2,269 words. Read slow my loves for this is the last chapter ♡♡♡♡
Joey's P.O.V.
Preston left to go to the store. I haven't stopped crying in what feels like a year. And my soul feels like it is lifting out of my body. What I thought would be a happy ending turned into one big mess.
What the hell was going through my head when I forgave Preston and not Daniel? Daniel didn't intentionally cheat on me. But Preston did. Why was I so fucking blind and didn't accept the truth?
He promised. He fucking promised. Daniel said he would never give up. He told me that back when I didn't think I could ever love him again. But it took time to heal from what he put me through. I'm all put back together now.
Everything was my fault honestly. I told him yesterday to give me a reason to hate him. But I didn't think he would actually do it. I thought he would hug me and tell me everything would be okay. Oh how I miss the feeling of his soft lips against mine, the warm feeling I got everytime he hugged me. But I fucked that up. I was stupid and now I have to pay the price.
I put the bracelet he gave me back on his wrist, his right wrist. The wrist he cut seven times and the same wrist I cut seven times. What I wanted was for him to have something to prove that I love him. I never threw it out. I kept it all this time. Through all the fights and the arguing and the tears, I kept it. Because the one thing that has kept me sane through this god damn freak show was him.
I thought I didn't have to say I love you to say I love you. I just wanted to sleep next to him. I wanted him to tell me all the things that make him feel at ease. I wanted to forget all the shooting stars and all the silver moons. I wanted to sleep next to him. I want Daniel. My boyfriend. The love of my life. The guy who never failed to make me feel lile one in a million.
"Joey?" I hear Preston whisper as he comes in the front door. I'm laying face down on the couch with my tears staining my cheeks.
"Yeah?" I say without lifting my head up. I really don't want anyone to see me like this. My eyes are blood shot and swollen, my hair is messier than usual, and i'm broken.
"I think you'll be happy if you just look up," he says in a very serious tone. I lift my head up and look towards the door.
"Dan-" I say but that is all I can get out because the fact that he is back shocked me. He's standing here.
"Joey," Daniel says walking towards me. I stand up from the couch and he stands infront of me, our faces inches apart.
"I-I thoug-thought you didn't love me?" I say through sniffles that I can somehow manage to get out.
"I could never hate you, Joey. I thought you wanted to be done with all of this. I thought you were tired of being hurt by me. So, I told you I didn't love you to set you free. But the truth is, i'm nothing without you. If I can't live every second of my life loving you then I don't want to live it," Daniel says. It wasn't that long but my mind slowed it down and it sounded like it went on forever. We are finally on the same page. We finally made it.
"I love you so fucking much, Daniel. Thank you for everything you have showed me and for everything you have taught me. I wouldn't be the stubborn pain in the ass if it weren't for you," I say with a little smile.
I tilt my head down becausd I begin to blush. Daniel places two fingers under my chin and lifts my head to make me look him in the eyes.
"All this time and I can still make you blush? I love you," he says. And then it happens. Daniel slowly leans in and connects our lips. I wrap my arms around his neck and he puts his on both sides of my face. He licks my bottom lip and I am too hungry for this kiss to make him fight for it. His tongue explores the familiar territory in my mouth before we both pull away and rest our heads on eachother's forehead.
"I'm gonna go," Preston says and walks out the door.
"We did it. We walked through hell and now we get to live in heaven," Daniel says, his face lighting up more than i've ever seen in over a year. He had a cloud over him and after these last fifteen minutes, it's gone. He's happy, we're happy.
"Even if we couldn't have found heaven, I would have found a way to walk through hell with you," I say leaning my head on his shoulders.
"I love you so god damn much," Daniel says holding my body tight against his. In that moment we were completely care free with eachother in our arms and love in our hearts. It's strange how love can constantly alter and change our lives.
"I love you too. I'm glad you never gave up," and finally perfect harmony set itself back in place.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" I say waking up on the couch in a pool of my own tears. I glance over and see Preston passed out next to me. It wasn't real. We never made up. I must have fallen asleep on the couch while Preston went to the store. Daniel still hates me. And I am still with Preston. Preston wakes up and looks at me like i'm a lost puppy. Why?
"Joey how are you okay? You passed out after I came back to the store and told you the news," Preston says scooting closer to me and grabbing my hands.
"What?" I reply. My heart begins to beat out of my chest and my mind begins to spin. No. No. No. No. No. Please. I just woke up from the best dream i've ever had and now he's going to give me bad news.
"Daniel is missing from the hospital and they called me to tell you. He was going to be let go today but he left before getting any of his medicine and papers. Do you know where he could be?" Preston says. I know he is trying to make me feel better about this whole situation. Preston and I still are technically dating but I think he knows how much I love Daniel.
