The Mess Love makes

Chapter Five: Fatal Crack

Chapter five

         Almost nearing the end of their trip, the four tourists found themselves travelling to a small fishing town recommended in their guides. The place was friendly, with a great view to paint. They also specialized in selling lace...

         “Leo, please come with me! I really want to get some great underwear...” Hayley half teased her boyfriend.
         “Oh, Hails, I'm really getting into painting this...” Leo said distractedly glancing at the beautiful view of the sea and back down at his sketch book.
Hayley pouted playfully, though she was half annoyed that he didn't take notice of her teasing.
         “Why don't you draw me... when I have the lacy lingerie?” she suggested flirtatiously. Leo looked at her, his eyes widening, before going back to the sketch.
         “Why don't you go with...” he looked around to see who wasn't sketching besides himself and Hayley. No-one.
Hayley raised a finely shaped eyebrow.
         “With whom, my sweet?”
Leo sighed, stumped. Alex took pity on him, and shut his sketch book with a snap.
         “I'll go with you, Hayley.”
Leo shot him a grateful glance.
         “Cheers, mate.”
         “No problem.”
Hayley smiled and slipped her sunglasses over her eyes.
         “Let’s go.”

The two sauntered off in a contented, leaving Leo and Laura to sketch, draw and paint peacefully. After a while of comfortable silence, Laura broke it.
         “When are you asking Hayley?” she said, fearing and hoping for the positive answer she was expecting.
Leo frowned, putting his pencil to his lip in the habit that he had when he had something in his hand.
         “I don't know. I think we have to let things settle first. I mean, we've only really got back on track.”
Laura rolled her eyes.
         “Just go for it, Leo. She's going to start thinking that you're never going to ask her if you don't hurry up!”

Leo sighed, switching from pencil to paint.

         “I know. But I'm...” he trailed off, seemingly very interested in stroking on the background to his painting. Laura cocked her head in an understanding expression.
         “Scared?” she finished for him. Leo nodded hesitatingly.
         “Yes. What if she says no?”
         “No girl in their right mind would say no to you, Leo!” Laura cried, more truth in her words than she wanted to admit. She would never say no - that she was sure of!
Leo smiled distractedly at her.
         “Thanks, Laura. I... I'll ask her tomorrow.” he said calmly, putting his paint brush to his lip.
         “No problem.” she said, echoing her brothers' words, and smiling a little sadly. He didn't notice.
         “I'm really starting to think this painting is gonna be great...” he mused quietly, staring at the page in his sketch book. Laura looked at him and giggled.
         “Yes. Great view. And by the way your lips have blue paint on them!”
Leo put a finger up to his bottom lip, touching it and bringing it away. She was right. Looking at each other, the two friends began to laugh. And they couldn't stop.

*  *  *  *  *

         “Hayley, how much are you spending?!” Alex said, frowning in horror at the receipt of Hayley's expenditure. He was cut off as she dragged him into the doll museum.
         “Here. Better? It's unlikely that they'll sell me any of the expeditionary statues!”
         “Hmmm.” grumbled Alex, somewhat dissatisfied. “You know, I'm beginning to understand why Leo didn't want to come.”
She turned and spread her arms to him, laughing as she was weighed down by the numerous bags of shopping.
         “Awwww. You know you love me really...” she laughed up into his face as he drew nearer.
Alex gulped, trying to keep the grimace from his face. ‘That was truer than you think.’ he thought ruefully.
They began walking again, and he eyed her bags.
         “What do you need lace tablecloths and gloves for anyway? And the glass vases??? You're not an old woman!!”
She sniffed superiorly.
         “Ah yes.” she stated elegantly, with the air of the wise. “But someday I will be.”
         “Oh.” he shrugged, making a face.
         “Ways of a woman, my dear.” she smiled. “Don't try to understand us.”
         “I won't.” he said feelingly.
She laughed again, and shifted the bags to her right hand to take his arm with her left. And amidst the crowd of foreigners, Alex felt as if they were alone in the world.

