Not Exactly The Fairy Tale Kind.

Chapter Forty-Five.

"Me and Cary are complicated, and we've been trying to keep the complications between us. We didn't want all of you to be caught in the middle, but the more we try to keep you guys out of it, the more we all seem to fall apart." I said, looking around at all of my friends.
"You were all there when I walked away after Cary told me about her life. When I treated her badly, that night in my driveway, and you were all there when Nicky showed up. You all saw what happened, you have always been caught in the middle. So, I don't think Cary and I can keep these discussions between us any more, you guys need to be a part of the conversation. What we do, affects the squad." I said, turning to look at Cary.

"Do you want to start, or should I?" I asked, squeezing her hand.

"I guess I will." Cary said, placing her left hand on top of our joined hands, and smiled at me weakly.

Carys Point-of-view.

"I love James. I love him more and more every second, every hour, and every day. I love him when he makes me smile, and laugh, I love him when he makes me cry, and scream. Not only that, but I love him when I'm with him, and when I'm not, I love him even when I hate him, and I love him when I like him." I said with a giggle.
"I love James with every drop of blood, and every bone in my body. I love him with every thought I have, and everything I am. If I'm being honest, if he was missing, I would burn the world to the ground, just so I could dig out of the ashes. I love him, with all the stars in the sky, and all the ones that have fallen to earth." I said, as my voice cracked and tears gathered in my eyes.

"The love I have for James is more than I ever dreamed I would find in this life, more than I ever thought was possible, the kind of love my mom and dad shared. I love him, with every beat of my heart, and I honestly have no idea why he picked me in the first place. He is so patient, and trusting, and kind, and a thousand other things that I will never be. I have watched people fall madly, deeply, undeniably in love, and most of the time, it's agonizing, and always ends in pain." I said, looking around at all my friends, before looking at James and letting the tears fall.
"So, I asked James to let me go, hoping if he let me go, I would have the strength to let him go. So now, if all I ever have is his friendship, and the memory of the way he loved me, then I know I can survive anything."

After I finished talking, James let go of my hand and wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Wrapping me in his arms, as the tears stained my cheeks, and he rested his head on my mine.
When James and I turned our eyes back to our friends, Lexi and Lydia had tears rolling down their cheeks, as they sat under a blanket on the bottom of the sofa. Adam and Charlie were sitting on the floor, hugging each other tight, pouting, as if we had just told them Santa wasn't real. Austin and Alex, were holding hands as Austin sat on the recliner, with Alex on the arm. Josie and Eli were beside James and me on the sofa, cuddling each other close.

"Why?" Adam asked, from his position on the floor. Causing us all to look at him.
"Why are you letting each other go? If you love him the way you say you do, Cary. Why are you giving up?"

"You two love each other, more than I have ever seen two people in love. It's insane, and wild, but calming and peaceful at the same time. We've all watched it happen, we watched you find each other, and fall in love, and we watched you break apart, again and again. From day one, it's always been you two, the eight of us have sat back, and watched this entire story unfold, we have watched you lose each other, and find each other, over and over, again and again." Josie shouted, while sitting forward, pulling herself away from Eli.
"And now you're telling us, that it's over? You're giving up?"

"I'm sorry, Jo. I didn't realize you were so invested in us, but it's for the best, and if we keep going down the path we're on, we're going to end up hating each other. Neither of us want that, we want to love each other for as long as we can, even if it is from a distance. I don't know alot of things, but one thing I'm certain of is that love is pain." I said, looking past Eli, to see Josie.
"To love is to destroy. To be loved is to be destroyed. This is the best possible outcome, it's the only way we can keep each other close, without destroying each other."