Grace

8- break up.

After work one day, I met up with Hunter in a grocery store parking lot. He had told me to meet him there because he had to get some groceries for his mom. He had already done his shopping when I drove up to the parking space next to his car. I had gotten so used to driving up to his car, it was a weird feeling knowing this would be the last time.

I got out of my car and walked over to the passenger side of his car. I opened the door slowly and got in. I was dreading this conversation. It wasn't going to be a great one. I knew he was going to be angry, so I wasn't going to tell him about Cyrus.

"So... we need to talk." I started the conversation with the typical break up saying. Gosh I hated being typical.

"You're breaking up with me." It sounded more like he was telling me instead of asking me.

"How did you know?" I asked gently.

"You're typical as hell Gracie. I know you." He chuckled. He actually sounded really sweet and polite. The side of him I had only saw in the first couple months of our relationship. He held my hand and smiled. "It has been such an honor being yours the past 4 years. Through our many ups and downs, I have loved you since the first day I laid eyes on you."

Ugh, I wish he wasn't being so sweet. It would've been so much easier if he were mad and rude.

Tears rolling down my face, thinking about the first time we met.

We were in Psychology 101 together in college. We were assigned a group project together and had to see each other outside of class to work on it. There was only two of us in the group. We sat together at one of those window library things. He had asked me a question about Pavlov's dog theory and I had my head down in my textbook trying to find the answer. When I moved my head back up, his face was closer to mine than it ever had been. He brushed the left side of my hair back behind my ear. I got so nervous.

"Forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries", he said, closing the textbook and locking his eyes to mine. He looked down at my lips and leaned in to kiss me. That was the first time we kissed. The first time I had ever thought about him that way. That was the first day he laid eyes on me.

I hugged him over the center console in the car. I tried not to get any of my snot on his t-shirt.

"I knew the end was coming," he said. "You've been really distant and we've hardly talked these past few weeks. I've seen it coming and I've already been mentally preparing for it. I just didn't know it was going to happen so fast..." He paused.

I interupted him. "I'm really sorry Hunter. I've been in love with you for so long and we've tried so hard to make things work". We did try hard. We had been going to therapy together for so long. I worked on myself and made better my flaws, but I didn't see much improvement in him. Sort of like the whole thing was a waste of time. "I'm ready to just focus on me and move forward".

"I understand completely".