She had prepared for him to cry. She had prepared for him to beg and try to convince her to stay. But Lucy never really accounted for what could happen if he got angry. He was temperamental and she knew that, but this side of him was something different. Is this what he would be like after they got married? Was this really the persona lurking beneath the gentle man she fell for? Maybe this wasn’t as big of a mistake she she thought. Maybe..
Her thoughts cut short as she watched his foot drive into the wall. A part of her wants to reach forward and tell him to stop. He didn’t need to hurt himself over this. After all, it wasn’t as though they were already married. Relationships were temporary, weren’t they? Fragile and able to be broke at any time. So, why was he so upset? She blinked away the oncoming tears. While that small part of her wished she could offer him some sort of solace, the coward that resided in her heart told her to run. If she ran right now, perhaps she could get away. She could move cities and pretend this didn’t happen. Pretend he never existed. But if she did that, wouldn’t she be the monster? She didn’t want to hurt him, but she didn’t see any other choice.
“You’re scaring me, Taeyeol.” Her voice was low and hung in the air like the smoke of a cigarette. She should yell and scream, shouldn’t she? Isn’t that what break ups were like? She should cry and say she’s sorry. But instead of feeling remorse and guilt, the growing sensation in the pit of her stomach was simply disgust. After another moment, Lucy finally allowed her gaze to match his. She refused to blink, knowing that the moment she did would be the moment that the tears fell from her eyes. She couldn’t cry. She couldn’t show weakness. This was what had to be done.
“I just don’t think we’re meant to be..” It was a cliche excuse and she had to scrape the inside of her conscience to find it. But it was true. They got along well and she did care for him, but she was too different. He was clingy and obsessive and Lucy was fluid and always changing. She didn’t know what kind of person she would be in a month’s time, but she was pretty sure Taeyeol would be exactly the same. His words were pathetic and it hurt Lucy to see him grasping for threads that were already severed. “I won’t make you waste your life waiting for me. What if I’m not ready in a year, or two years? What then?”
patience is a virtue , patience is a virtue , taeyeol kept chanting to himself in his head . yet it was all for naught , he knew it was all for naught , because he knew that now there was nothing he could do to get her back to where they were , where they're supposed to be .
❝ do you think i'll give up this easily on you ? ❞ taeyeol began in an almost whisper before he looked up at her and met her eyes head on -- god only knew the look on his face at that moment . ❝ is this a test ? if this is a test i'll get very angry , dear , you know i don't like games like this . don't test the sincerity of my love like this . ❞
despite his playful teasing and jests , taeyeol was a hopeless romantic through and through . his dream girl , he always said , was someone who got cold easily , so he could wrap her up in a thick jacket or a thick blanket and hold her close , keep her warm and snug and safe in his arms . there was once a time that girl was lucy , but now the image had begun to fade and that terrified him .
anger gave way to fear , and then to the gut wrenching reality that she was lost to him now . emotions on high , a different sort of emotion now , he covered his eyes with a hand and slowly sank to the ground . with his feet planted firmly on the ground , he rested his elbows onto his knees and his head hung low , preventing her from seeing the tears that threatened to form under his eyes .
❝ am i so hard to love ? ❞ his words were a mumble , fingers interlacing and shaking with the grip of his hands . ❝ why does everyone keep using me ? they all always use me to shower them with love , there's no such thing as too much love , they say. and yet once they get their fill , they run off and leave me . why ? why do people think i'm not human enough to experience pain ? ❞
he knew why , and it was something he couldn't help . he was too different , he's heard it many times . too different from before the relationship began , when he was serious and too few shows of gentleness , compared to after , when he was all soft edges and warm embraces .
he knew why , but he couldn't help it . and now pain was his best friend .