If only they could stay that way.

*  *  *  *  *

         “Laura? That's fantastic!”
Laura blushed at the unexpected compliment.
         “Thanks.” she tilted her head up to see his face, squinting at the afternoon sun.
         “No really. It's exactly what you can see.” he rambled on, looking out at the view from the wharf.
She blushed again.
         “Let me see yours.”
She made a grab for the paper in his hand, but he teasingly moved it from her grasp. Getting to her feet, she made another swipe for it, laughing as he danced away, sticking his tongue out at her.
She took off after him, chasing him around the deserted wharf, trying to capture the painting flapping around in the wind. Finally, she captured his wrist.
Leo stopped short, the shock from bare skin against bare skin suddenly too much as he found himself staring into Laura's intense eyes. ‘Why is that? Move, Leo!’ he screamed at himself. And in that moment, Laura had stepped forward and crushed her lips to his.

Time seemed to stand still.

The kiss was desperate, passionate, deep. And dangerous. Suddenly, the nature of the danger presented it's self. A startled cry broke into the silence, causing the incriminated couple to break apart hastily and look in shame and shock at the intruder.

Hayley blinked rapidly several times, breathing harshly already. Her eyes darted from face to face, anger and helplessness making her unable to think clearly. She dropped the bags. The unmistakable tinkle of broken glass filled the air.

Leo stepped towards her, lips already parted for pleading, face flushed from shame and nervousness. Hayley backed away from him, holding her hands out in front of her as if to ward off what was to come. She backed straight into Alex, who had been standing, shocked, silent, and still. She looked up into his face for a fleeting second - just long enough for him to register the anguish and confusion. Then she had dodged round him, and was running, running towards the beach.
         “Hayley...” he called despairingly after her.

Leo started to follow her, but found himself face to face with a hard faced Alex, one broad hand pushing against his chest.
         “Alex... wh-what...”
         “I don't think you're going anywhere, Leo.”

Leo gaped at his friend, and then tried to move aside and dodge round Alex. Again he found himself blocked.
         “Alex, I have to go after her!”
         “What good would it do?! Talking is not going to help.”
         “Then I'll show her how much she means to me! I'll... I'll do something!”
Alex's voice replied bitterly.
         “Don't you think you've done enough?!”

There was a deafening silence.

         “Then... then what should I do, Alex?” Leo finally asked.
         “Nothing,” came the cold and hard reply. And with that, Alex whirled around and took off after Hayley.

Leo stared after his friend, a sigh escaping his lips. Then he turned back to Laura, finding her standing as he had left her – hand at her throat and remorse in her eyes.
         “I’m sorry, Leo… I shouldn’t have…”
         “It’s… it’s not your fault.” He told her, eyes on the ground. Then they lifted to stare into hers unhappily. “Just tell me – how am I meant to propose to her tomorrow?”
Laura felt time stand still. Her heart wanted to yell ‘then don’t’, but she couldn’t say it. He looked so… so miserable. ‘He must really love her.’ Laura concluded sadly. She had to help him, didn’t she?
         “Maybe…” she took a deep breath. “Maybe it’s what will prove to her that you love her.”
Leo nodded in response and began to walk towards the town.
         “Where are you going?” she called desperately after him.
He stopped, but didn’t turn around. Laura’s ears strained to pick up his reply.
         “For a walk. I need… I want to be alone at the moment.” Then, shaking his head, he carried on walking.
         Laura felt her eyes fill with unwanted tears. She felt something blown against her ankle, and looked down, wiping her eyes. A piece of paper had fallen face down on her foot. She recognized the crease immediately.
It was Leo’s painting.
Kneeling down, she picked it up off the gravel covered ground, and picked it up to study the object that had started off the whole façade. And she gasped.

The sea was perfect. The colours were exact – the glint on the waves caught beautifully. But that wasn’t what had shocked her. What had brought out the gasp was that the sea wasn’t the centre of focus.

