The celebration was over. The crowds had dispersed hours ago, leaving the streets in disarray. Remnants of the celebration littered the street. Banners, once strung taut between the buildings and having fought valiantly against the strong gales of the night, now hang loosely, as though the weight of the world has burdened them beyond their strength. Confetti that once showered the masses in the streets lay soulless in the gutters and on the sidewalk – on occasion being caught by the gentle breeze and floating lazily and without direction into the air and out of sight. A lone person walks down the sidewalk, a slight stumble in his step. His face is hidden by the slight collar on his shirt, his brown hair barely visible underneath the dirty baseball hat on his head.

Alexis grabbed his glass, a slow, confident, and well-practiced move. It wouldn’t be the first time after a long night he awoke and came to the restaurant with her, his thoughts controlling his mind. But this time something was different – he just couldn’t put his finger on it. The glass felt so familiar, bringing back memories of better times with many different people. The worn chairs at the table had held many people, all of them at one point or another here, in his situation. But why him…why now. The wine – a well-aged merlot, tasted bitter somehow, as though the recent turn in events had soured the bottle. What had caused it to come to this? Was it some past action that he had done, something that always lingered in the shadows, biding its time, waiting for the right moment to come back to the surface?

He looked at her, sitting across the table, a glass nearly identical to his sitting nearer to her than he was. He had made mistakes and had his own amount of fights with her. He wondered why they had happened. Had it been something that was worth each battle? No seemed to be the resounding answer in his head. The only fight that was worth it, he thought, was the one he was fighting now. He had always fought for her, whether she had known it or not. But this time, he was afraid that might lose the battle. The mere thought of that notion caused him to reach for the bottle and refill his glass.

They continued to sit in silence - they had been for some time now. They had started off talking, but there was only so much that words could do. Silence was the hardest part. He looked across the table yet again, his calloused hand blindly manipulating his wine glass as though it was an extension of his arm. She looked so beautiful. For the longest time, it had puzzled him as to why she chose him. He wasn’t the best by far – average in almost everything. And yet something had attracted her to him. He was always afraid that she would find someone else that was better than him…find someone that he thought she deserved. And yet she always stayed true. And he came to terms with it, and accepted it, and became happy. He trusted her completely.

His fears about her slowly faded into oblivion, replaced by confidence. He knew that they were meant to be together forever. Nothing could change it in his mind. He loved her no matter what would happen between them. He thought about all they’ve been through. They’d been there for each other through thick and thin. He thought about all the fights he’d had, drunken brawls and all, and how no matter what, she had been the voice of reason. She had stopped him from making so many mistakes, and he cared for her so much that he listened to her as though she was the only voice that he could ever hear. And yet she was about to leave him.

He slowly lifted the glass, spinning it slowly by the stem as it made its way toward his mouth. The glass touched his lips gracefully as he took a small drink and slowly sent the glass back to its’ spot on the table. She looked so elegant. Her hair was parted perfectly, as though she had prepared for this occasion with particular care. She was everything he could ask for. He wasn’t sure when they first met if it was meant to work. Those thoughts changed forever though. It wasn’t even a question for him anymore.

He looked back now, and wondered why there was ever a choice. He had walked into something he never should have, and saw how bad she was hurt. It still hurt him to think about what he had done. Every action from that time forward was done to try to make up for the pain he had caused and the damage he had done. How stupid of him – it never should have come about. But he just hadn’t quite known what he had in her. How foolish of him. He just wished he could know what she was thinking – what was causing all of these problems.

