Be My Forever

Chapter 34

As always, there were traveling flyers lying on the table in Danté’s living room when I walked in. I smiled as I imagined him with his backpack and his luggage strolling through the airport, looking like a real tourist. A sight I would’ve loved to see and take a picture of before grabbing his hand and running to catch our plane. Then my gaze fell on a red booklet. His passport. The front door opened and closed, and Danté walked to the kitchen with a bag in his hands. His eyebrows got up in surprise. Probably because he thought I’d be waiting at my own place.

“Got your coconut ice cream.”

He dropped a kiss on my cheek. The familiar prickle of his stubble on my skin was something I liked way too much.

“You’re going abroad?” I asked, still looking at the papers scattered on the table.

I waited for an answer that didn’t come. Hadn’t he heard me?

“Yeah.” His voice sounded so hoarse. “I am.”

“Where are you going?”

“Australia.”

I jumped in his arms, laughing. His dream was finally coming true. I hadn’t really thought about going to Australia. If that was where he wanted to go, it seemed like that would be my next destination as well.

“I am so happy for you.”

His arms wrapped around my middle, but there was no soul in his embrace. It felt forced. I let him go. Something didn’t feel right.

“When are you leaving?”

“In less than two months.”

Two months. The words echoed in my head. Over and over again. My heartbeat picked up an uncomfortable speed.

“How long?”

When I looked up to face him, his wide eyes were fixed on the wall behind me. He resembled a deer caught in the headlights. And I was the car about to crash into him. My throat constricted.

“Danté?” I pleaded.

“I don’t know yet,” he rasped. “Maybe a year, maybe longer. I haven’t bought a return ticket yet.”

His words hit me like a punch in the gut; my breath hitched in my throat. What was happening? The ground under my feet had disappeared. Now I was freefalling, and the hand that had become so familiar wasn’t there to catch me. I stumbled back.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, still not looking at me. “I forgot, I guess?”

I gaped at him in disbelief. This was the goal he had been working on for years.

“You truly believe I am that stupid? You’ve dreamed of this for years, and you “forgot to tell me”?”

Danté came closer, trying to touch me, but I dodged him. This couldn’t be happening.

“Evy, listen, it’s not what you think.”

“How could it not be what I think it is? What reason could you possibly have to not tell me this? I thought you and I were a team.”

“We are,” he said slowly. “For now.”

Realization hit me. Who would have thought that it would hurt so much? My shoulders sagged. How could I have been so blind?

“You don’t want me in your life.”

Anger flashed in his eyes. He took a step in my direction, and I took a step back.

“Don’t put words in my mouth!”

I could taste the tears. Heartbreak had a flavour after all.

“Then tell me!” I yelled. “Why haven’t you told me?”

Please, tell me you have a plan for us. Please .

“Because there is no place for me in your life!” he yelled back. “Can you say you want to leave behind everything you’ve worked so hard for to be with me?”

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

“I…” I tried.

It would have been a lie. I had never thought that my life would not be like I had planned it, like I had dreamed it would be. Delayed, maybe. Danté tore at his hair.

“That’s why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to waste the little time we had.”

How long had he known that our time was running out? Had he known this every time we had kissed? Every time he’d held me close to his heart? My stomach churned and my vision blurred.

“You should’ve told me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not enough.”

He took another step towards me, and I darted for the door. Warm fingers gripped my arm.

“Evy, can we at least talk about it?”

A choked sob escaped my lips. I shook my head. “So now you want to talk about it? Well, I can’t.”

“Please,” he said, his voice trembling.

A part of me wanted to hit him with all I got. The biggest part of me wanted him to hold me. I wanted to hear him say that we would get over this, that everything would be fine. But maybe love wasn’t enough. Danté had clearly said once he didn’t want to be in a long-distance relationship. I couldn’t be the weight that would hold him back. My fingers found his. This would be the last time.

“You know what’s the worst? You didn’t even give us a chance. You didn’t give me a chance to choose you.”

Something like hope shined in his blue eyes. “Would you?”

I felt like a monster for crushing that hope. The room around me started spinning. I wiped my cheeks before squaring my shoulders.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter anymore. You already had our breakup planned.”

A tear rolled down his face. I bit my lip as more tears fell down my own.

“Don’t walk away,” he pleaded.

“I can’t look at you right now.”

And I let go of his hand before I slipped back inside my own apartment.

“Evy, please open that door.”

I quickly locked the door before crumbling down to the floor. This felt familiar, and yet this was the worst day of my life.

“I am begging you. Open the door.”

I heard him slide to the ground. I don’t know how much time passed, but as the sky grew darker outside, Danté got up and headed back inside. Jasmine walked outside her room, her headphones blasting music. When she saw me on the floor, she threw her headphones on the couch before taking me in her arms.

“What happened?”

I swallowed back my tears. It was over.

“We broke up.”