The Lonely Hearts Club

17/ recollection

"Oh, are you scared?" Roman asked with a challenge in his voice. 

"No." Verona replied, shaking her head slightly, "But this is the second stupidest thing I've ever agreed to do." 

Roman grinned, "What's the first?" 

"Agreeing to date you." 

~~~

"I think we should break up." 

"Wait, what?" Verona's heart plummeted to her toes. 

Roman had grown increasingly distant in the past month, refusing to share anything personal with her.  The last time that she had truly seen the Roman she knew was a little over a month ago, when they had gone to the diner together. 

But now, it was like as if he was withering away day by day, shrinking into himself. 

They never really shared much in the first place about their personal lives, but he was now so closed off that he was a different person. 

"I think we should break up." He told her. 

"Why?" 

"Does it matter why?" 

"It does to me." She gazed at him, "What's wrong?" 

"You know, there isn't anything that has to be wrong. I'm not a puzzle to be solved or a problem to be figured out." He replied with a sudden bite in his words. 

"What?" She shrunk back in surprise, "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing." He replied, seeming to regret his show of emotion, "I want to break up. I don't see the point of this relationship anymore." 

"Okay." 

Verona was surprised at the sting this was coming as. She knew what Roman was from the moment she laid eyes on him- a heartbreaker. 

She had always seen this moment coming. She had seen the end before it had began, and she had said yes despite that. 

"It's better this way. For you and for me." Roman told her, his eyes swimming with emotion. 

He was so closed off that she couldn't read him- she had grown accustomed to him being like an open book. 

She turned to him, gently laying her hand on his arm, "I wish you would open up." She said softly. 

He turned his face away, pulling his hand away. "I'll see you at school." 

She had nothing more to say to him. 

~~~

VERONA WAS startled out of her thoughts by her ringtone. She  shook her head at herself- it was stupid of her to be caught up on old times. 

"Hello?" She said into the phone, not bothering to look at the Caller ID. 

"Verona? This is Emilia." 

"What's wrong?" Verona asked, her mind recalling when she had giving Emilia her number for times of troubles. 

"Nothing. Except today was my gymnastics meet. And Roman said he would be here to pick me up, but he isn't." 

"Oh." Verona replied, rather perplexed why Emilia was calling her, "Do you want me to pick you up instead? I can be there in fifteen minutes." She offered unsurely. 

"No, it's okay. I went to the library. I just want to know if you've talked to him today, because he never forgets to pick me up." 

"Maybe he just overslept or forgot?" Verona suggested although she knew that Roman never forgot what he promised. 

He had a memory of steel-good for holding grudges and reliable for rides. He rarely forgot anything. (Verona could testify- he still brought up the time she broke his rice cooker whenever the opportunity arose, which was ridiculous because it was only a ten dollar rice cooker. )

"His sister said he left early in the morning today." 

"Oh." 

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just concerned for nothing." Emilia told her, "It's just not really like him." 

Verona heard her talking to someone else before whispering back into the phone, "Sorry, the librarian just told me to get off the phone. I'll text you?" 

"Don't worry."  Verona replied, something occurring to her abruptly, "I think I know where he is." 

~~~