ℰ𝓃𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓉ℯ𝒹

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 45 - 𝐶𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐶𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔

Your Pov:

Just as planned, you got dressed casually and made your way to the coffee shop. What wasn't planned was Amelia tagging along.

You wore a plain v-neck black dress that had a slit at the side, along with a pair fo black heels. Amelia on the other hand, wore a pink round neck blouse, partnered with a pair of white wide leg pants and white sandals.

Her gorgeous brown hair flowed at her back, her hazel eyes pleading you.

"I wanna see where you used to work!" she pleaded. "What difference does it make? The bakery is better in many ways!" She shook her head, making you sigh.

"I'll be the judge of that" Finally, you gave in. With a sigh, you spoke, "As long as you behave you can come"

"Yey!" She rushed to the bathroom to get ready, hoping as she did so. You shook your head with a laugh, hoping you would regret this decision.

***

Once you were both ready, you left just a little bit early because you had nothing else to do. "How are you feeling? Are you excited?" Amelia questioned, poking at your side.

"I'm excited and nervous. I haven't seen either of them in a year and who knows how much has changed since then" She nodded, understanding your anxiety.

The two of you decided to just walk to the coffee shop instead of messing with traffic, plus the weather looked quite lovely today. Though you felt like it was too cloudy and it might rain in a few hours, the breeze was still flawless.

Walking also allowed you to calm yourself and allow your mind to prepare for what was about to happen.

"Don't be too nervous. You'll be alright..but if you're not then, I'll be there. I'll be your saviour for today" She flaunted her smile at you, grinning from ear to ear, causing laughter to come from you.

"Yeah, right.."

***

Once you arrived, you felt your heart thumping in your chest. Your eyes looked around until you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"Dude, calm down. You're looking like a lost kid. Deep breaths.." You nodded, doing as she did. You closed your eyes and took a few deep breaths until she patted your shoulder and told you she'd find a table for herself, leaving you all alone. You collected yourself and walked around for a bit. You checked the time and saw that you were right on time. Am I too early?

But then, as you arrived near the end of the place, you saw her. Her green eyes that sparkled, her Blonde hair that appears to be shorter than when you last saw her. She lost weight as well. You hoped that she was still healthy. She looked happy; happier. My god she still looks so pretty.

Your heart felt like it was about to jump out of your chest. Your hands got sweaty as you approached the table, trying your best to hide your nervousness but you were pretty sure you failed.

You approached their table, feeling your anxiety build up with every step you took.

It wasn't long before Aleisha jumped on you. She hugged you deeply before you could even say anything. "I hate you, you dumb shit. I thought you were never gonna come back.." You laughed as you comforted her. "You know I would never do that right...I just needed some time," She pulled away, nodding, wiping the tears that she didn't even notice.

You sat on the chair across from both of them, refusing to meet Lizzie's eyes once more. You were too scared. Too scared to see that she was happy. That the only reason she was here was to check up on you. You were too scared to see the life she built when you weren't around.

"So how are you doing? And who was that girl you were with?" You appeared surprised, not realizing they saw that little interaction between you and Amelia. "Oh, that's Amelia. She's one of the few friends I made back in town. She came with me since her bakery's opening a branch near the hotel where we're staying." Aleisha nodded.

"What happened to you? That whole year you were gone?" You couldn't help but laugh at the way she phrased the question.

"Well when I arrived, I stayed at this hotel then later on found out that my Grandmother, whom I was supposed to be staying with, passed away a few years back. So I ended up renovating the house, then I was supposed to leave and come back here. But then I met Amelia. She needed help with her bakery and since Grandma had a reputation of helping people, I couldn't resist helping her. Fast forward to Christmas, I was supposed to leave after Christmas but I got sick all throughout the New Year's. I ended up staying at least two weeks more after the New Year to cool down myself and recover from said sickness,"

They both looked at you amused. "Oh and the people there had no idea who I was" You finished, taking a sip of your water.

"Wow so I'm assuming you didn't have to deal with reporters and the media?" You bit your lip and shook your head, feeling a bit guilty for leaving them here to fix the mess you made. It was then you looked up at Lizzie. She was staring right at you. Her eyes glistened, almost like they were wet.

Aleisha saw the interaction, deciding to do something. "I'm gonna head to the restroom. Be back in a while" She hurriedly grabbed her stuff, leaving the two of you at the table. You didn't know if you should be the one to talk first. You felt anxious and nervous.

"I-.. I'm sorry.." You looked up from your hands and saw her. Her hair was covering her face as she faced down, staring at her fingers as she spoke. "I know that it was my fault. I shouldn't have answered him. I should've chosen you-" She looked up at you, staring at your eyes "I do choose you, Y/N. I know I say that a lot but I mean it. I really, really mean it this time. Losing you felt like losing a piece of me. I had no idea where you were, no clue if you're okay or not. But I waited for you. Ever since the moment you left. I have done nothing but wait because I knew that you'd come back. And you did.." Though she smiled as she said the last part, you felt the pain it had with it.

You wanted nothing more than to hug her, apologize to her and tell her how much you love her. But you couldn't do that. Not when you're still not sure. A tear fell from her eye as she watched you stay silent. Face neutral, giving no emotion to what she said. But deep down, you were exploding with emotions. You wanted to tell her how much you missed her; how much you missed her hugs, her kisses, and everything else; everything about her.

"I'm sorry too," You finally responded. "I shouldn't have left like that. I left you here to deal with my mess. I should've fixed us, believed in us but I just- I couldn't-" Though she said nothing, it was evident in her eyes that her heart just broke. "I couldn't. Not when I knew you didn't believe in us. I knew you didn't trust me. It was already too broken to fix."

"But it's healed now, hasn't it? We're both...we're both healed now, right? Maybe we can fix this. Give it another chance.." You wanted to give in. Wanted to say yes and accept the offer. But you knew the risk. And you weren't sure if you were ready to risk yourself again.

"Please.."

Her eyes answered every question you had. Her eyes told you everything you wanted to know. But were you ready? Were you really ready to risk yourself again? After all the pain?

"I don't..I don't know. I'm not sure I'm ready to try again. We've tried once, twice, but they both didn't end well. I'm not...I don't know if I can.." You watched as she closed her eyes, inhaling as she did. You couldn't stand it. Watching her heart break in front of you like that. Watching her cry and suffer knowing you were the cause of it.

"I understand," She turned away from you, wiping her tears. "If that's what you really want then I have no right to push you," You nodded, sighing deeply. "I guess this is the part where I leave.." She said with a sad laugh. You watched as she stood up, smiling sadly at her.

"Goodbye, Lizzie." She smiled at you and walked away. Leaving you alone at the table, in your own thoughts and feelings.

It was another pain to see her leave like that but you knew that that pain, will soon disperse and lead to a better life. You can't heal if you never bleed.

Closure.

A/N: And finally...the story has ended. Thank you all for supporting my book!!

just kidding😋