Heartbreak Hero (#2 in The Super Trilogy)

9 - Shall I Compare Thee To An Oblivious Asshole

"Oh fuck," IH said when he returned from walking Elizabeth out.

IH came to stand beside me. I was too busy staring slack-jawed at the holograph to notice the butterflies in my stomach when his hand brushed mine.

"What does this mean?"

"It means," Dresden said darkly, "we're in for a lot of shit."

✩✩✩

I was sitting on the floor of my room when Gabriel showed up.

I heard the familiar knock on the window and with a sigh, I unlocked it before returning to my spot on the floor. Like usual, he closed the window behind him and perched on the sill (having to float a little since the windowsill was about half the size of his ass).

After a few minutes of not saying anything, he finally broke the silence. 

"I know you're still in love with him." 

"Gab, I–"

"No, just let me talk." He took a deep breath before continuing, "we're having problems, Annabelle. And we've barely been dating that long. If we're having problems this early on..."

I bit my lip, waiting for him to continue.

"I was so close to just ending it right there during our fight. But it would have been so. Fucking. Painful." He let out a long breath. "I kept trying to convince myself to just give her another chance and that you were just stressed and that you'd apologise after cooling down for a bit just like you used to whenever we'd snap at each other."

I gulped and gnawed at the inside of my cheek. I hadn't even bothered to text him after our fight. I'd completely forgotten. Guilt churned in my stomach at I thought about how that must have felt for him: waiting for a text that would never come, pacing by a phone that would never ring...

"Gab, I'm so sorry," I whispered, genuine tears stinging my eyes. "I never meant to–"

"I know," he sighed. He glanced away before sucking in a breath. "You never meant to hurt me, which is why you won't break up with me."

"Gab..." A tear spilled down my cheek and then another. "I love you, just... not in that way." 

"I know that now," he smiled down at the street below, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's over, Annabelle." 

I hiccupped a little as I started to cry and Gabriel floated over to me, wrapping me up in a tight, bear hug, the kind that always felt like the safest thing in the world when we first started dating. He squeezed me hard and lifted me off the ground a little just to make me smile, before setting me back down, on my feet this time. 

"Goodbye, Annie," he kissed my forehead and turned to go.

I sank back down to the floor.

✩✩✩

"No fucking way!" 

"I don't see what's so great about it," I mumbled, my chin on my palms.

"Annie, you're single, you're free, we can be together!" The Invisible Hand poked my elbow, but I glared at him.

"Just because we broke up, it doesn't mean I'm running straight into your arms."

IH stopped.

"What? Why noooottt?" He whined.

"Shall I compare thee to an oblivious asshole? Thou art more clueless and more–"

"Okay, I get it. It would be like a slap in the face for poor Gabriel. Wouldn't want that," IH rolled his eyes, clearly pouting. It was kind of adorable.