Love, Aristotle

chapter 27

Damon

My heartbeat beat quickly and with her hand on my chest, I think she was finally coming back to her senses.

I think I had a chance.

It killed me to see her this way. Broken and hopeless, thinking things I had no control of, things she had no control of. The storm raged on and I wanted to be her shelter, the one she ran to but she was running away from me.

She slipped away and I could only hold on tighter.

How could she say all those things when it was all the opposite. I sensed she was falling a while back. Falling out of love. A part of me thought I knew everything but looking at her now, she thought the same.

She stared at her hand, tears stealing down her face. I wanted to take it all away. I couldn't let her walk away, not like this.

Sure, we weren't perfect but I certainly wouldn't allow her to let her thoughts get the better of her. I knew everything about her. Once she got an idea, she immediately followed it into the darkness, blinded by it.

She was a thinker, a feeler. She thought too much and felt too much and assumed it was a flaw. I saw otherwise, it was strength. It gave her the ability to protect herself. An independence of sorts, a shield.

But she was wrong. I hoped I could make her see it.

This was what she's been going through. All the times I've caught her zoning out, brushing it off and telling me everything's fine. In her mind, I was killing her. In her mind, I betrayed her, I didn't want her. It destroyed me knowing I made her feel like she wasn't good enough.

I was an asshole for leaving right after making love to her. I was an asshole for making her feel used and useless. Unloved, unhappy. Because of me and the messed up world I lived in, she lost her trust in me.

It wasn't just the perfume, the texts, the calls, the leaving late at night, it was me. If I had known she was unhappy, I would've burned down the world. But that's the thing, a part of me knew and I didn't do anything. I thought she wouldn't give up. I hadn't realized it would cause me to lose her like this.

I knew there was something wrong and I never indulged her when all this time, I was the one killing her. I put her through so much stress and pain, it was only a matter of time before she'd get tired of it. I should've seen it coming. Because then, maybe just maybe...

I saw that her tears had stopped and felt hope flickering in my chest. Smiling gently, I held her a little tighter. To my dismay, she pulled away and I've never been so hopeless. Right here, I fell to pieces, watching as she broke completely. I broke her.

"Ari," I started.

She closed her eyes, swallowing hard. The tears fell down and I was responsible. "We're done," she whispered. Never sounding so broken, so torn.

My face fell and I didn't give a fuck about emotions. My walls broke down and vulnerability pulled me in. "No."

Not like this.

Not when I wasn't done with her yet, I would never be. Not when I was in love with her and there was no way out. Simply because this was my home. Right here, with her. I would always be hers, no matter what she thought. This wasn't over, I'd get her back.

I knew her, she was my Aristotle. She didn't want this either. But she thought I did and she always put everyone before her.

And there was nothing I could do to change her mind. Not when the noise was so loud and her thoughts gone, this far.

Then, I lost it.

I wanted to see her smile again. I wanted to see her laugh. I couldn't stand to see her cry. Her eyes begged for me and her heart longed for me. Her soul screamed for mine.