Learning To Love Again

Prologue - A goodbye

I stood in the deserted alleyway and waited for him to arrive, feeling as if a heavy weight had settled over my heart, making it seem to thump loudly in my chest and the not-knowing making me nothing but a big jumbled mess of nerves.
I tried to focus on other things while I waited, repeating over and over again that I knew nothing for certain.

There was a big old oak tree planted at the very end of the alley, off to the right. It spread out its thick branches like wings, making it nice and shady underneath it.
It was a perfect place to meet up at when we needed to talk. We'd shared countless memories here. It was more then just a tree. It was our place.

I asked him to meet me here because he has been hiding something from me.
I didn't know what, for certain, but I was determined to find out.

Lately my boyfriend has been acting strange, lacking eye contact and always refusing to be in a public place with me. At first I thought It must be me. Maybe he was ashamed to be seen with me and yes--the thought hurt. Now though, I wasn't so sure. A rumor had spread saying Bryan had a secret girlfriend behind his 'wife's' back, that he was cheating on her.

His wife's back!

And I was pretty sure that 'secret girlfriend' figure was me! I've truly tried not to believe it, my boyfriend would never keep something like that from me. I knew him, he couldn't be married and besides--we loved each other. He isn't the cheating type. Never.

To set my mind at ease though, I wanted to hear it from him. Maybe we could laugh at the ridiculous thought afterwards.

After a few more minutes of my thoughts running wild, I saw his handsome face come into view, his blonde hair in its usual messy state. I always found it quite cute.
His hazel eyes locked on mine. He came forward, a look of uncertainty stretched across his face.

We sat down under our tree, criss-cross.

He remained quiet, pulling at blades of grass beside him.

"What's happening Bryan?" I finely asked, in a surprisingly calm voice. "You've been acting so strange lately. If it's something I did, please tell me and I'll fix it. I just want things to go back to the way they use to be."

I so desperately hoped that he would just say he'd been having a hard time at work as of late. Or... or anything besides what I heard. Anything would be better than that.

"Leslie I... " He started, and averted his gaze to the ground.

"What is it?" I prompted.

Silence.

"So it's true. You have a family, a wife!" I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was so sure that he would quickly reassure me that, no, in fact that was far from the case! But his silence and the guilty lack of eye contact said it all.

The realization that the man I knew--thought I knew--and loved was already married to someone else slammed into me from all sides, making me suddenly dizzy. Pain sliced through me in the same instant, waves of pain, along with the terrible feeling of betrayal, threatening to knock me over.

"How could you do this to me? I loved you Bryan... " I whispered, feeling my heart slowly and painfully breaking inside of me, the weight on it only growing heavier.

"Please Leslie, I love you with all my heart. I couldn't bare to loose you!" He pleaded, reaching out to touch me.
I jerked away.

"If you truly loved me, you would have told me from the beginning!"

"We can still be together!"
Bryan said hastily. "My wife need never know!"

The nerve he had!

I just sat there for a while, not believing for a moment that it was actually true. Any second now he'd smile and tell me he was just goofing around...

That second never came.

After all this time... I felt like I'd been trampled on; used for nothing more then a toy away from home. I felt like shouting, screaming at him for doing this to me. I wanted to slap him, pound my fists onto his chest! Tears threatened to fall but I was determined not to let him see just how much he hurt me.

Suddenly he took hold of my hand.
I yanked it back.

"Don't touch me!" I screeched. I leaped to my feet, ready to leave. He stood up also.

Before I knew what was happening, his familiar lips were on mine. A last desperate try to save what was already lost.
I was horrified, pushing him off of me fiercely.

"How dare you!" I yelled, glaring at him with pure anguish.

"Leslie please, stay with me!" His voice broke, emotions clearly written across his face.

My hand itched to reach out and slap him, but I refrained from doing so.

"I don't ever want to see you again." I said coolly. "Don't try to call me or contact me whatsoever. We're over Bryan. For good. Go home to your family... and, and stay there!"

"Les-" He started to say, but I cut him off.

"Goodbye Bryan."

With that I left. Tears were now flowing freely down my face.

I didn't look back.

He didn't chase me.

All I could think of was, how could he have done this to me?

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ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ʀᴇᴀʟ ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ. ɪᴛ's ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴛᴏᴘ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ.
~ ғʀᴀɴᴋ ʜᴇʀʙᴇʀᴛ

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