Free A Little Too Not Over You by Lauren Pacaccio

CRY
     
    I looked up at him, vision blurred by the tears that were to fall any moment.
     
    His hands reached to cup my face like they always did. I didn't flinch away. But, I did close my eyes which made the tears fall instantly. He tried to wipe them away, but his gentle gestures only made it worse.
     
    I backed away from him, hugging myself, and turning away.
     
    "Paisley," he whispered into my ear, wrapping his arms around me from behind, "Every time we're apart, you're all I can think about. We can get through this. We always do."
     
    He put his hands on my shoulders, but I shrugged them off. My back was to him, and my voice was getting a little louder.
     
    "You can't know that, Hunter!" That came out as a scream. I took a breath, and spoke a little lower, "You can't keep saying that. You always say that." My tears started drying by then. I was finally calming myself down.
     
    I took a deep breath and turned around. Hunter's blue eyes were magnified by his gathering tears. Trying to maintain his macho man persona, he blinked away the tears and wiped his face roughly. He ran his hand through his brown hair and cleared his throat.
     
    "Pay, what do you expect me to say?" He was whispering at first, but his voice got louder as he went on. "I. LOVE. YOU. What do you not understand?!"
     
    I shuddered at his voice. He was really yelling. He rarely yelled. Sure, he got upset, but raising his voice was very new to me. "Please, Hunter, stop." I tried to remain calm, but my voice was starting to catch again.
     
    "I'm sorry, Pay, I really am. I just…I am so in love with you. Just please, please…give me one more chance. If I blow this one, I promise I'll leave you be."
     
    My heart ached for him. My brain was screaming about how stupid I was being. But then, I realized that Hunter had never done anything bad. We just…got into stupid fights, yelled a lot, hurt each other, and then ended it.
     
    It was hard to believe we were only 18. Just starting college. Life ahead of us, however, this moment felt like the end of the world.
     
    "People never change." That's the advice my mother gave me during one of our many talks about the Hunter drama. I had mentioned something about how I was giving him another chance because he could change and that was all my mother told me right before she got up and walked out.
     
    That's when I realized that another chance wouldn't help us. If we were to keep giving each other chances, nothing would change. My throat started to tighten again as I walked to him.
     
    "Hunter," my voice was shaky, my throat burned, and the tears fell, "I love you. I do. But…"
     
    He held up a hand to stop me. His face was hardened and almost unfamiliar. He held my face once again, wiped away the tears and said, "You don't have to say anything else, I get it."
     
    He walked around me, to the door. I didn't turn around, though. I couldn't bear it. My legs couldn't hold me up any longer as I crouched down to the floor.
     
    The door opened, and before it shut, I heard him barely whisper,
     
    "Bye, Pay."
     

CHAPTER 2:
     

LOVE ON TOP
     
    -4 Years Later-
     
    "Hey, baby girl," I said, as my cute little puppy bounded towards me as I walked into the door of my apartment. Daisy yipped in excitement, licking my face as I swiped her up and wandered into the kitchen. I sighed.
     
    "Guess who is coming over soon, Daisy?" The dog looked up at me, as if she could understand, waiting for an answer. Her tail wagged in anticipation.
     
    "Braden!" I smiled as she wiggled so much that she almost fell out of my arms. "A little excited there, are we, girl?"
     
    She yipped some more. I chuckled as I put her down and walked into my room. I would have to start getting ready soon. Our date was for 7, and it was about 5 now.
     
    I chuckled to myself; again, remembering how it used to take me an hour tops, to get ready in the beginning of college. Now that I was out of it, with a job, and actually able to support myself -