-Clay's POV-
"George, I just wanna start off with I'm sorry. You're so strong and you mean so much to me. I know that last time we met and talked, you brought up the fact that I don't care and that I just stand and watch Nick beat you up and stuff. I don't want it to seem that way. H-he threatens me and says if I interfere then he'll beat me up more than he already does and hurt you more. I'm so sorry I realize that this isn't a valid excuse and I only dragged you out of bed so that you could see me knock some sense into him and I'll leave and let you go back to sleep now..." I was rambling. I was speaking so fast, tripping over words. I broke eye contact without realizing it. "... and about me always staring off into space... I can't help it. I'm sorry I just daydream sometimes a-and it's frustrating to me too, b-believe me I-" He cut me off by putting a hand up to my face, tracing my jawline with his thumb. I could see his tired eyes scan my face. My whole body felt electric. I couldn't tell if I enjoyed this moment or not because his face was so gorgeous, and it wouldn't seem weird that i'm looking at him since he's doing the same to me.
His eyes raised to meet mine. "Clay... " he whispered. "Thank you." He pulled his hand down and wrapped his arms around me. His body was so warm and his voice was still groggy from just waking up a couple minutes ago. It reminded me of when we were in the bathroom from the day we properly met. I got to hold him, and comfort him while he let himself go. I put my hands over his shoulders, around his neck. God, I wanted this kid for myself. All I could hope for was that he wanted me too.
--
"Thanks again for having me over! I'll come back again sometime tomorrow if that's alright?" I asked George's grandfather.
"Of course! You're always welcome. And thank you so much again for what you did today." He replied. I smiled and walked out the door. My heart was beating a million miles per hour. I just met his grandparents. Holy shit. That's the equivalent to meeting his parents... and they love me! I was beyond ecstatic. His grandparents were moving back to their home place overseas to live with the rest of their family, and George agreed to stay in my apartment until he graduated and traveled abroad to go to school where he was born.
My drive home was so weird. I had so many emotions still on high. I didn't even remember to turn on music because my thoughts were enough to feel occupied.
-Nick's POV-
I had no idea. I was too selfish and vain to realize the damage I've done. The things I've said have dealt damage that a basic apology wouldn't be able to repair. At this point I was lying in bed. I walked straight past my sister and mom when I came through the door. I'm so ashamed of myself that I didn't even want them to see me. I wanted to widdle away for no one to see me ever again. A tear escaped my eye, and dribbled down the side of my face, landing on my pillow. I had white bedsheets with a picture of the eiffel tower printed all over it. (im sorry it was too good of an opportunity to pass up 😏) I wanted nothing more than to give everything to him, and to Rose, who I now realized i've also hurt. My stomach was in knots and my head throbbed.
I rolled over and picked up my phone. I clicked on the messages app and clicked on her contact.
Nick Guzzle
7:02 hey I know you dont wanna see me right now but can you please come over real quick?
7:02 its important and I want to talk about it in person
7:02 I promise I won't touch you. you can stay as far away as you'd like.
I wanted her to know that I'm sorry, but I hate typing things out and I wanted her to know how serious I am. As I waited for a reply I texted Clay.
Nick Guzzle
7:04 Hey man, after Rose comes over and I have a talk with her, I need to talk with you. It's serious and I understand if you dont wanna talk. You can stay as far away as possible if you want, I just want to make sure you hear it from my mouth.
I got a response from him right away.
Clay Greene
7:04 yea sure man just let me know when ig
Nick Guzzle
7:04 sweet thanks. will do.
--
About 15 minutes later I got a text from Rose. She said she'd be on her way in a couple minutes, she was just at volleyball practice. So I got up, and walked downstairs. I found my mom leaning over the island in the center of the kitchen on her phone. When she heard me come downstairs she lifted her head and looked at me. "Well it's nice to finally see you." She said sarcastically. I said nothing and walked over to her, pulling out a bar stool on the other side of the counter. "Rose is coming over. We're just gonna have a chat outside." My voice was low and quiet. Her face changed. "Oh... is everything alright?" She asked, putting her phone down to show her devoted attention.
"Well...'' I started, "Not exactly. I haven't been treating her the best I possibly could and I feel like she would be better off without me." I finished my sentence, holding back tears. I really liked her, but I let my feelings from my past relationship and the aftermath of it get in the way of us. I should have waited until I felt ready for a relationship, instead of rushing it, expecting her to fix me.
"I'm glad you realize that. I've noticed it too. I've seen her around you and it doesn't seem natural. I'm sure it was a 'right person, wrong time' thing." she air quoted the last bit. "I'll be in here if you need me when she turns up." I smiled and nodded.
--
(disclaimer: I know nothing about flowers and like i've said before im colorblind so I have no idea if these colors of flowers even exist)
When I assumed she'd be here, I went outside. My mum took good care of the house, and the outside of it was very well decorated. She had an abundance of flowers, ranging in types, sizes and colors. I went to the side of the house and pulled a bunch of flowers up from the ground. I pulled a couple roses, some pink and some red. Then I went back to the front of the house and dug into a small bush to find some smaller tulips. There were lots. I grabbed some white and off white ones. The flowers were fairly young from the storm about a month ago. The rain, wind and hail killed off all her plants so my mum had to re grow them.
After I picked them out, I sat down on the steps leading up to the front porch. I saw her turn the corner and start walking up to my house. It was at the very end of a cul-de-sac. She was still in her volleyball uniform with her hair in a messy bun. God she was gorgeous. I hated to do this but I knew I had to. Once she reached my house, she kept a distance like I said she could. She stood at the mouth of my driveway and I stood in the middle of it. She gave me a smile and waved
I opened my mouth to start talking but no words came out. She started fidgeting with her nails because I wasn't saying anything. "Look... I know this won't mean anything but I'm sorry rose. I'm so so sorry. I can't stress it enough. My past scares me half-to-death and I can't help but feel useless and small. And I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You didn't deserve any of it, and as much as I like you, I think you would be better off without me." I started tearing up. It was the first time she has ever seen me this mellow and upset. I walked back to the Porsche to pick up the messy bundle of flowers. I ended up tying a rubber band around the bottom bits of the stems so they would be together.
I walked back down to where I was previously standing. She slowly walked up to me, still holding her own hands by her stomach. When she got to me she... hugged me? She wrapped her hands around me and pulled me in. I was so confused but went along with it. She laid her head on the front of my shoulder and sighed. I put one hand on her lower back and the other over her shoulder. As we held each other, I started subconsciously rubbing circles on her back with my thumb.
"I'm glad you realize what you've done. And thanks for apologizing, but I think George deserves an apology more than I do. I'll miss you." I could hear sniffling. She pulled away from the hug and looked me in my eyes. Her eyes were a hazel in the sun, and a light brown otherwise. My heart was pounding. I feel like anyone could hear it from miles away.
"Will you wait for me?" I asked, honestly expecting a no, but I was pleased with her answer...
"I believe that you just weren't ready for a relationship, and I think we both were just so deep in love with each other that we skipped getting to know each other fully." she paused to push some of my hair away from my eyebrows. I swallowed hard. "And to answer your question, i'll think about it. I would love to start seeing you again, but only when the time is right. I think we both kinda need this break."
She stood on the tips of her toes and gave me a light kiss on my cheek. Before she walked away I handed her the flowers. She somehow didn't realize that I was holding them, and when I handed them to her she broke down. She started sobbing. "Thank you N-Nick. They're so pretty." And with that, she turned around and walked home. We lived about 5 minutes of walking distance away, making things easier when we wanted to see each other .