Forced To Marry

19- Time Away

Ethan's POV
It's been almost two years since Rylee went off to school and at first we were making it work but now we hardly ever see each other because either I'm too busy with work to go visit her or she is too busy with school to spend time with me. I have started hanging out with all my old friends to keep myself distracted so that I don't spend to much time thinking about Rylee and what she may or may not be doing while she is away at school.

"So Ethan are you up for going out tonight," Jace asked as we sit around the house watching tv. "I guess, I mean it beats sitting at home and I can't go see Rylee this weekend because she said she has to stay focused on her finals." I say shrugging my shoulders. "Look man it's time to move on from her it's obvious she is seeing someone else," he say making things creep into my mind. "What makes you say that?" I ask him beginning to worry. "Because dude she is away at college where there are tones of guys and you are here, she has bound to have moved on from you," he says slapping me on the back. "Maybe I should go and confront her make her admit if she is with someone else," I say getting off the couch and grabbing my keys making may way out to my car. "I'm going with you," Jace says from behind me just as I make it to my car. "Fine get in," I tell him before getting into the car and beginning to make my way to see Rylee.

Rylee POV
"So what is it you don't understand about the math, because you seem to know it to me?" I ask Alex as we sit outside at the park studying for our math exam. "Honestly I understand it all just fine," he confesses. "Then why did you ask to study with me if you already knew the material?" I ask in confusion. "Well because I like being around you and lately you haven't been wanting to hang out," he say admitting the truth. "Sorry about that I have just been having a hard time trying to keep my grades up and I really need to pass these test next week because they are worth a big part of my final grade," I say apologetically hating that I have been pushing everyone away. "It's fine, I had just begun to think you realized I'm not good enough for you to hang around." he say sadly beginning to make me feel bad. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel like that I feel bad for making you think that." I say placing my hand on top of his. I look up at him to see him smiling at me. "What are you smiling at me," I ask him in confusion. "Because I got you, I had you actually believing I was upset," he say before bursting into laughter. "That's so not funny," I say slapping him playfully and then get up grab my stuff and begin walking away as if I was mad at him.

Seconds later I feel Alex behind me and he quickly grabs my arms spinning me around to face him and what happened next was something I wasn't expecting. His lips meet mine and I stood there in shock because him kissing me was the last thing I had expected him to do. As he pulled away he looks at me as if waiting for a response. "What was that for?" I ask in confusion. "Rylee I still have feelings for you they haven't gone away, if anything they have gotten stronger and I don't want to see you mad at me," he say as he holds my hand in his. "I..I don't know what to say, but Alex I'm married and I love Ethan," I say not knowing what else to say. "Rylee he hasn't came to see you in like six months, I'm sure he had already moved on so why can't we give us another shot," he ask in a pleading tone. "I don't know Alex I care for you I do, but I thought we agreed to just be friends." I say as my head spins with so many different feelings. "I know we did and I tried to be just your friend but I want more and you can't tell me you don't feel anything between us," he say as he puts his finger under my chin so that I am now looking into his eyes. He gently places his lips on mine kissing me and I can feel so much love through his kiss that I begin to respond to his kiss after only a moments hesitation. "So Jace was right you have been seeing someone else and that why you haven't been wanting me to come see you," I hear Ethan say in anger causing me to pull away for Alex and turn to face an angry Etahn.

As soon as I turned to face Ethan he turned and begin to storm off. "Ethan please wait let me explain," I call out as I chase after him. "There is nothing to talk about I caught you kissing Alex so you can go tell your lies to someone else because I don't want to hear them." He screams at me as he continues to walk away from me. "Ethan that's not fair," I scream out to him. He stops walking and angrily turns and makes his way to me. "No Rylee what's not fair is having to see my wife kiss a guy who she use let beat her and that I never thought in a million years you would go back to but I guess I was wrong," he say with so much anger that is caused me to step backward which led me to trip over the curb and fall backwards. Just before I could hit the ground I would caught and pulled into Ethan's arms. We just stood there looking up at each other for what seemed like forever until Ethan finally broke the silence. "Why did you do it," he asked me his voice sounding broken. "Alex told me he still had feelings for me and then was telling me that you had probably moved on with someone else and he just got me confused," I say hoping he would believe me. "See that why this isn't working and it's not fair to either one of us to live life thinking that were cheating on each other," he say as he gently releases me from his arms. "What are you saying Ethan?" I ask sadly as tears enter my eyes. "I'm saying maybe we should get a divorce, we were both forced into this marriage and it's not fair for us to suffer and I want you to be happy, finish college and if down the road a few years from now we decide to give us another try then we will start over on our own terms," he say to me with sadness in his voice. "Ethan please don't do this, I will leave school, I will do whatever you want just please don't do this," I beg him with tears streaming down my face. "Shh it's going to be ok, you going to finish school here because that's what you have always wanted." He say gently wiping the tears from my eyes before placing a quick kiss on my lips and leaving me standing alone as he gets in his truck and leaves. I fall to the ground as my heart breaks in a million pieces.

Ethan's POV
Breaking things off with Rylee was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do and watching her collapse in heartbreak as I drove away made my own heart shatter into a million pieces. As I watch her in my rear view it took everything in me not to go back, take her into my arms and tell her I was wrong and never let her go again. "So things are really over with you two huh?" Jace asked me in a curious tone.  "Yeah I guess they are," I say honestly before changing the subject because my heart can't take talking about her.

Authors note:
So do you guys think things are over between Ethan and Rylee for good?
Do you think that Rylee and Alex should give there relationship another try?
New cover picture on this chapter of Rylee (Britt Robertson) and Ethan (Josh Henderson).