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JOEL POV
The rest of the day was spent inside, simply staring at the ceiling with tears in my eyes. The boys had asked me, even pressured me, to go out and enjoy myself. But I couldn't bring myself to do anything at the moment. My entire body had shut down, my mind simply replaying images from our happier moments in our relationship. Every piece of memory ached, realizing that none of them would matter anymore. She'd move on, find love elsewhere and forget about me. If she remembered me, it would only be because of the heartbreak I put her through.
I held onto the golden necklace with our initials, twirling it between my thumb and index finger. A anniversary gift I'd given her to celebrate our first month together. The joy her eyes reflected when I brought out the purple box still lingered in my mind, bringing out a halfhearted smile.
FLASHBACK
March 4th 2016 marked our first month together and I hadn't been able to spend it with her, because of tour. Keeping in mind that I wouldn't be able to see her on that day, I'd left the gift with her parents –– who somehow promised me to give it to her on this exact date. Looking through the screen on my phone, I noticed how she was holding onto the box with one of her brightest smiles. "When did you give this to my parents?" She questioned with her eyebrows raised, surprised that they had even agreed to this. I laughed, shaking my head. "That's a story for another time. Open the gift, nena." I encouraged her, seeing as her knuckles were turning white from holding onto it. Nodding her head quickly, she placed her phone against another object and began unwrapping the bow.
She began opening the box and the happiness lacing her features caused me to smile immediately. "Oh my god, Joel!" She exclaimed, placing the box down and covering her face with her hands. I simply laughed, finding the entire reaction one of the cutest I'd seen. "You like it?" Unsure if I had even scored on choosing the right jewelry, she was quick to confirm my thoughts and took the golden necklace out. "It's beautiful, I love it." She tired holding her tears back, simply gasping as she traced her index finger across the initials. "But I didn't give you anything . . ." I shook my head at her. "You gave me permission to be with you. That's the greatest gift of them all." She simply smiled at me, pressing her lips against the camera. "Thank you so much." I pressed my own against the screen and said my goodbyes, Renato waiting impatiently for rehersals to start.
PRESENT TIME
That had been the moment she captured my heart completely. The fact that she never asked anything from me and still received things, showing nothing but gratitude to what she got. Hanae was truly one of a kind and I was a fool for letting her go that easily. Taking a shaking breath, I placed my hand against my forehead and closed my eyes for a second, imagining her happily by my side.
Another memory surpassed my eyes, looking back to when she had decided to move to Miami. Another happy memory that brought a smile to my lips, knowing that time zones would no longer be our biggest problem. The feeling I was feeling when she'd shared the news had been beyond anything I could imagine, really. Here she was having the opportunity to live life as she desired, and she chose to live in Miami to be closer to me.