Laura was.

She felt the confusion well up inside of her as she stared at the perfect image of herself painting the wharf. With a shuddering sigh, she wrenched her gaze from the picture to the clear blue sky. Touching her lips softly, she remembered Leo’s kiss. She closed her eyes painfully, blocking out his image, his smell, his touch. Even with her eyelids closed, tears leaked out and down her cheeks.

What had she got herself into?

*  *  *  *  *

         Alex observed her from the railings on the edge of the beach. Gripping the metal frame tightly in both hands, he studied Hayley’s still figure, sitting on the sand so close to the water’s edge that the waves lapped at her bare feet. Her shoes lay scattered on the desolately empty beach. Shading his eyes from the blinding sun, Alex slipped his own shoes off and picked his way across the soft, white sand, picking up Hayley’s sandals as he went.

She sat deathly still, knees drawn up to her chin, arms resting on top, supporting her chin on her forearms.  He quietly ambled towards her and lay both pairs of shoes in front of them, before sitting down on her right, bringing his own right leg up to his chest and the other straight out. The air was bitter and filled with the damp spray of the sea. The waves made a continuous roar, lapping at his lower leg and her toes. He followed her gaze and stared out at the line where the blue, blue sea met the lighter blue sky. The spray of the sea air was cold and impersonal. Droplets began on form in his hair, just as they adorned hers. The two friends sat in silence for what seemed to Alex as at least forever.

         “You want to talk about it?” he finally asked her.
She lifted her head slightly from her arms and shook it. Alex suppressed a sigh. He couldn’t push her.
He let the silence stretch again. Then a sigh was heard from his wounded companion.

         “It was a shock.” Hayley began quietly. “I mean, it was a shock, but not a surprise.” She turned her head and met the greeny brown gaze fixed on her. She paused, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore the only noise filling the silence. “Do you understand what I mean?”
He shook his head slowly at her.
         “No.”
She gazed back out at the sea again.
         “Well, I suppose what I mean is that I always knew that Leo found…” here she choked slightly, “… your sister attractive, but I never thought he’d act on that feeling.”
         “Then you still love him?”
Alex held his breath, fearing and hoping for the answer at the same time.

Hayley’s head snapped back to him.
         “Of course I love him.” She exclaimed softly. “I’m just angry… and worried about where we all go from here.”

Alex sighed inwardly. This was his perfect chance to tell her how he felt… his perfect chance to turn her against Leo. But what if she rejected him – or worse - he turned into her rebound relationship? He shook his head slightly at himself. It was too soon. He couldn’t tell her.

He scooted his body closer to hers and put his arm round her back. She instinctively laid her head on his shoulder, and huddled warmer to his body heat. Encouraged, Alex put his other arm round her and pulled her into a comforting embrace. She resisted moving for a few moments, then wrapped her own arms around him.
         “What am I going to do, Alex?” she mumbled against his shoulder.
He just hushed her with soothing noises. He didn’t tell her what she should do.

He doubted that there was anything.

*  *  *  *  *

         Leo sat down heavily on the bench and sighed. His head seemed to swirl with scenes and feelings that flicked through his mind much like a movie. Memories flooded him of Hayley… the first time he’d seen her… their first date… her hesitant expression the first time she’d told him that she loved him… the confusion and anger on her face when she’d seen him with Laura… her kiss. He put his fingers to his lips, remembering her lips on his. He closed his eyes at the memory.

Then they snapped open again. That wasn’t the memory of Hayley’s kiss. That was the memory of Laura’s. He shook his head slightly. What was he thinking? Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down and tried to remember the feeling Hayley’s soft skin against his lips.

He couldn’t. But he did remember something. The butterflies he felt whenever he held her in his arms. He closed his eyes. ‘I do still love her, don’t I? All of this… it’s just a passing moment. I bet all guys get this. It’s completely normal.’