"I'm going to find him," I say standing up and running for the door.
"Joseph," Preston says running after me and grabbing my wrist right before I reach the door.
"I'm about to do something I should've done a long time ago. We're over. I don't ever want to see you again in my life. Don't be here when I get back," I say shaking my hands from his grip. He looks at me in terror as I walk out the front door, leavinf the bitch behind.
The sun is already starting to set and I have checked every possible place Daniel could be. I checked his house, his favorite restaurant, everything. Every fucking thing.
After a few more hours of searching around LA I was about to give up until the location where he may be popped into my head, the school.
I speed all the way to the highschool where we first met eachother. All of our best memories were made here. Our lives wouldn't have been the same if Daniel hadn't been my substitute. Most likely my life wouldn't be so screwed up right now but I also wouldn't have gotten to know Daniel on the level I do
I pull into the parking lot and see a car all too familiar. Daniel's car is here. I can't believe it. My heart begins to pound as I approach his car and see him sitting in the driver's seat still in his hospital gown. He doesn't look up when i'm walking towards him. I tap on the glass and I can see him through the cloak of night jump a little. He strains to see who I am before finally realizing. His eyes grow wide and he appears to be a bit shaken up now.
Daniel gets out of the car and just stands there looking at me.
"I came to the one place I thought you wouldn't find me and yet here you are," Daniel says. His face looks darker, more hurt. His eyes have bags under them and his hair is a mess.
"When you really love someone you'll think long and hard about everything they do. Why are you here?" I say to him. I'm surprised that he has even been in my presence this long considering he quote "hates me".
"I just was doing some thinking. About everything actually. Mostly about you, somewhat about how this fucking school tore me apart, and a splash about how I wish we weren't so toxic," He says looking off towards the school and then back down to me.
"I broke up with Preston. That bitch didn't love me, I can see it in his eyes. I know you told me and i'm very sorry I didn't believe you. I'm sorry I forgave Preston when you obviously didn't mean to do what you did. I'm sorry for putting you through hell in the time you have known me. But most of all, i'm sorry for breaking you. I thought you broke me. But I realized it wasn't you. I hurt myself. I caused myself to be hurt time after time. I just wanted to blame it on you. I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have cut and then caused you to cut. We're toxic because of me. And I completely understand why you hate me," apologizing to Daniel lifted a huge weight off my chest. I let out a breath I didn't even know I way holding. Daniel grabs my hands in his.
"I don't hate you. I hate how you didn't want yourself to be happy. I hate that I fought for you for months and the day I decide to give up you came crawling back to me. You were in it for the chase and that wasn't right. I ripped myself to pieces to try and make you happy. But it didn't work until I wasn't able to be fixed. Please, don't ever think I hate you," Daniel says. A small tear falls down his cheek and he, for once, lets it fall.
"I don't know why I did that. But I see it know. I see that I screwed you over way more than I thought you screwed me over. I understand if you never want to be mine again. But I will tell you the hell I have been through without you. You completed me in a way no one else could've. You made me a better person. You accepted me at my worst and didn't love me any less. And for that i'm forever greatful," I say starting to cry. I pull my hands from his and wrap my arms around his neck, the feeling of his heart beating against mine. He slowly wraps his arms around the indent of my back and we just stand there for what feels like hours, probably only a minute.
"I love you," Daniel whispers into my neck.
"I love you too," my tear filled voice answers back.
Daniel pulls away and gets back into his car. I drop to my knees when I think he is going to close his door but instead he sits there watching me cry like an infant in my old school parking lot at 11 at night.
"Are you going to get in, Joey?" Daniel says motioning for me to get in his car.
"W-What?" I glance up and look at the grin on his face.
"I can't let my beautiful boyfriend stay out here when we could be fast asleep in my bed," Daniel retorts back with a crystal clear grin. I jump off the asphalt and launch myself into his car. He puts his keys in the ignition and starts the car.
We are driving when we are about to get on this bridge he swerves the car sending us into the water. I begin to panic as I look over at Daniel, he is calm as ever. I begin to relax when he unbuckles his seat belt and pulls me on top of him. He rubs my back and I calm down, water starting to leak through the sides of the doors.
"We walked through hell together. Now we can stroll through heaven," Daniel says rubbing up and down from the top of my neck to the bottom of my back. Neither of us struggle. We just sit in eachothers arms as the water takes over us. After a few minutes of pain, we both go limp into the darkness. We are now free from this hell everyone calls life. Daniel and I may be taking our last breaths. But true love never dies. We may have died but we still ended up together. And that's all we ever wanted from this fucked up game we like to call life.
♡We won't give up♡