Castle's partner

The Right Thing

He pulls me in again for a kiss.

I'm so immersed everything seems to fade.

Then a thought pops into my head, and I gently push away from him.

He furrows his eyebrows.

"What's wrong?"

"How'd you know the doctor found scars? Who told you that?"

He scratches the back of his head.

"Oliver!"

"Alright! Ryan told me. He wanted me to try and get you to show me because he knew you wouldn't show him."

I scoff. "So this was all an act? If you knew it would hurt me why would you do it?"

"It wasn't an act! I care, I don't want to see you hurting yourself!"

"Why?"

"It hurts me! I was scared out my mind about you for two weeks! I visited you every day!"

By now, I'm in tears.

"I know. I heard every word you said. Do you see the pain I put you in? And I'm just going to keep doing it."

"You heard what I said? Then you know I care. And it's not going to happen again."

"But it might Oliver. And I don't want you to be there if it does."

His face falls.

"What do you mean?"

"I think we should break up."

He shakes his head slightly.

"You're kidding right?"

I look down at my lap.

"No. Please don't do this to me. I need you." I hear the tears in his voice.

"Oliver you deserve the perfect girl."

"You may not be perfect, but no one is. And you are the perfect girl for me."

I shake my head.

"I'm sorry."

I take his hand, and we make eye contact.

"Before I go, there's something I wanted to give you."

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a necklace. A nickel on a chain.

"My necklace!"

"I found it at Castle's. I haven't been able to give it to you yet."

"Can you help me put it on?"

He reaches around my neck and clasps it gently.

I smile as the metal hits my chest.

"Oliver, thank you so much. This means the world to me."

"Why? What does it mean?"

I bite the inside of my cheek.

"A nickel is five cents. One for every family member I lost. Since we didn't have money, there's a penny for each of them. It's supposed to remind me where I came from, and no matter where I go I will remember my past."

He lifts it up and closes his hand around it.

"Wow. How'd you make it?"

"I used a knife I found. It took awhile."

He shakes his head and lets go.

He stands up to leave.

"Oliver-"

He turns towards me.

"I'll always love you. I just need time okay?"

"I'll give you time! But why do we need to break up?"

"So you don't hate me. So-"

He cuts me off by pulling me in for a kiss.

"Don't do this. Please don't leave me alone." He whispers as our foreheads rest against each other. I can feel his breath.

He reaches for my lips, his thumb pressing softly against them as I smile at his touch.

Then reality hits me, and I realize I can't be living in my fantasy world.

"Oliver, you need to go."

I don't want him to leave. I want him to stay here forever.

He lets go with tears in his eyes and mine.

"I love you," we both whisper at the same time.

Our fingers interlock one last time, and then he's gone.

It's so surreal.

They say when you love something, set it free.

So why does it hurt so much?

I tug my shirt back on and sob into my pillow.

If doing the right thing hurts this bad, I'm never doing it again.

"Why me?" I wonder out loud. "Why is it always me?"

I cry myself to sleep, and I wish that I won't wake up.

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Hey guys!

So what do you think of this chapter? Did Ross do the right thing?