7"Hush," she whispered to me, placing a finger on my lips. Then her full lips broke out into a grin and she started to giggle.
"What?" I asked. I had no idea what was so funny. I definitely didn't find my math homework struggles funny.
"I don't get why people talk so much." She stared at me with a glint in her eyes. Her gaze was hard but her features were soft. I knew she wanted me to shut up, so I did, at least for a moment.
"Can you help me with this though?" I added a tight smile once her eyebrows shot up as she heard me talk once again. Instead of explaining everything, she worked out the problem step-by-step on a sheet of paper, not saying anything.
I kissed her temple and twirled a strand of her wavy blonde hair in my finger. "Why don't you talk more?"
She shrugged and looked away from me. "I don't see the point of it." She watched me as I licked my lips. Slipping off her shirt and shorts, she jumped into the lake. Resurfacing, she motioned for me to join her. Of course she wouldn't vocally tell me I should join her.
"Why do you even date her?" Desperation was clear in my best friend's voice. "She doesn't even talk to you!" Tears were now streaming down her face.
"Stop," I mumbled softly.
"See? She's totally got you whipped. Two years ago, you would have ranted about how annoying it is to you. Now, all you do is defend her. Do you even know her? You know what, don't even answer that because as far as I can tell, you can't even get to know someone if you don't-"
"Elle, fucking stop," I growled, running a hand through my hair, tugging at the ends. "I don't need you to tell me how I should feel and where our relationship stands. That's for Aya and me to figure out."
"Tristan, you have changed so much. I can't believe you actually asked her out." The girl I grew up with quickly wiped the tear that escaped and was making its way down her cheek. "You knew damn well that I've liked you for a long time. Does she even like you? Does she even tell you that she loves you?"
My fists balled up and I gritted my teeth. No one trash talks my girl. Not even my best friend. I closed my eyes and counted to ten quietly. When I opened my eyes, she was squatting and crying into her hands. "Elle, I-"
I was cut off by the hand that touched my back. I whirled around to see my girlfriend in front of me. She offered me a small smile before looking around me to see the source of where the sobbing was coming from. She pointed to the door and with her other hand, she held up five fingers telling me she was going to wait outside for five minutes.
I nodded and turned around. Once I heard the door click shut softly, I squatted down with her. "Elle, I don't think we should be friends anymore." That seemed to make her sob even harder. We squatted there for a minute. "Look, I have to go."
"Wow." She looked up at me, disbelief swirling in her bright green eyes. "You're actually leaving me, who also happens to be crying for her?"
"We're not friends anymore, Elle."
"That's irrelevant Tristan, we both know that. Any real gentleman would stop and check up on a crying girl." She let out a humorless laugh. "You really have changed." Without saying another word, she stalked out of the room.
I took in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. This is suffocating. I rested my forehead on a nearby wall as I felt two arms wrap around my torso. I turned.
"Aya," I breathed. She smiled and hugged me tightly.
"Actions do more than words, Tristan," she mumbled quietly.
She tied her hair up in a ponytail; her long straightened blonde hair ending in the middle of her back.
"Good luck, Aya," I told her once she turned to look at me. "I know you'll come in first."
She had signed up for the 3 mile run at school and was currently getting ready for it. She had always been a long distance runner and had always come in first for the last three years. It was our last year in high school and she wanted to break her record.
Giving me a "thank-you" smile, she kissed me lightly and bounced off to where the rest of the other contestants were. I went to go sit down on the bleachers with my Mom.
"Tristan, why doesn't she talk?" my Mom asked for the billionth time.
I shrugged and looked at her. "She doesn't say."
Her expression turned into a worried one. "How will she raise kids if she doesn't talk?" My Mom shook her head in disappointment.
"Aya doesn't want kids, Mom."
"Did Aya tell you that she didn't want kids? Or are you just guessing?"
"Something like that." What actually happened was that we were passing notes when she told me she didn't want kids. But I mean, saying it and writing it is the same thing right? So we can conclude that kids aren't in our future.
