Mine To Kiss (Southern Wedding 0.50)

I knock on the door and hear the sound of the boys on the other side. Usually, I would just walk in, but I am not sure about anything anymore. The door swings open, and Jake looks at me with a smile. "Why the hell did you knock?" He moves out of the way so I walk in and look around the room, not seeing Travis there.

"Is he here?" I ask, and Jake points at his bedroom. I walk toward his bedroom and knock on the door before entering. Which is stupid, to say the least, so I walk in and he’s sitting in the middle of his bed, and he just looks at me, shocked I’m here. "Hey," I say, closing the door.

"Hey," he replies, putting the book down and getting up. "I didn’t know you were coming."

I can’t wait anymore. "What’s going on?" I ask him, not moving from my spot, and the burning rolls up from my back to my neck. "Like, is there something going on that I don’t know about?"

"I don’t know what you're talking about," he denies, and he’s not even convinced himself.

"Something is bothering you." I point at him, and I have to think that this is the first time I’ve walked into a room with him, and he hasn’t kissed me. He hasn’t even attempted to kiss me.

"Nothing is bothering me." He runs his hands through his hair. "I’m just thinking, is all."

"Would you care to share what you are thinking about?" I ask him, wringing my hands together.

"I think that the next couple of weeks are going to be hard," he starts to say, putting his hands on his hips, and I know he does this when he’s nervous. "And then I’m going to go home.”

"Okay?" I say, my eyes never leaving him. "What are you saying?"

"I’m not saying anything, Harlow. I’m just pointing out the facts," he says, his voice rising just a bit, and it’s so unusual for him. Usually, I’m the one raising my voice, and he stays calm. "In a couple of weeks, we will be finished with school, and then I’m going home. And maybe we should think about that." His voice trails off.

It’s then it hits me, just like cold water hits you on a blistering hot day in the desert. "Are you breaking up with me?" I say, the pain in my chest creeping up. I stand here stiff as stone, my legs feeling like they are stuck to the floor, my shoulders feeling like they’re pushing me down.

"I’m not saying that," he says. "I’m just saying that..." He throws up his hands. "I don’t want a long-distance relationship," he says. "You have your plans, and I have mine."

I swallow, the stinging of tears rushing to my eyes as my nose starts to burn. "You made this decision without even talking to me about it," I say, my voice never wavering, and I am even surprised by it. My whole body is one nerve away from shaking like a leaf.

"What is there to talk about?" he says, and all I can do is look at him.

I shake my head. "Nothing." I stare at this man who I fell in love with, the man who held me when I was cold. The man who used to make me smile just by walking into a room. The man who would leave me little Post-it notes on my computer to tell me he loved me. The man who destroyed one of my lipsticks to write I love you on my mirror. The man who I thought I would spend forever with. The man who just like that, without even a second thought, broke my heart so willingly. "You’re right; there is nothing to talk about." I turn, walking out of the room with my head down, one tear slipping out and then rolling down my cheek. I walk down the steps and then hear him calling my name.

"Harlow, wait," he says, and I make the stupid mistake of looking back.

"Goodbye, Travis," I say right before I run down the rest of the stairs. The phone in my pocket rings right away, and I know it’s him. It stops ringing, and then the notification of a text message comes through.

Travis: Can you let me know when you get home?

I laugh bitterly as the tears run down my face freely. I press the little ‘I’ button on the corner of the screen, and then his name pops up, Travis, my love, along with all the pictures we’ve shared. The last picture he sent to me we took before the wedding. Him leaning in and kissing my neck while I laughed as I took the picture. I press the info button, and then with shaking hands, I click on block this caller.