"Meet me at 7pm -- X"
I re-read the message God knows how many time, clutching the phone tightly in my hand. I don't need anyone to tell me who the sender is.
I immediately call Stacey...
"Hello." She says in a cheerful tone.
"Stacey it's me." I reply back.
"Of course i know, missing me so much?" She giggles.
"Stacey i have to tell you something." I continue to say without giving any chance to her to reply back.
"Alexwanttomeetme." I spit it out, closing my eyes tightly. I feel that Stacey isn't saying anything.
"Alex what?" She questions me after a long pause.
"Alex wants to meet me." Again i'm facing the silence.
"You aren't going, are you?" She asks in a tone like she's daring me to say anything.
"I...i...i.. Stacey.." she cuts me off.
"Go, meet him." She says after taking a deep breath.
It suprises me that she didn't pull any fight about it. She despises Alex and anything related to him.
I'm about to ask her why she's willing to let me meet Alex.
"Before you start to ask me questions, let me tell you one thing i don't want you to blame yourself for the rest of your life, this is the chance where you can prove how strong women you are and no one can hurt you anymore." She says with determination. I love this girl, she always says right thing in right time.
"I will." I tell her with a little bit more emphasize in 'will'.
We bid goodbye and i look at the message of Alex. It reminds me how i used to wait for his message or call...
where i wished he would apologize to hurt me,
he would tell me that... he loves me as much as i loved him,
he would see how he's breaking me piece by piece,
but he didn't do any of it, if he did thing would have been different now.
After the last three years now it's time to face the reality, it's the time to re-open the wounds which has been covered by fake hopes.
It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' i don't agree. The wounds remain the same, the scars remain the same, time only makes the pain tolerable.
After taking a cold shower, dressed in a casual t-shirt and jeans i come downstairs.
My mom is in the kitchen probably making dinner, i come towards her..
"Mom?" I call her. She turns back towards me smilingly. This is the best thing about my mom, her smile makes me automatically happy no matter how bad the situation is.
" Going anywhere young lady?" She asks.
"Yeah, i'll come before dinner." I tell and hug her. She embraces me in her arm full of warmth, exactly this is the main thing i need now.
She gives me a kiss in my cheek and i walk out of my home. I start my car and drive towards my destination.
I know the place where exactly he'll meet me, that place holds so many memories of us.
I stop my car, knuckles are white due to holding tightly the steering wheel.
I look at my watch only to see i'm fifteen minutes earlier, i open the car door and sudden breeze of this place hits my nose and engulfs me.
It looks exactly the same i can remember, like it has been waiting for us to come again.
I have never been in this place after that night when Alex left me here, and now after three years we are in the same spot.
I walk towards the empty bench, settling myself in the bench i take a deep breath. The wind is chill but i notice the calmness of the environment surrounding me. I look at the sky finding the stars burn with the brilliant moon light, this is the best thing about this place it will consume anyone in its beauty...
"Aaahheem" someone clear his throat, it break my trance. I become rigid like everything stops in it's place, i close my eyes tightly to hope it'll only be one of my nightmares...
As soon as i open my eyes up, his eyes are onto my face. My breathes become irregular, the heat starts evaporates from my body and everything freezes for a second, the world pausing for that tiny span of time between two of us.
Seeing him after along time a inner part within me is happy though it hurts like hell that he isn't the person what he used to be. For a nanosecond all i want to reach out and touch the human being in front of him not just with my hands but with my heart.
He sits beside me, never leaving my gaze. I think we both haven't even blinked our eyes.
" How are you ?" He says in a husky tone with so much emotion in it. I can't comprehend what emotion it is because i'm too busy in staring him.
"Mia?" He says again this time i turn my gaze from him. Listening my name slips from his tongue is only reminding me how much once i loved this person.
"Yeah I'm fine." I say in a flat tone not wanting to show him any weakness.
