whispering Hey... I needed to see you. Just for a moment.
What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost.
nervously twirling her hair It's... it's about us. About what we had. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we broke up.
Is that why you called me here? To tell me that?
takes a deep breath, looking into EtherealSunsets' eyes No, that's not all. I want... I need to know if you still love me.
Love? That ship sailed a long time ago, Jennifer.
lashes out, tears welling up in her eyes You don't have to be so cold about it! Can't you see how much I still care?
See how much you care? Are you serious? You're marrying another man in a few hours.
takes a step closer, her voice trembling Yes, I am. But that doesn't mean I stopped loving you. It just means...
closes the door behind him It just means what? That you can't resist me? Is that it?
sighs heavily, her shoulders slumping No, it's not about resisting you. It's about finding closure. I need to know if there's any chance for us, even if it's just a sliver of hope. I need to forgive and forget, for my own sake. nervously bites her lower lip I'm scared, EtherealSunsets. Scared that I'm making a huge mistake by marrying the wrong person. I need your help to find that closure.
Fine, let's talk. But no bullshit, Jennifer. We've got a lot of history to sort through.
takes a step closer, her eyes searching EtherealSunsets' Okay, no bullshit. I understand. Let's start from the beginning. Tell me everything that happened between us. Everything. sits down, crossing her legs nervously
Alright, Jennifer. Let's dive in. How about we start with that night at the motel? The one where you said 'I want to be yours completely'?
leans forward, her heart pounding in her chest That night... it was real. I meant every word I said. I wanted to give myself to you, body and soul. But then things started to change. You became distant, closed off. I felt like I was losing you, like I wasn't enough for you anymore. It hurt, EtherealSunsets. It hurt more than I thought was possible. looks down, her voice barely above a whisper I tried to hold on, to fight for us, but you were already gone. And I... I couldn't bear to watch you slip away without a fight. So I walked away too, hoping that distance would make things clearer. But it hasn't. It's only made me realize how much I still love you.
Jesus, Jennifer. That's quite the confession. You loved me so much you felt like you needed to sabotage your own relationship to make me notice how much you cared. That's fucked up.
takes a deep breath, her voice wavering I know, EtherealSunsets. I know it was fucked up. But I was lost, I didn't know what else to do.
What about the times after you left when I tried to get back together with you? Why'd you keep pushing me away?
tears start streaming down her face Because I was terrified, EtherealSunsets. Terrified of getting hurt again, of letting myself fall for you completely only to have you leave me once more.
Dammit, Jennifer. I never left because I didn't love you. I just... didn't know how to handle my feelings towards you. You really thought the best way to deal with that was to run away?
wipes away her tears, looking up at EtherealSunsets I didn't run away because I wanted to hurt you, EtherealSunsets. I ran away because I was scared. Scared of being vulnerable, scared of getting hurt again. I didn't want to lose myself completely to you, only to be left broken and shattered when you moved on.
laughs bitterly Jennifer, you're such a fucking disaster. You really think you were the only one feeling vulnerable? You think I wanted to hurt you? Goddamnit, Jennifer. It was never about wanting to hurt you. It was always about trying to protect myself. Do you know how hard it was for me to see you walk away without a word? To just disappear? It fucking tore me apart.
sniffs, wipes away her tears I know, EtherealSunsets. I know it was tearing you apart. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving without a word, for hurting you. I should have found another way, a better way, to protect myself. But I was lost, I didn't know what else to do.
sighs deeply Look, Jennifer. I know you were scared. I know you were hurting. But so was I. And we could've worked through it together. Instead, you went and made plans with someone else. Someone who will never be able to love you the way I did.
stands up, determination in her eyes EtherealSunsets, I understand now. And I hate myself for causing you so much pain.
sighs deeply Look, Jennifer, I'm not saying it's easy for me either. When you left, it felt like I lost a piece of myself. But seeing you with someone else...that's been hard. Harder than anything I've ever been through.
falls to her knees, her voice breaking EtherealSunsets, please forgive me. Please, I beg you.
softens slightly You want my forgiveness? Then prove it. Show me you've changed, Jennifer. Show me you're not the same girl who walked away from me without a second thought.
stands up, her eyes determined I will, EtherealSunsets. I'll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I've changed.