Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nell
They do say that you only live once, so enjoy it. Make the most of it.
What they do not tell you is the pain and heartbreak that comes with it.
My bags are by the door, my tickets are booked, and I am ready to fly back home to Portland.
Tonight was hard. I let my anger take over from indifference, and it set Romeo off knowing that something wasn’t right. I know that I could not cause trouble for him at his cousin’s wedding in front of his family, and we lied to his parents about being a couple.
I hate that I had to lie to Renata and Anthony. They are amazing, and I am going to miss them.
My chest feels tight, and tears flood my eyes as I look at the man who has made me fall in love with love again. He has made me see that we are all deserving of love, and cannot let one hiccup taint us from trying again.
Romeo is sleeping in our bed, a bed that he paid for, in the hotel that he paid for. I feel like a fool and a phony.
He is on his back, his face turned toward my side of the bed, his arm stretched out like he is reaching for me in his sleep. I fight back a sob that tries to escape, but I cannot let my heart win this war.
His words and actions have been playing on a loop in my head. What he said was nasty toward me, yet his actions were cruel.
It was like he was playing a game, but to what benefit I am not sure.
Against my better judgment, I walk over to the bed, looking down at him while he sleeps. Romeo looks younger while he sleeps, like the weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
A curl sits on his forehead and I clench my fists, stopping myself from reaching out and brushing it back.
He is not mine to touch anymore.
If he ever was.
With my bags ready to go, I move to the table where a piece of paper sits with a pen. It is not in me to just leave; I need to tell him why.
Romeo,
By the time you wake up and read this I will be back on the mainland. When you came to my rescue outside Comfort Cup, I saw you as a knight in a well-fitted suit. It made me swoon inside and reminded me of the many male characters I have read in books.
Yet, you were so much more.
I am a romantic at heart, and I knew that coming here with you, to pretend to be your girlfriend, it would leave me with a broken heart, and that is exactly what has happened.
You made me see things again, Romeo. I could see that falling in love again could be good for me; it just makes my chest hurt knowing that it will not be with you.
I know that you are probably confused right now, but let me clear some things up for you.
I heard you speaking to Asher about me being a gold digger and only agreeing to be here with you was to benefit me. That is complete bullshit and it hurts so much that you think that of me. It was all bullshit by the way.
I was there for me and for you; your money and name were not factors for me.
When I saw you the night before the wedding with Daniella, that was yet another crack to my already breaking heart.
To see you both looking comfortable and intimate by the pool, it made me see that you both still have feelings for each other.
And I am not one to stand in the way of love, so I do wish you both well.
It seems that I was a game to you, and that in itself is a fucked-up thing to do to someone. So one day in the future, I hope that you will step on Lego and run out of toilet paper when you are having a sit-down toilet session.
Be safe always, Romeo, and thank you for this incredible week.
Never yours,
Nell
Setting the pen down on the paper, I gather my things, then with one last look at him sleeping in the bed looking like a tasty piece of man meat, I leave.
Pulling the door closed slowly, I wince when the lock clicks loudly in the early hours. With a sigh, I grip the handle of my suitcase and walk down the hall.
A door opens as I reach the elevator and tap the button.
Turning my head to look, I see Daniella slip out of the door to her room.
She freezes when she sees me. Her back straightens as she looks from me to the luggage at my feet, a frown slipping across her face. Shock registers on her face, as she knows what I am doing.
“Nell,” she calls.
The doors open, and before I slip inside, I give her my parting words.
“You win. He is all yours.”
I tap the button to the lobby, and my leg bounces with nerves. I do not think I will settle until I am on the plane.
Coming here was a great idea, even though I knew my heart was at risk, but what a risk to take. After divorcing Keith, I found that men did not appeal to me anymore, and I knew it would take time to trust again.
I trusted Romeo, and look where that got me.
Some would say that I am jumping to conclusions and I should wait for him to talk to me, but I cannot let him rip my heart out right to my face. I would rather be a chicken and get a ‘dumped’ text.
A taxi is waiting for me, thanks to arranging one earlier today, once my redeye was booked.
The nice man puts my luggage into the trunk, as I slip into the back seat. Looking out of the window at the hotel, my nose burns, and tears fill my eyes.
I knew it would come to this. Deep down, I knew I would get hurt, but I needed something more, something that was for me.
“Are you okay, miss?”
I look at the man and force a smile. “I will be.”
He regards me for a few more seconds, before he nods and faces forward, slowly pulling away from the hotel.
The drive is silent and I need that to work through what I am going to tell my parents. They believed that I was taking a mini vacation after getting a discount on flights.
In the blink of an eye, we arrive at the airport, so I climb out, the driver removing my luggage from the car, and then he smiles at me.
“Whatever happened here on the island will have more meaning to you when you have time to repair the hurt that you are feeling now.”
“Thank you.” I give him a watery smile.
I bet he thinks I am some crazy chick who got hurt by her boyfriend and is running.
I guess he would be correct; well, maybe not the crazy part. Then again, Simone says that I am crazy at times.
Checking in, I check my luggage, except for my oversized purse that has my Kindle and my Loops in it, which are a godsend when I need to be in a quieter environment.
I need to block out everything for a few hours before heading home and getting the third degree from Simone and my folks.
Goodbye, Hawaii, it has been a fucking blast. A time that I will never forget, for many different reasons.