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THIRD PERSON POV
Back at Mandy's apartment, the pair were left unsure of what to do following Vee's departure. Did they follow her? Or did they finally give her some space after spending the last few days hovering over her?
It seemed Mandy made the decision for them as she started towards the door, hands curled into tiny fists at her side. That seemed to snap Tom out of it, and he quickly gripped Mandy's wrist, pulling her to a stop. She whipped around, eyes glaring into his with an unfamiliar fire.
"What are you doing? We have to get her before she does something crazy!" Mandy protested, trying to tug her arm out of Tom's grip.
Tom shook his head. "We have to let her do whatever it is she went to do." Mandy rolled her eyes, once again making a start to the door, huffing when she was yanked back. "Mandy, didn't you see the look on her face? She wasn't going to do something stupid, I can tell."
Mandy hesitated, her eyes darting between Tom's in uncertainty. He seemed sure of himself, sure of Vee. He saw something in her eyes that Mandy didn't quite catch, something strong enough to have all this faith in her that Mandy lacked.
So she gave up her fighting, Tom's grip on her wrist loosening as it fell limp in his hand. Slowly, her arm dropped back to her side, a sigh leaving her lips as she did so. She stepped around Tom, sinking down into the couch with a frown resting on her lips.
"How did you know you loved Vee?"
The question caught Tom off guard, his mouth going dry as his words failed him. He could hear the thump of his heart loudly in his ears, while his face began to heat up. Was he supposed to be honest with her, or continue to deny the sentiment like he'd done so far?
Before he could deliberate any longer, he found himself saying, "I don't know the exact moment." Judging by Mandy's look of surprise, it seemed she hadn't been expecting the confession to come tumbling from his lips.
Tom's gaze cast downwards as the reality of his confession weighed down on him. It was his first time ever saying out loud that he harbored feelings for his "best friend" that was so intense they could be described as nothing less than love. But his confession was nothing short of the truth, he loves Vee, and he doesn't remember when he came to that realization.
There came many times throughout a day spent with Vee that Tom found himself thinking, wow, I love this girl. When that thought first presented himself was unknown, but the fact that it was there was enough to bring an ache to his chest.
"Why haven't you told her?" Mandy broke their silence with a whisper. Tom looked up at her soft voice, lips tilting downwards at the sight of Mandy's wide, curious eyes.
He sighed at that, crossing the room to join his friend at the couch. Sinking down beside her, he hesitated with his response, fingers twisting the fabric of his sweatpants in uncertainty. "She's with Isaac, he matches her numbers." Tom swallowed harshly, feeling his throat tighten as the words left his mouth. Unconsciously, he found himself rubbing at his own hand, smudging the makeup that covered his own numbers. "I'm not going to be the one to ruin her relationship, not with all she's been through."
Mandy frowned at that, and without a word, she reached out for Tom. He tensed up when her hand rested on top of his, before turning it over to hold it tightly. Glancing up at her, Tom was able to offer a tight-lipped smile, squeezing her hand in reassurance. But Mandy could see he was hurting.
"What about your soulmate?" She questioned further, thumb running over his hand soothingly. "You haven't met them?"
Tom's heart lurched at the thought of the person who's numbers matched his. "She...I have met her."
"What happened?"
He hesitated, his eyes darting down to follow the circles Mandy was tracing along his hand. He was sure if Mandy hadn't been holding onto him, his hands would have begun to shake as he relived the memory of when his heart was broken. "I found my soulmate," Tom began, his voice gruff as he fought back the overwhelming amount of emotions taking over his body, "and she found hers. But somehow the universe is against me, and her soulmate wasn't me."
Nothing more had to be said at that point. Mandy shifted closer to her friend, wrapping an arm around him to embrace him in a hug. Tom accepted the contact gratefully, a shaky breath leaving his parted lips as Mandy rubbed his back. She could feel tears pricking at her eyes as the image of Tom's heartbroken expression remained fresh in her mind.