          Satisfied with his diagnosis, he sighed and pulled out the ring box from his pocket, clicking open the lid. The sparkling emerald glittered enticingly from its cushion, the thin gold band smooth. Leo took the ring from its nesting place and held it up, squinting at it. That one piece of jewellery, accompanied by the right words could change his whole life. Was he ready for this? Could he made the break from bachelorhood to married life, or was he still too much of a kid himself?

‘I can do this.’ He thought to himself firmly, imagining waking up to a family, security, maybe even a couple of children running around smiling. Yes, he wanted the married life.

He just had to convince the bride.

 
*  *  *  *  *
         
         “Hayley?”

         The girl on the beech looked up. A second later, she was on her feet, pulling Alex to stand with her. Tugging his arm as he reached hurriedly for their shoes, she strode away quickly and angrily across the sand. Desperately, Leo followed her.
         “Hayley! Stop, please, just listen to me…” he halted abruptly in front of her, forcing her to stop mid-stride. She glared up at him.
         “You have nothing to say that I want to hear.”

         Shoving him roughly out of the way, she stormed off again, faster this time. Leo stepped aside, to avoid being thrown off balance, and watched with rising frustration as she walked away. Alex followed Hayley meekly, carrying their shoes, and not quite meeting his friend’s eyes as they sought help. Leo moved quickly after his girlfriend again.
         “Look, can’t you just hear me out?”
         “No.”
         “Please, Hayley, let me just explain…”
         “How can you possibly have a feasible excuse?” she snorted angrily, continuing her fierce stride.
         “Why don’t you find out?” Leo challenged.
She stopped abruptly.
         “Fine.” She looked at her watch. “You have two minutes.”
         “Um…” a new voice interrupted. “Do you want me to leave…?” Alex broke in.
         “Yes.” Leo replied quickly.
         “No.”  Hayley replied instantly.
She glared at Leo.
         “He stays. Anything you have to say to me, surely you can say in front of him.”
         “Why?” he argued.
         “Because I want a witness to any promises you make me!”
         “What for?” he sounded incredulous.
         “Because you always break them!”
         “What?!”
She put her hands on her hips.
         “Oh, come off it, Leo. What happened to ‘I promise never to even look at another girl, just forgive me’ and ‘I’ll do anything, Hayley, I’ll never hurt you again, I swear…’” she broke off her mimicking to glare at him.
         “But I mean it this time!” He pleaded.
         “B*******!” she swore in return. “You men are all the same – Y chromosomes through and through!”
         “Why can’t you accept that I’m truly sorry and…” he broke off as Hayley began to storm away again. “Where are you going?” he yelled in frustration.
         “You’ve had your two minutes!” she yelled back.

Leo said a few choice words of his own at this point, and kicked the sand in disgust. Alex moved swiftly after Hayley, and Leo could hear him trying to reason softly with her. Pursuing them, he caught hold of Hayley’s arm and pulled her to a halt.

         “Please.” He begged.

She stared at him, angry and unrelenting. Finally, she sighed.
         “Talk.”
         “Well… I didn’t mean for it to happen… it just did…” he broke off at the unrelenting pout on Hayley’s face. “I mean, it wasn’t planned or anything. And I never meant to kiss her, really! It just…”
         “…happened?” Hayley finished for him sarcastically.
Leo nodded eagerly.
         “Exactly! Hayley, if you could just…”
         “That’s not good enough, Leo.”
He blanched.
         “Why?”
         “If it ‘just happened’, what’s stopping it from just happening again?” she asked sarcastically.
Leo gaped.
         “Hayley… please…?”
         
         “Leo?”

All three turned round to meet Laura’s wide-eyed stare. Alex dropped Hayley’s shoes and quickly put an arm round his sister’s shoulders.
         “Time to go!” he announced in a falsely cheery voice.
         “But… but…” she protested, glancing uncertainly at Leo. He avoided her gaze.
         “Not now,” Alex hissed at his sister, propelling her firmly and not altogether gently towards the town by his grip on her arm.

