"I'm SICK of this, Vic!" I storm into our apartment, throwing my keys on the coffee table and ripping my coat off. Vic closed the door behind him. "Y/N, you don't understand-" "Yes I DO, Victor!" I spun on my heel to face him. "I DO understand, that's the thing! I think I finally do! I can't rely on you for ANYTHING." "Babe, please-" "How many times has this happened? How many times have I asked you for something-ANYTHING-and you completely ignore it? How many times have you come back here and pouted and said sorry in the sweetest voice you could muster? And how many times, how many FUCKING times, did I forgive you after that?" He stood there, staring at me, his face full of bewilderment. "I-I know, Y/N. I've screwed up a lot. But you HAVE to listen to me. Let me explain, this was different." I raised my eyebrows at him. "Oh, this is different? I haven't heard THAT one before, Mr. Fuentes. Not when you ditched me in public, or when you told me you were going to finish a music video, and you actually went to a club! I didn't hear that THEN, of course not!" I scoffed and started to walk away again, but he grabbed my arm. I immediately yanked it out of his grip. "Don't TOUCH me, Vic! Don't freaking touch me." I made a rush for our bedroom and could hear his footsteps behind me. "Babe, please. PLEASE. Can I explain?" I stopped in my tracks; he bumped into me, obviously not ready for the abrupt stop. "...Fine, Vic." I turned slowly this time, staring into his eyes. "Try me." He stared back at me, his mouth open and searching for words that were not coming. "That's what I thought," I mumbled, just audible enough for him to hear me. "No, Y/N. Please." "Please WHAT, Vic? I just gave you a chance to explain yourself, and you were speechless! The question is simple: WHY did you lie to me again? Why is it that you told me you would be home at 4:00 so we could spend some quality time together, yet you were at a bar with the boys until I dragged you out at 9:00? PLEASE humor me, explain this to me, because OBVIOUSLY I'm not understanding." I walked into our room, stopping so he was right outside the door. "I...I messed up, Y/N. I know that But really, I'm sorry. I'm SO sorry, babe. I love you. Please forgive me. Please?" Here it is again. This is the moment. The moment where he looks at me with those dazzling eyes, grabs my hands with his, and pouts his lip just enough to make me pity him like a sad little puppy dog. This is the moment that I always forgave him.
"Not this time, Vic"
And I shut the bedroom door.
The next day was excruciating. I hardly slept that night, busy crying my eyes out and trying to decide if I did the right thing. Vic left the apartment at some point, I don't know when or where he went. Regardless, I had work the next day. So I forced myself out of my bed and dragged myself to the bathroom to get ready. Being honest, I looked like a mess. But I still got ready, put on a fake smile, and drove to work like any other day. I worked as a first grade teacher, so I hoped seeing my innocent yet lovely students would make me feel better.
I got to school early as always, and I waited for the kids to all show up. They helped distract me a little, but I was still miserable. I was in the middle of a lesson when I head a knock on the classroom door. The kids raised their hands to answer the door, so I chose Christopher, who jumped up excitedly. When he opened the door, I saw the little boy look up at someone much taller than himself. "Excuse me, but I have a message for your teacher." I froze immediately. I knew that voice, of course. Vic stepped into the classroom. All of the kids looked back at him as he walked towards me. "Excuse me, guys." I pulled him aside. "What are you doing here?" "Apologizing." He backed up and stood in front of my class. "Hi there everyone, my name is Mr. Fuentes" "Hiiiiii Mister Fuuuueeennntteess!" the entire class chanted back, as they usually did when they met new people. "Hello!" He flashed his dazzling smile at them, and I grew weak for a moment. His smile always did that to me. "Now, I'm going to be teaching part of your lesson today. Is that okay?" The kids smiled and nodded kindly. "Thank you. Now, I'm going to ask a few questions. And if you think you know the answer, I want you to raise your hand. Okay? So when someone does something wrong, what do they say?" The kids raised their hands, and Vic picked a young girl names Sophia. "I'm sorry," she answered quietly. "Yes, good! you say you're sorry. Okay, question number 2." He walked over to the classroom door, returning with a guitar in his hand. "What is this, and what is it used for?" This time he picked a little boy named Luke. "It's a guitar, and you play music with it." "Good job, it is a guitar. Now, before I ask my next question, would anyone like to hear me play a song?" All of the kids raised their hands enthusiastically. "Okay! This is for your teacher. I just call her Y/N." The kids laughed and he took a seat, staring into my eyes. He played me the song Collide by Howie Day, singing it with his beautiful voice. After he finished, I couldn't help but smile at him. The kids started cheering as Vic jokingly took a few bows. I was about to talk to him when he spoke to the class again. "Okay kids, here's my last question. When two people love each other very very much, what do they usually do?" Only one little girl raised her hand; her name was Abigail. "They get married," she replied happily. He smiled at her. "Yes, they do." It took me a moment to register what he just said. When I did, I went to look at him and found him right in front of me, down on one knee. "Y/N, I am so sorry. I know I've made a lot of mistakes, and things have been very hard. But I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He sang the chorus to me again:
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find you and I collide.
"I've had this ring for days,Y/N, I was going to pop the question yesterday, but I was just so nervous. And I couldn't tell you while you were angry. But now is a better time than ever. So, Y/N. Will you marry me?" My eyes welled up with tears as he pulled out the ring. I was lost for words, so I merely nodded my head. He stood up, a huge smile on his face. We hugged and kissed each other gently as my first graders cheered and giggled. I turned around to face them. "So who wants Mr. Fuentes to help us with another lesson?" The kids ran over to him and started talking to him. I smiled at the sight, realizing that despite our hardships, we truly loved each other. And he was the perfect man for me.