"Your hair is long." He says out of nowhere with a surprised look in his face. It only reminds how he loved my hair and kept on telling me to keep it long but for my lack of interest i always cut it in short.
" I like it this way." I give him a short reply battling with words to come out from my mouth.
"But you never liked it long in past." He asks with a calmly, like it's giving him any satisfaction to see me fighting for words. I mentally tell myself ' is he here to discuss about my hair?'
" Time changes everything." I answer him with hope to make him understand that i'm not talking only about my hair. Something flashes in his eyes but he covers it up quickly before i could read.
My phone buzzes, Aiden's name is flashing in my screen excusing myself i answer the call.
"Hey?" I ask him over the phone.
"Hello Mia, where are you? I was thinking to take you out" He asks from the other side.
" Sorry Aiden actually i.. i..i'm with a..." I struggle to address Alex because we don't share any relation now.
"Why are you stammering?" He asks.
" I'm a with a friend." I tell him, closing my eyes tightly. This sounds foreign to me.
" Ohh sorry to disturb you Mia." He says in a apologetic tone.
" Hey hey don't be sorry Aiden, i'll meet you tomorrow." I tell him, feeling bad for him.
"Okey byee then." He says.
"Yeah bye." I cut the call stuffing it in my pocket.
" Have you moved on?" He asks me cutting of guard. I look back at him, he has a cold expression in his face.
"Huhh?" i can only response.
" Who is that Guy?" He asks again.
"That's none of your business." I spat angrily. If he is thinking he can come and just asks me what is going on in my life then he is damn wrong.
He chuckles which is only infuriating me.
" Let's drop the discussion about me, come to the point, why did you message me?" I aks, folding my hands in my chest. He left me for three years and now he is acting like a jealous boyfriend.
I'm done with all crying and blaming myself. I can't let him see me weak anymore.
" To make you remember what i promised you a long time ago." He says smirking like a devil. I look at him with disbelief. He get up from the bench, coming towards me.
" You remember what i have told you a long time ago?" He says in a cold tone then suddenly realization hit me. Before i can say anything...
" I'm here to make your life living hell Mia." He came closer untill he is some inches apart from me, but i can sense the determinationn his voice. I look at his eyes to find something but only see hate for myself.
His words shake my world then and there, terrified by his words i step back but composing myself..
" You know what Alexander?" I tell him with a gritted teeth. How could i think he'll Change, i'm a fucking dumb to think like that.
"I have been in worst." I spit it out, not able to control myself..
"I was in hell when you became a stranger from my best friend"
"I was in hell when you choose to be with her over me again and again."
" I was in hell when you broke our friendship."
My eyes drip with tears. My walls, the walls that hold me up, make me strong just collapse in front of him. Moment by moment, they fall and all i can do is to stare it blankly. Salty drops fall from my chin, drenching my shirt.
My vision become blurry but i can see him, he has a pained expression in his face. He refused to look away, even as his lips trembled and his shoulders heaved with emotion, unwilling to break down. His dark lashes brimm heavy with tears; his hands clenched into shaking fists, in a desperate battle against the grief.
We both look at each other,we both allow each other to see our vulnerability, we both know what we have lost but we do know that the loss is irreversible. Nothing can change our past, nothing can change our fate.
" That's why i'm here to make it more worsen than before." He says in sharp tone, his emotions are replaced once again hate, disgust.
"Go to hell." I says not wanting to continue this conversation between us, i turn to leave that place but he gripes my wirst and pulls me into him...
" What are you doing?" I say, trying to free my hand from his grip. I feel burning sensation due to sudden contact of our skin.
" What did you think? I'll leave this place and you could happily live after that?" His tone his high this time. I'm beyond terrified from his out brust. I look directly at his eyes which are showing pure hate for me.
"Leave my hand." the more i'm saying the more his grip tightening around my wrist making me hiss in pain.
"Be ready Mia." He spat venomously, unclasping my hand from his death grasp waking out of that place, again adding memories about this place.