"But Tristan, don't you want kids?" She looked at me longingly, hoping my answer was positive. "I know I want grandchildren."
"Aya is enough for me," I mumbled quietly. "Besides, I'm sure Vicky will provide you all the grandchildren that you want."
"Yes, but your sister's children won't have our last name. She'll be married off to someone else and their children will have his surname."
We both knew that was just an excuse she was feeding me so I could break up with my girlfriend. But I didn't say anything about that because I didn't care what everyone else thought about us. "Well, you can always hope she marries someone with our last name."
My Mom sighed and shook her head. "I don't understand why you stick with her. Elle is a nice girl and she's willing to talk to people. Of all the times I've seen Aya and talked to her, I bet she's only said no more than twenty words to me whereas Elle and I always have something to say to each other."
I didn't respond because I knew I didn't need to. I love her. She loves me. That's all there is to a relationship right?
I twirled a strand of her wavy blonde hair with my index finger. She was currently resting on my chest, on her side, facing away from me. "Aya, you still haven't told me why you're always so quiet."
She sat up and looked down at me. Her forehead was creased and there was a slight frown on her pink lips. "If I were to tell you, I'd have to talk more."
There was a moment of silence where we just stared at each other. Taking her hand, I interlocked our fingers and pulled them above my head which pulled her closer to me so she'd be hovering over me. I placed my hand on the small of her back as her lips touched mine. She gave me a quick kiss before resting her forehead on mine.
"Tristan, when I'm ready to tell you, I will." Her eyes were staring into mine the whole time she was talking.
I nodded and we returned to our previous position.
Some time while we were there, I dozed off. I was woken up by someone shaking my shoulders. I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed them before looking up at who woke me up.
My girlfriend patted her stomach to tell me she was hungry. I nodded and stood up. She gladly took the hand I offered her.
"Tristan, you know I love you don't you?" she asked, drawing small hearts on my torso.
Surprised at the fact that she was the one that started to conversation, I replied quickly. "Yeah, of course." I looked down at her, resting on my chest. "And I love you."
She buried her face in my chest. "But people complain about me, yes?"
I sighed and rubbed my face with my hand. "It doesn't matter."
She sat up and looked at me straight in the eye. "Yes it does! If they complain about me when they aren't even in the relationship then it must mean I'm not a good girlfriend."
That was probably the longest sentence she has ever said to me. "But I love you the way you are. I love you if you talk a lot and if you don't talk at all."
She looked uncertain. "Tristan..." She curled up on top of me and buried her face at the crook of my neck. "It's not okay."
"It is." I lifted up her shirt and stroked her bare back.
"You don't get it." She looked up at me, situating herself in a comfortable position which seemed to be straddling me. "I hear it all. 'Aya doesn't talk a lot.' 'Does Aya tell you she loves you?' I hear all of that. It makes me feel like you're going to break up with me." A tear dropped on my cheek. I reached up caressed her cheek.
"But I won't break up with you because you mean so much to me. I promise you I won't break up with you because other people tell me to."
She nodded and placed her head on the crook of my neck.
I walked through the front door of my house and closed the door softly after seeing my sister asleep on the couch. I made my way quietly to the kitchen but stopped as I heard the voice of my mother.
"Aya, you have to let him go. You two don't even communicate. How will you raise children?" I heard my Mom say.
"Ms. O'Connell, I'm not sure if Tristan told you but I don't want children," my girlfriend replied softly.
"Yes, he's told me but what about what he wants? How do you know he doesn't want children?"
I dropped my bag on the floor and leaned against the wall next to the door frame of the kitchen. My Mom could not be trying to break my relationship right now.
There was no response so my mother continued. "Exactly; Aya, I know you're a sweet girl and you love him but you're not good for Tristan. Why don't you think about it?"
I suppose she nodded because in the next moment, I saw her with tears streaming down her face. "Aya," I breathed.
She only cried harder and ran out the door. I walked into the kitchen to see my Mom with a hard look on her face. I shot her a glare and turned to chase after my girlfriend.
"Tristan, don't come back if you still want her back," my Mom yelled after me. My response was the door slamming shut loudly.