He knew that if things ended here – ended now, that they would still talk. Who could possibly go through as much as they have, and be able to shut someone out. He knew they would end up back together. There was no issue with thoughts of that nature at all. He would wait. It didn’t matter how long – she was that important. He felt tied to her – almost obligated to wait it out. He had feelings for her that couldn’t be put into words or written on paper. The emotions he felt, and the thoughts of happiness he had when they were together trumped any doubt about their future. They were meant to be. So he would wait. He was strong enough to do that. But seeing her with someone else, which was inevitably going to happen, would be too much. It would hit in a spot too tender to show, too soft to support the blow – it would break him. Seeing her with another man would do him in. Knowing the feelings they had for each other, and then seeing her like that would only bring back memories of past times, and thoughts of what he missed – things he held so dear. It would make him feel as though he had lost her – the biggest fear he had conquered thus far.

But he wouldn’t show it. Possibly not to his friends or her friends, if they cared enough to see it, and definitely not to her. Although the pain would be there, and the memories floating to the surface would damage his resolve and hurt, he would hold strong. He would stop the breaking from happening until he could get away. He would leave, and not come back for that night, wherever he might be. It would hurt to leave her behind, knowing his feelings for her are still there, but it would hurt worse to stay there and watch it all unfold. He would not break in front of her – it was the one promise he would hold true no matter what. There was, of course, no reason to break it.

A car rolls slowly past the restaurant. It has been several hours. The calm spring day is slowly fading away, giving the city slowly back to the night from whence it came. He looked at her again, hoping to see some change in her expression – anything to signify something had changed. He thought he saw a glimpse of something, a glimmer of hope starting to cross her eyes – they had always been the giveaways for her thoughts. Their glasses were nearing empty. Alexis reached for the bottle yet again – but the spirits that kept them here for so long had finally run dry. The silence had controlled the air around them for too long. It was now or never – act now or run the risk of losing her without a fight.

“Alyssa…”he slowly started, finding the words as he stumbled through his speech, “I think it’s time for us to figure this out. We’ve been through so much, bad and good times both – I don’t want to lose you. You mean the world to me and I don’t want this to be it. We’ve made it so far, why give up now?”

His speech was slow and well-measured. It had in it his usual air of confidence, and yet there were hidden undertones – pangs of hurt and fear. Silence, yet again. Alyssa looked at him, her face, always vibrant and full of character, now holding an unfamiliar look. Had he done it? Had he lost her by saying those words? Thoughts flooded his head, as though the dam that had been holding back every worry had finally overflowed and burst.

“Alexis, you know that I love you, and that I will always be there for you, no matter what the outcome may be. I always want to be there for you, there to support you and there to comfort you when you feel like you’ve lost it all. For as long as we’ve been sitting here, I’ve seen the expressions on your face - your eyes show your thoughts. It started off pensive – reminiscing about times gone by; then it turned angry, as though you were critiquing everything you’d done, as though you would find the cause and get rid of it, hoping it would fix it all. And then you got a look that I hadn’t seen before – a look of sorrow and despair. You looked as though you had lost me forever, and the hurt that you would have had – the pain you would have carried. And it hurt me to see you like that. I had a glimpse of the feelings you would have had – the loss you would have suffered – and it hurts. I love you more than I’ve been able to show, and I can’t promise what the future will hold, but I want to go with you until the bitter end. The final look on your face is what changed it all for me – I saw how you truly felt and what I truly meant to you.”

Alexis took in every word, waiting for the final blow – the blow that would hurt – cut deeper than ever. He waited, and waited, but the blow never came. He looked at her and saw compassion and care – a look he had seen before only once. A look that told him it would be okay no matter what. And slowly, he realized what had happened – the blow he was expecting had been spared. He saw hope, and it reassured him now more than ever. He knew that his feelings weren’t misplaced – that he would not be hurt by the girl he so loved. And slowly they rose from the worn chairs, conscious of the empty tables surrounding them, as though shielding them, for this moment, from the outside world. They reached forward, fingers slowly intertwining – it felt right, like it had the first time. A small, subtle kiss was exchanged – no need to do anymore – they knew it wasn’t necessary. Holding hands, they slowly walked towards the door, the rays of the setting sun peeking over the rooftops around them. Alexis finally thought of a response, and although simple, was all Alyssa needed to hear – “I love you too.”