Maybe you can help him fix himself.

Don't do this, just be patient, maybe then he'll realize.

"Riley..."

Then at that moment, Jared scrambled to Riley's side of the table, got down on his knees and begged. "Please, Riley, I love you." three words he seldom, almost never said until now.

Everyone there who were first minding their own business, paying no attention now diverted their attention towards the two. With Jared kneeling like that, he looked like he was about to propose, romantic looking on the outside, but Riley knew it was more than that, it was blackmail so that Riley wouldn't be able to say no.

She could feel so many pair of eyes transfixed on her. Damn it! she wanted to say. In front of her, Jared kept saying about how he loved her, that he promised to change himself, and that he should be given a second chance. Inside, Riley felt angry and confused, this was one of Jared's tricks again, using the public to give her pressure, after all, she didn't want to make herself look bad, right?

If she said no, then Jared could make the crowd be on his side by making Riley look like she was a bad person, but if she said yes, then there'd be no escape from him. It was a dilemma. What should I do? this wasn't going as planned. Even when Riley had thought all of it out, Jared always found a way to turn her ideas against her.

She was confused of what to do, but one thing for sure, Riley wasn't going to let him get away with what Jared was doing. "No," she said firmly, "I'm leaving." she could feel an aura of disappointment radiate from the audience who heard her, but she tried to keep a straight face. She wasn't the one who was in the wrong here.

Jared's face fell. "Riles..." he half-whispered. A part of Riley was touched, he'd never acted this way before. For once, he really did look like he was going to stay true to his words, to commit to his promises if Riley stayed with him. Maybe he really will change, maybe he learned his lesson already. her own thoughts persuaded her.

"No, for real, I'm done with you." the voice in her head who tried to influence her into staying didn't make her change her mind.

Because Riley knew, no matter how many times he said he would change, it was only a matter of time before he starts acting like his old self again

She didn't want to try to love someone who always made her feel like she wasn't worthy enough.

One who was always finding faults with her.

Accusing her of everything even when there was no proof.

Yelling at her, saying she was useless.

And at one point making her believe that no one would ever love her other than him.

Because now she knew that all those things were wrong.

Her ex-boyfriend stopped his acting, "okay, if that's what you want." He relented, Jared got up and pulled Riley's hand, making her get up too. "You're impossible, you know that?"

ONE, an attack was launched.

"You want this and that and you always complain."

TWO, another attack.

"No one, and I mean no one, will love you except me, you get it?"

The words hit Riley like punches, but she wasn't going down.

"No, because that's what you want me to believe." she spat out.

Jared looked livid, but before he did anything, Riley stepped hard on his foot, distracting him, and buying her enough time to get up and leave. She ran all the way from the restaurant until her legs couldn't carry her anymore, she felt the wind in her hair as she ran further away from her nightmare, this was the biggest step she had ever taken, and she wasn't going to look back.