Realizations
~Andrei�s POV~ I felt really bad. I had been dating Allison Monroe for two years now, and for most or that time we had been very happy. I enjoyed inventing programs for her and her partner, Dominic Riefen, especially when I could showcase her irrepressible perkiness. Lately however, the excitement that at one time had take hold whenever she walked into the room seemed almost non-existent. I hated to even think it but I was starting to think that my feelings for her were fading. In fact, I was beginning to believe that I was in love with someone else. Ally was smart, gorgeous, and talented yet I wanted to spend the rest of my life with� A sudden bang interrupted my thoughts as Ally slammed the front door. It was followed by her skating bag crashing to the floor. She was singing along to a song on her disc man when she flopped down next to me on the couch. Habits that had once amused now simply annoyed me. I knew I had to do something. �Ally?� I ventured. She slid her headphones off and turned to me. �We�ve got to talk.� �About what?� She inquired, giving me a questioning look. �I feel that our relationship has gotten to the point where,� I paused, Ally watched me curiously, �Well, what I�m trying to say is that�� �I think I know. And let me say this first. I�ve had a lot of fun over the passed two years but I really don�t think that we�re ready to go any further.� Oh, god. She thought I was going to propose. Yipes. She didn�t want me to but that wasn�t any great comfort. She was certainly not going to expect me to break up with her and Ally wasn�t a huge fan of surprises. I gritted my teeth and continued. �Ally, you deserve so much in a guy,� Maybe I could get away with flattery, �I�m just not worthy of you so I think we should break up.� I finished off in a rush. Allison didn�t seem to register what I had said immediately. Finally she overcame her shock, much to my chagrin. �WHAT! You�re breaking up with me? Don�t the last couple of years mean anything to you? You�re just going to throw it all away? Is there someone else?� From the look on my face she must have guessed that she�d touched a nerve. �Does she have a name? She�s probably one of my friends. I can�t believe I ever liked you much less loved you.� Ally bolted off the couch as if my proximity was burning her. �Fine, have it your way. I hope to god I never have to see you again!� ~Allison�s POV~ I stormed out of the house, blinking rapidly. I darted around the corner and sank to the ground, only then letting the tears come. I cried until I felt sick, until my face felt raw and swollen from the salty trails crisscrossing it. I rose shakily to my feet. I needed somewhere to go. Somewhere safe. And I needed someone to tell me it was going to be okay. I needed someone to tell me that I would find a man to love, who�d love me back. I needed someone to hold me and whisper that I was beautiful, and smart, and sexy and that anyone who didn�t love me was crazy. I needed Dominic. ~Maija�s POV~ It was time. I�d had promised him that I�d tell Dominic and I had to keep that promise. He�d told her, now I had to tell Nick. A deal�s a deal he�d reminded me that morning. It was hard to see Dominic coming in sweaty and tired after a frustrating practice and knowing that I was about to make his day worse. Much worse. I waited until he was standing in front of me and then I slowly began what I needed to say. �Dominic, do you remember when you were talking about how a long engagement is best?� I paused and received a nod in confirmation, �You said it was better because it would give us time to decide whether or not our love could stand the test of time.� I stopped, again trying to work up the nerve to continue. �Yes,� Nick encouraged, looking just a little confused. �I�ve made my decision,� I stated before being cut off. �Please, please, please don�t say that you want to elope and get married tomorrow in Vegas. Not after all the planning you�ve made me help with!� I almost screamed with frustration. Just when I was about to get it out, he had to go and make it harder. He was so sweet and he loved me so much� but I didn�t love him. Out of respect for the love we�d once shared and in order to be fair, I had to break his heart. It would be better for us both in the long run. Probably� �Not exactly. I�ve decided that it can�t.� �What can�t? What are you saying? Do you want to postpone the wedding for now?� �I just want to end it Dominic. This isn�t fair to either of us. We need to break-up.� �Just like that? Don�t you want to talk about this at all first?� He was staying calm. I was glad of that. �I�ve finished packing. I�m going to go back to my dorm now. If you find anything of mine, give me a call on the weekend and I�ll come pick it up.� I rose then, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. It was an extremely platonic peck, with none of the former spark, and I think that more than anything convinced him that I meant what I said. Leaving Dominic staring into nothingness, I picked up my bags and walked out of his life forever. ~Dominic�s POV~ I don�t know how long I stood there, trying to make sense of what had happened. What I had thought was a stable relationship had just crumbled and broken without any warning whatsoever. I had been left alone, all alone. By the time I roused from my semi-conscious state to answer the door, the sun had set and the room was dark. As I walked down the hall from the living room, I should have been hoping it was Maija, come back to tell me that she�d made a terrible mistake, but I wasn�t. After all my thinking, I�d come to the conclusion that Maija had been right. Our love had faded. I didn�t regret her leaving. I was just so shocked. I flung the door open, hoping it was Maija so that everything could go back to normal and hoping that it wasn�t because I didn�t want normal anymore. My own questions, concerns, worries, and hopes were shunted to the back of my mind the instant I glimpsed the tearstains on the knockers beautiful face. I couldn�t resist. I opened my arms, allowing her to stumble into the embrace as I kicked the door shut. �What happened angel?� Beautiful tawny eyes met my own, �I was so stupid,� she whispered, before the tears started again. She leant against my chest and wept, my shirt getting steadily damper. Her slender frame had been trembling when she arrived and it now shook harder with each sob. Correctly guessing that she wouldn�t be able to stay on her feet by her own means for much longer, I caught her as her knees collapsed. Scooping the exhausted woman up like a child, I carried her back to the living room. I tenderly deposited her in the corner of the sofa and she stayed there for all of two seconds, while I seated myself, before crawling onto my lap. I stretched out my legs and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. I ran my palm up and down her arm in what I assumed was a soothing manner. I hoped that she�d calm down before she made herself sick. For once, my heartfelt prayer was answered. Her sobs slowed and the short, erratic breaths deepened. Rather than extricating herself from her current position however, she chose to fall asleep, effectively pinning me to the down. I suppose I could have slipped out if I so chose, but the couch was soft, my day had been long, and her weight was warm and comforting against my chest. �I love you Allison,� I murmured as I fell into a deep sleep. ~Allison's POV~ I awoke when the morning sunlight lit the room. I was lying on a couch, in a room that, while familiar, I couldn't place. I was being held, gently as though I was some delicate doll, and my legs were twined through someone else's. I twisted my head to catch a glimpse of my 'captor'. Dominic. The pieces started to fit. I vaguely remembered knocking on his door and then being carried, and held, and.... and.... loved. He loved me. He'd said so. My movements had disturbed my partner and he slowly sat up, careful not to knock me off the sofa. "Good morning Angel," He whispered into my ear, his breath sending shivers down my spine. Only last night, I had been crying over the loss of Andrei. How could I be so fickle? But it wasn't Andrei that I regretted losing. It was having someone there for me. Dominic had always been there for me. It had taken me so long to notice. I suddenly thought of something, "Where's Maija?" This would be a difficult situation to explain if she walked in right now. "She left," Dominic muttered, "It's over between us." "Wait a second. Maija broke up with you yesterday. Andrei broke up with me yesterday... You don't think...?" I trailed off, becoming more and more certain that it was true. "They were cheating on us!" I exclaimed. "Well," replied Dominic with an evil glint in his eyes, "Four can play at that game!" Slipping an arm behind my head he pulled me closer and firmly kissed me. Everything missing in my life was granted me in that moment. I had someone who would love me and adore me and hold me.... For as long as we both should live.