Her eyes darted up to the ceiling as a tear threatened to spill over, a silent plead repeating in her head.
Please, Vee, make the right decision.
VEE'S POV
My face paled as I was greeted by a young girl at the door. I did come to the right address, right? Unless Isaac accidentally texted me the wrong address to throw me off, not actually expecting me to come? No, he wouldn't do that. He wanted me to come to see him, I have the tens and tens of texts to prove it.
I don't know why, but Tom's speech made me sick to my stomach. As all those words came rolling off his tongue, I felt myself getting more and more lightheaded. His brown eyes were staring so deeply into mine, his words laced with so much emotion, I couldn't take it. I couldn't handle someone feeling something so deeply when I was desperate for that feeling. I've been wanting to feel that way since I was fucking sixteen, and now, when I'm supposed to be feeling that, I don't.
And that wasn't going to change if I didn't escape my quarantine and talk to Isaac.
The girl at the door cleared her throat, shifting her weight from one leg to another as she waited for me to say something. It was then that I realized I'd been standing on her porch in utter silence, my lips parted in surprise.
Swallowing harshly, I pulled the sweater tighter around me. "Is Isaac here?"
A look of recognition flashed in the girl's eyes, and she was immediately yanking the door open farther. "Wait, you're Vee?" A smile spread across her lips as she looked me over, her arms opening up as she stepped out into the cold. "Oh my gosh, hi! I'm Jessie, it's so nice to meet you."
My eyes widened as her arms wrapped around me, bringing me into an uncomfortable hug. I slowly wrapped my arms around her, still not completely sure who she was, or what relationship she had to Isaac. Not that I had to wonder much longer, as the very boy I came looking for appeared at the door, making me go stiff in Jessie's hold. She pulled back at my sudden tenseness, whipping around to the look at the figure at the door.
"Vee," he breathed out, almost in shock.
I swallowed harshly, sinking further into the oversized sweater wrapped around me. "Hi, uh, I wanted to talk to you."
He nodded quickly, stepping out onto the porch. Then his eyes shifted to Jessie, and with a nod of his head, the girl bid a quick goodbye and stepped back into the house. As he took a step back to shut the front door, I took the time to look around the home. There was a colorful rug on the far end, besides a few flowerpots with fake plants. The chairs beside them were fading in color, leading me to assume they've been there for quite a long time.
"I see you met my sister," Isaac broke the silence, making my head snap back towards him. His hands were tucked into his pockets as he rocked on his heel, his head nodding back to the front door where Jessie disappeared to. "Sorry if she freaked you out or something, she's a bit much."
I could see the resemblance now. Jessie's dark hair framed her face in waves, accentuating just how bright her eyes were. Just like Isaac's. Though, her eyes held much less warmth than his did, or used to.
"You look alike," I acknowledged quietly. I couldn't help but shiver when a gust of wind blew, sending leaves whirling around the front yard.
Isaac noticed immediately, a frown tugging at his lips. "Vee, why don't we just go inside and–"
I shook my head immediately. "No, I–I can't stay long, so it's better to just stay out here." His features softened instantly, a look of disappointment taking its place on his face as he nodded in response to my statement. "I...I'm sorry for not answering your texts, but–"
"You don't have to apologize," he interjected, catching me off guard. "I deserved it. I'm surprised you're here right now, because I don't deserve to have you talking to me at all."
It wasn't at all the way I anticipated the conversation going on the drive here, so I couldn't help the next question that left my lips. "You don't?"
Isaac shook his head, gaze shifting from me to his sock-clad feet. "I know I've been the worst boyfriend to you." Understatement of the year. "And I know you've given me chances to prove myself to you, and I've done nothing but disappoint every time. I don't deserve you, Vee, and that's clear as day to me now. So if you're here to break up with me, then I won't try to stop you."
My breath hitched as he raised his head to meet my eyes, his green eyes flooded with an emotion I've never seen before. Regret. My lip trembled as the words got stuck on the tip of my tongue, my eyes unable to look away from the glossy green of Isaac's.
