Matches: Why We Burned Out

eight // burns

eight // burns (edited!)

It wouldn't have been completely truthful to call Romeo my boyfriend, but he wasn't just a friend either. We probably should have figured out the logistics of it all before we rushed into the physical aspect of this relationship. But I knew a lot about him; he told me all sorts of stuff about his past and his thoughts, but I wasn't brave enough to tell him about something that completely shaped me. I wondered if he was bothered by it.

He called me on Sunday. For the first time in a little while, his parents were actually at home. According to him, it would've been awkward for me to meet his parents, so I was going ice-skating with Louisa, Oliver and Max instead. Romeo said he felt like a guest in his own home when his parents were around; they didn't know anything about him and he hated them for it.

"How can I love people I barely know?" he enquired with an exasperated sigh. Although he was speaking about his parents, he could've also been speaking about me. He quickly tried to change what he said so he wouldn't offend me but I was already hurt by it. But it was my entire fault for purposely hiding my past from him.

"Don't worry about it," I huffed as I messed around with my hair in the mirror.

"So, uh, what are you doing?" He tried to change the subject, but I couldn't help but feel like whatever we had between us was just physical and temporary.

"I'm getting ready," I replied, "I'm going ice-skating with Louisa and Oliver and Max." I put extra emphasis on my ex-boyfriend Max's name, although I doubted that Romeo would remember who he was. I just wanted him to feel a little burned because he burned me.

"Max? You mean your ex-boyfriend?" His tone sounded panicked.

"We're just friends, Romeo, there's nothing to worry about," I replied, purposely attempting to sound suspicious (even though I had no intentions of messing around with Max). I walked over to the mirror to check my outfit one last time. "Besides, other people will be there."

"Good. Have fun, baby," he said, his tone softening. It was good to know that he trusted me, so I smiled. I could hear Olly's horn beeping from outside.

"Thank you, handsome. I'll call once I get back," I answered as I hung up the phone.

***

Max, Oliver, Louisa and I all held hands as we skated around the rink. I was between Max and Louisa. It was really good fun to let loose with my friends every once in a while. I had been seeing Romeo so much that I was starting to miss them.

After some time I became tired and sat on the bench outside the rink, and Max said he'd sit with me. For a while, we were both quiet, but he finally decided to say what was on his mind.

"Remember that time you said you missed someone?" he asked. I looked into his shy brown eyes and nodded my head. "Was that person me?" I immediately turned away.

"Max..." I wasn't sure what to tell him. We promised to ignore any feelings we had for each other, no matter how long they lingered for.

"No, I get it," he replied with a grimace. "I've been seeing you with that guy from school a lot, and I started to remember all the good times we had when we were together."

Max and I did have some really good times together, and it was a shame that we didn't work out. "I guess we do need some closure," I uttered, glancing at him again. He took a moment to think before turning his entire body to face me.

"I read somewhere that it's good closure to kiss your ex one last time, so when you think of the relationship you had, you remember the good times." There was a slightly nervous expression on his face, but it was obvious why. He was asking to kiss his ex-girlfriend.

"I don't know..." I said, giving him a certain look.

"It would be our last ever kiss. Ever."

Romeo wouldn't have been too happy about this, but at the end of the day, he didn't own me. I was allowed to make my own decisions especially since we weren't together and he believed he was incapable of loving me.

I stared at Max for a long time with narrowed eyes before finally saying, "Fine."

We kissed. I rested my hand on his shoulder and he held my waist during the sweet and delicate kiss we shared. Max tilted his head, deepening his passion, and my eyes closed as I actually started to enjoy it.

"Oh my word, are you getting back together?"

Max and I pulled away to find both Louisa and Oliver staring at us with their mouths wide open. Max turned red and looked at me as if he expected me to explain, even though this was his idea.

"No, no, it wasn't like that. We were just..." Louisa interrupted.

"But what about Romeo?" she questioned, genuinely looking disappointed. Both her and Oliver sighed and made their way out of the rink, leaving me with Max again.

"It wasn't supposed to end like that," he pleaded with me, as he could tell that I was annoyed.

"Whatever, Max. I'm going home," I replied as tears built up in my eyes.