Leo turned back to Hayley.

“Please, please, please just believe me when I tell you that I never meant it to happen.”

The hurt was still written all over her face, her stance defensive - arms crossed and shoulders thrown back. Yet his eyes pleaded so hard with her to understand. She sighed softly and shook the hair blowing in front of her face out of her eyes.
         “Why should I?” she asked, her eyes beginning to shine with tears.
         “Because I mean it!”
         “Do you?” She looked at him sadly.
He hesitated. Had he really meant not meant to kiss Laura? She was awfully pretty... but yet, he only felt remorse.
         “Yes.”

She bit down on her lower lip, searching his gaze for something she knew she wouldn't find. He stared back at her, locking his eyes with hers.
         “Believe me, Hayley. Please.”
He saw her eyes turn even sadder. There was something missing - something she'd lost. Yet, she found that she couldn't give him up. Not yet.

Closing her eyes briefly, she swallowed. Then, she nodded.

“Ok.” she whispered. “Ok.”


*  *  *  *  *


         “What's the plan for tonight?” Laura asked Alex gaily, the week before they left for home, as she threw a wrap around her bare shoulders.
He looked up at her from his book.
         “Leo and Hayley are going for a gondola ride. I have a feeling that they need the time to patch up on lost feelings.” he watched her in astonishment as she seemed to shrink into herself, and sank slowly onto the chair almost directly behind her. “What's wrong?”
         “Oh, nothing.” She replied quietly. “I’m tired, that’s all.”
         “Oh.”
He contradicted her in his mind, but decided to stay silent.
         “Do you suppose they’ll be properly reconciled this time?” he asked instead, trying to sound as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
         “Probably,” came the dull reply, “or maybe not.”
Alex refused to empathise with the hope in the last statement.
         “Why do you think they won’t?” he quipped lightly, ignoring the wish to hear an answer that put him in favour of Hayley’s affections.
         “They’ve been having a rough time lately.”
         “You didn’t help matters today.”
She sat up straight, her knuckles white where she gripped the chair. “I’m fully aware of that!”
         “Just saying…” he concluded gaily, wondering why on earth he was being so nasty to her. It was out of character.
The silence stretched.
         “Why…” Alex began a little hesitantly, fearing the answer, “why do you think they’ll probably reconcile?”
         “Because…” she faltered, looking up at him with a determined smile.
         “Because…” he repeated, trying to copy her uncaring look, but feeling his heart in his throat all the same.
         “Because Leo…he... he's...” she swallowed and made eye contact with her brother for the first time. “He's going to propose.”
Alex felt as if his heart had stopped. Then, nonchalantly, as if to show that he didn't care, he looked back at his book.
         “That's great news.” he said, trying to keep his voice level and interested.
What he missed was Laura's narrow look of suspicion.
         “It is, yeah. I'm... really happy for them.”

Alex glanced back up at her. She had plastered a smile on her face. 'Such a good actress...' He mused. 'It looks almost real.'
She picked up her own book, and went to lie down on her bed. Alex stretched and got up, getting ready to use the bathroom.

         “You wanna go out for dinner?” he asked serenely.
She didn't even glance up.
         “No.” her voice was almost a whisper. “I'm not really hungry.”
Alex looked down at his feet, missing her quick blinking away of tears.
         “Me neither.”


*    *    *    *    *


         “Isn't the city beautiful?” Hayley breathed, looking up at her boyfriend.
He smiled at her.
         “Not nearly as beautiful as you.”
She grinned, and stretched up for a kiss. He complied... but strangely enough something left them both very, very unsatisfied.