"I..." I inhaled sharply, my eyes screwing shut. "I...I..." When my eyes reopened, they were filled with tears, my cheeks heating as I tried to fight back the emotions. "I–I can't."
I turned away from Isaac as the tears slid down my cheeks, my hands going up to cup my cheeks. The wood creaked as he stepped closer to me, and my first sob escaped when his gentle touch met my back. Then I was turned around, the familiar scent of Isaac invading my nostrils as my head was pressed to his chest, my shaking body being held by him. My fingers curled around the fabric of his t-shirt, desperately wanting to be closer to his warmth.
"I want to hate you," I cried out. "I want to hate you with all my being, I want to so badly, Isaac."
His response was so quiet, I almost didn't hear it over the whistle of the wind. "I know."
"Then why can't I? Why can't I hate you?" I pushed away from his chest, my vision blurred with the tears. I looked up at Isaac, his distorted image staring back at me with a deep frown. "Why can't I hate you? Why do I let you hurt me over and over again? Why are we soulmates?"
Despite my vision being blurred, I could still see the look of hurt on his face at my final question. Still, his hands moved up to cup my cheeks, thumb swiping away the tears there despite the continuous flow.
"Because the universe decided it that way," he reminded me softly.
"What if the universe decided wrong?" I choked out, feeling myself lean into his touch despite the hurtful statements I continuously threw his way. "You don't treat me good, Isaac, and I don't think the universe would want that for me."
I watched as his adam's apple bobbed with his harsh swallow. "They wouldn't."
"Then why do you do it? Why treat me badly?" I know I sounded pathetic at this point, practically pleading for an explanation from my boyfriend as to why he felt the need to hurt me, like he needed an excuse. But I couldn't help myself. I wanted this. I wanted so badly to have a soulmate, to have someone I'm destined to be with after being distanced from love for so long. I can't give this up so quickly.
"I–I don't know, Vee," he stuttered out.
I pushed his hands away from my face at that, shaking my head. "If you don't know, then how should I know the universe isn't wrong about us?"
I barely took a step away before Isaac was grabbing onto my hands. "Because I know deep in my heart, Vee, we're meant to be together. I love you, Vee, and the universe knows that." I looked down at his hand turned mine over, revealing the 5 digit number. "Look at these, Vee, look." He lifted his other hand, holding it beside mine.
A new wave of tears threatened to spill over as I stared at the two matching numbers. They were taunting me at this point. I'll have no choice but to stare down at them and remember this was all their fault. They got me stuck in this endless loop of hurt. They made me weak.
Isaac must have missed the tears brimming at my eyes as he pulled me into a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "I love you, Venus." Pulling back slightly, he used a single finger to raise my chin up to meet his lips.
My eyes squeezed shut as our lips met, causing a tear to spill over. Sliding down my cheek, it met our intertwined lips, adding an unwanted salty taste.
Pulling away, Isaac wiped the remainder of my tears away, before pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I love you more than anything," he reminded me, and he waited for a moment, his eyes darting between mine. Ultimately, he stopped waiting, his hand intertwining with my own. "C'mon, let's clean you up, then I'll properly introduce you to my family."
"Okay," I croaked out, my throat scratchy from all the sobbing that took place. I allowed Isaac to lead me into his house in silence, and to the bathroom. I remained silent as he raised me onto the sink of the bathroom, using a damp towel to wipe my face of all the tear stains. When Isaac took a step to the side to wring the wet towel out, my eyes caught sight of a painting situated above the towel rack, the words causing my throat to tighten.
Love one another as I have loved you.
Then Isaac stepped back into my line of sight, a tight-lipped smile on display as he looked me over, hands gently caressing my sides.
He told me he loves me.
So why couldn't I say it back?
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ROSE'S NOTES!
I'm gonna start doing a cry count for these chapters
cry count for this chapter: 4