I got into my car and drove down the road, trying to find her. I found her a few blocks down, running as if her life depended on it. I honked my car to tell her to get it; which only made her run harder. My only choice was to wait until she stopped.
Eventually, she did. She collapsed into the grass at the place where we always watch the sun set. I quietly followed her and stood a good distance away as her breathing slowed.
"Aya," I started. "Can we talk?"
"I can't take it right now. This is so suffocating. I don't know how you do it." She looked up at me. "Nobody accepts our relationship as it is."
My heart started beating faster. There was only one way this conversation could go. "Aya, please, not now. At least not here."
She stood up. "Why, Tristan? Why not here? Everything is messed up already. Your mother doesn't accept me, do you know how bad that is? You don't, because you won't have to deal with it.
"I'll tell you why I don't talk so much. It's because of talking that made my Mom die. I was too busy trying to talk to her while she was wounded to call for an ambulance. Do you know how much I regret it? Do you understand what a small action could have done to save her life? And instead of doing that small action, I was talking to her." She started sobbing.
"Aya, it's okay. At least you got to talk to her."
She walked up to me. "Tristan, it's not okay. And it's also not okay for me to stay here and talk to you while you could be spending time with the one you're destined for."
"Aya, please, not that crap, just not now." I rubbed my face then ran my hand through my hair, tugging on the ends. I can't cry, not right now. The back of my eyes started to sting as my eyes started to water.
"Then when, Tristan?!" She shouted; her tears were already streaming down her face. "I can't keep doing this. I'm so sorry." She turned and took off running.
7 Years Later
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I checked the caller ID and saw that it was my roommate.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"Hey, Tristan, can you go get me a coffee? I might be late to the meeting and I'm practically falling asleep," his voice sounded through the phone.
"Yeah, sure." I grabbed my jacket and walked out my office. "Just don't be late."
"I'll try. See you later."
"Yeah." I ended the call. I went into the elevator and was stopped for a moment. Regaining my cool, I took my place next to the lady in the elevator.
She looked a lot like her, straight blonde hair, tall, skinny, confident, the vibe that was coming out of her was just screaming her name. She reminded me of Aya.
After we broke up, she moved to another city with her father a few days later. As for me, I moved out of my home and in with a friend. I don't keep in touch with any family besides my sister.
The elevator door opened and I stepped out but not before taking once last glance at her; hoping that I'd run into her again.
"Just in time," my roommate said, rushing beside me as I waited for the elevator.
I glanced at him. "Don't fall asleep on me during the meeting." I handed him his cup of coffee.
"I'll try."
We get into the elevator. "Hey, David, did the company hire someone new?"
He raised his eyebrows and glanced at me. "I don't think so, why?"
"I saw someone that looked familiar. She's tall, skinny, blonde, seems really confident."
"Blonde?" He takes a sip of his coffee. "That might the other company's representative."
I stare at him as the elevator doors opened. We made our way towards the meeting room. "Do you know her name?"
He grabbed the door knob. "Yeah, I think it's Aya or something like that." He turned the handle and there she was, beautiful as ever.
"I hope you like our ideas. Please get back to us soon," my roommate said, standing up to shake her hand. I stood up too and shook her hand. I felt a small shock of electricity.
"I will." She smiled softly. "Thank you, Mr. Ryde." She packed up and gave me a quick nod. She thanked the others and was out the door.
I bit my lip and contemplated to chase after her. I couldn't just let this chance slip out of my grasp. I might never get to see her again.
"I'll be right back," I mumbled and rushed out the door. I caught her arm. "Hey."
"Yes, Mr. O'Connell?" The corners of her eyes crinkled.
I smiled back. "Aya."
"Yes, Tristan?"
"How does dinner tomorrow night sound?"
She smiled. "Sure."
A/N I apologize that there wasn't really a story line. I just really felt like I needed to get it out there that if you aren't part of the relationship, you don't need to try to fix it or help it. It's not your place to do anything no matter what you are to the couple. Thank you for reading! :)
With love,
my princess ending