Once aboard the gondola, they sat down. The night was warm, the sky clear, and the stars bright. Hayley stared up at them, seemingly entranced at their beautiful patterns. Leo in turn, stared at her, watching the reflection of the stars in her gaze.
         “This is nice, isn’t it?” she asked him, trying to mask her nervousness. “We haven’t spent much time alone lately.”
         “No. And it’s been a while since we went on a proper date.”
She smiled, looking at him, her eyes reflecting the lights from the gondola lanterns.
         “We’d better make up for lost time then.”
He smiled back, placing his arm around her shoulders. She sighed contentedly and leaned her head against his shoulder. The position was so familiar; Hayley could feel her heart twisting into tender knots. She never wanted to let go. Never wanted to wake up from this dream, this dream of them together…
         “I’m sorry it’s been so hard for us lately,” Leo said to her gently, his breath moving the few strands of hair at the top of her head. “and I’m sorry I haven’t tried very hard.”
         “I know.” She replied. “It’s not easy being in a relationship. I know that now.”

It was now or never.

         “Hayley..”
She turned to him, happily smiling.
         “Mmmmm?”
He got up and onto one knee, taking out the small ring box at the same time and snapping it open.

         “Will you marry me?”

         Hayley stared in shock at the ring, and then let her eyes flit back up to Leo’s face. He could see the desire in her eyes – not for the emerald, but to say ‘yes’. He allowed himself a small smile, almost certain that she would fling her arms round his neck and agree to the proposal.

         “Leo…” She was shaking her head. All of a sudden, he felt like a little boy again. Confusion filled him. He didn’t understand.
         “Leo…” She repeated. This time, however, he spotted tears in her eyes.
         “Hayley… what… why…?” He asked her, stuttering as her lifted her chin with his hand and forced her to meet his blue, anguished gaze.
         “I… I can’t accept this.”

She rose from her seat, taking the red velvet box from him and shutting it. Leo winced at the snap.
         “Why not?” His voice had risen to something like a whine. His eyes followed her every movement. He couldn’t believe that she was saying ‘no’… he hadn’t anticipated this. He didn’t know how to react.
She was standing at the edge of the boat now, gripping the rail with her free hand so tightly that her knuckles showed white.
         “You know why.” She breathed slowly, almost angrily.
         “No. No, I don’t.” the words were spat out through gritted teeth. She let go of the boat edge and turned towards him.
         “Yes, you do.”
He flung his arms out in a gesture of impatience, rocking the boat and causing Hayley to grab his arm to steady herself. He took the moment to pull her to him, crushing her to his chest. She stared into his eyes, visibly melting. He tried again.
         “Marry me.”
She parted her lips, a slight in take of breath resounding as she almost smiled. Leo felt his hope rising. Then something changed. Something in her eyes grew hard, as if she’d just won a hidden battle with herself, and come to a decision.
         “No.”

She pushed herself away, taking her own weight again and thrusting the red box into his chest so hard that he almost doubled over. She turned away carefully, leaving him to straighten up and look into his hands at the small container he’d caught.
         Leo took a deep breath. There was something there – she didn’t want to say no. Why she did was a mystery to him, but he had to make her understand that he was adamant about this. He wanted to marry her. Closing the few steps between them, he gripped her upper arms, and rested his cheek on her head, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair. Slowly, he released his grip on her, and wrapped his arms round her waist, pressing his chest up to her back. He felt her body shake with the effort of withheld tears. He tried a different tact.
         “Hayley, do you love me?”
She spun around, putting a little bit of distance between them, but his arms still clasped her waist firmly and her hands rested on his chest. Her face was so earnest, it almost made him cry.
         “Oh, yes! Ever so much!”
He stepped back, releasing her waist and clasping her hands in his own.
         “Then marry me! God, Hayley, if you love me, surely you want to be with me forever! If we love each other…”
Interrupting him, she shook her head, a look close to pity in her gaze.
         “Oh Leo. We might love each other, but we’re not in love with each other. It’s a different thing...”
Leo stopped to take a deep breath.
         “Right. Ok.” He clasped her hands tighter still, and exhaled a long, deep breath. “Ok. Are you in love with me?”
She didn’t even need to think about it.
         “Yes.”
         “So marry me! Hayley, we’re in love...”
She tried unsuccessfully to disentangle her hands.
         “That’s just it. We aren’t.”
His brows furrowed in confusion.
         “But you just said…”

