It had been almost a year since you walked out on Bradley and you didn't expect to have such bad withdrawals from that decision. Every night after that day, you had cried because of not knowing if you made the right choice. Was he hurt? Did he actually want you to stay? Did he just say that to make himself seem like the better person? You need to stop overthinking things, is what you tell yourself each night.
Eventually, each day got easier to get through and inevitably, you were okay again. Though, the thought of brad popped into your mind once a day at least still. You didn't mind it though, it helps you out with coping. Just remembering small moments you two shared, like baking, playing board games at 1 am and ordering late night Uber to go with it. You were certain that he wasn't thinking about stuff you two did, like you still were. Why would he?
But this is where you were wrong. Bradley was known to talk about you to the boys almost every day, even if it was just a small memory he remembered when looking at freshly baked cookies. He'd think about the way your mouth would slightly open when you fell asleep, how you'd dance around to music as you cleaned the house, how you'd argue with him, even just you sitting down on the couch watching tv.
The boys had gone on tour not too long after Brad and you broke up, which was in hindsight was not a good idea considering Brad was in a bad place. Though, he still decided to go through with it, not wanting to disappoint the fans and make them concerned about him. He did enjoy his time on the road, though it wasn't the same. Your usual tradition when he was on tour was meeting up in Amsterdam and spending a day together and it was different without you now. It was something both of you agreed on doing after you surprised him one day when he was on the Europe leg of the tour.
You walked up behind him, he was grabbing some ice cream from a store that Tristan had told you they were at. He knew about the whole surprise, knowing it'd make Bradley the happiest person ever. He was dressed in a blue and white striped shirt and some black shorts, something he'd always wear when it's the summer time and it was in Amsterdam that time of year. You wrapped your arms around him when he was done ordering.
"Lemme guess, you got cookies and cream?" You asked him. He turns around in confusion, but that soon goes away when he sees your face. His eyes light up as if he just won a million dollars.
"Oh my god!" Is all he says as he wraps his arms around you tightly. He smelt the same, "what are you doing here?"
"Tris told me you had a free day in Amsterdam, so I decided to meet you here. You know how much I've wanted to visit here," you tell him as you both start to sway in the hug.
He pulls away when his ice cream is served. He thanks the employee and as he does that, you say hello to the boys and hug them. When he grabs his ice cream, you start to walk off all together. You both trail behind the boys as you both walk, his free arm wrapped around your shoulders. The both of you talk about everything as you stroll down the streets on the pathed walkway.
"Brad!" James calls out from behind him. You both look up at him, just now realising how far away you were from them.
"Yeah?"
"We're gonna head back to the hotel, we'll see you when you get back, yeah?" James looks at you both.
"Yeah, we'll see you there, mate," Brad calls out to him as they start to walk off in another direction.
The both of you spent the rest of the day walking around Amsterdam, admiring the scenery. The strolls in the park, visiting the museum, the art galleries, the Anne Frank house. You wished you could see it all, but it was only for one day. At the end of the day, you are with Brad in his hotel, lying down on the bed, cuddling and still talking about your days.