She pulled her hands away, and sighed deeply, a new look setting into her face, as if she was determined to make him understand.
         “I know what I said. And I am in love with you!” she raised her finger to his lips, hushing him. He took the opportunity to capture her hand with his own and crush her fingers to his lips. She firmly detached her hand from his grip, and resumed her speech. “I’m in love you, but… but you. You might love me, but you’re not in love with me…” she said the last words painfully and slowly, as if admitting it to herself. As if saying it out loud finally made it true.

Leo stepped back as if he’d been slapped.

         “I’m not in love with you?” he repeated, half angry, half disbelieving. “You think that I’m not in love with you?!”
Hayley shook her head, trying to stop his words and her tears.
         “Leo, stop it…”
         “I brought you out here, to Venice, to propose to you. I bought this ring to propose to you. I took you out here tonight to propose to you. Damn it, Hayley, if this doesn’t prove that I’m in love with you, then what does?!” He gripped her arms again. “What is going to make you believe?! Surely you must have thought I loved you when you came out here…”
         “Stop it, Leo!” She finally yelled. She wrenched herself away, putting her hands to her hair. He sat down, staring up at her shaking frame.
         “I love you.”
         “I know. But it isn’t the type of love we’re thinking of – not the kind of love you’re capable of giving. It’s not real love. It isn’t complete.”
         “What are you on about? You don’t make sense.”
         “Oh…” she groaned in exasperation. “I’m trying to tell you that you love me as a friend… you just haven’t realised it yet!”
Still he watched her, absorbing her words.
         “I don’t…”
         “You do.” She was almost desperate now, breaking her own heart, just so that he wouldn’t break his. “You do. I can’t go through life wondering what if, and if I’d had the courage to end this… would it be different?”
Leo looked into her eyes, shaking his head shallowly. “That’s not true.” He whispered.
         “Oh it is. Damn it, Leo, if I can see it, why can’t you?”
         “Because it’s not true!” he cried, watching her frustration, feeling the turmoil in his mind refuse her words, refuse her declination, just like he’d always done as a child to get his own way. “It’s not! You don’t love me anymore – you just won’t admit it!”
         “No!” she refused, almost angrily; earnestly in her relentless desperation. “Don’t you understand? I’m – doing – this – for YOU!”

He stood up. “How can you be doing this for me?” he spat, angry at her, angry at himself, angry at the situation.
         “Like this.” She joined him on her feet. “I’m ending this, so that you can be free to love… others. Because I know you don’t love me anymore.”
He turned away from her, and Hayley took a deep breath, almost sure she could hear her heart breaking.
         “Then you’re really saying ‘no’.” he said after a few moments, almost to himself, as if to make himself believe it.
She swallowed the urge to throw her arms round his neck and beg him to marry her anyway.
         “Yes.”
He glanced up at her, wishing she had a different meaning to the agreeing statement.
         “Why? Tell me why. Why you’re saying ‘no’, why you say that I’m not in love with you…”
Blinking away the threat of tears, she came to sit by him.
         “I believe that you were in love with me when we came here. There was something definitely there, and we both felt it. Had you asked me then, I would have said yes, and said it gladly! But now…”
         “What’s changed?”
         “Leo, I already told you!”
         “You’ve told me that I’m not in love with you. I disagree. Surely there’s a reason to why you’ve changed your mind about my feelings for you?”
Hayley gritted her teeth. He was mocking her - out of anger or disbelief she wasn’t sure - but he was mocking her.
         “Don’t make fun of me, Leo. There is a time and a place, and this is neither.”
He threw his hands into the air.
         “Ok, ok. But would you oh-so-kindly tell me why you think I’m not in love with you?”
She looked at him with clear eyes. And the next six words that she said stopped his heart.

         “Because you’re in love with Laura.”