Love, Alexander

Chapter 25

Liandro

I wake up in a hospital bed—and I know exactly why. The sounds of monitors beeping were the only things I could focus on aside from the throbbing inside of my head.

I tried to open my eyes but the bright lights weren't helping. "He's awake" A female voice informed, footsteps approaching us. They were checking my vitals and inspecting my wound. "Where's Alex?" I asked, none of them answering me. Fear enveloped me as they stared at each other like something bad happened. "He's outside" The nurse spat out bitterly as she held on to the bruise on her face.

"Liandro!" A familiar voice shouted, making my eyes shoot open.

Alex rushed towards me, handcuffed. Officers were holding him back, the hospital staff slowly backed away from us. "Baby" He sobbed. Pain was evident on his eyes. Tears fell uncontrollably as he knelt beside me. This was my first time to see him so...broken. My heart started to feel tight when he looked at me. The bright and promiscuous Alex was nowhere to be seen.

As soon as he caressed my face, the guards started to pull him away. I tried to stand up from the bed, but the nurses held me back. Alex started yelling as I called out his name.

-

"That night, Mr. Gray had an unusual behavior. Witnesses say that loud noises came from your hotel room" The officer sat across from me in an interrogation room. "We were having sex" I said in his defense.

"But before that, he attacked a few people by the beach. Correct?" He asked. I nodded in response. "He also attacked a few nurses, and doctors. Did you know that?" He added, I shook my head in response.

"Next morning, you went in and kicked him in the crotch. Witness says you looked like you were beaten up and was aggravated." He paused. "Why?" I couldn't come up with any lies anymore. "He...uhm...didn't use a condom" I lied. "He has...diseases" I added.

The detective chuckled. "The people he attacked didn't file any complaints because they thought you were going to" He said. "He has anger issues" I informed. The detective seemed to buy everything I said. I'll never snitch on him.

I walked out the police station, still tired from traveling. Me and Alex weren't on the same flight going here, which made me concerned about how he'd manage to endure his fear without me.

It was already night time and I needed to rest. Alex, according to the officer, would still have to stay under their custody for a few more hours until they settle things with him. I wanted to stay there for him, but they wouldn't let me.

I rode the bus going home, constantly fighting the urge to sleep. I didn't want to accidentally fall asleep and miss my bus stop so I stood up and offered the seat to an elderly.

The bus abruptly stopped, making me stumble a bit and bump into the guy in front of me. "Sorry" I breathed out, my hands finding their way to his chest. "You okay?" I looked up at him and stared into his grey eyes when he asked, gulping when I noticed that I was staring at his lips.

I immediately pulled my hands back and walked towards the exit of the bus. "Where do you live?" The guy from earlier asked as he jogged towards me. My eyebrows furrowing in confusion, "Why are you asking?". He stared at me for a bit. "You look drunk" He stated.

Feeling offended, I scrunched my nose and walked away, choosing to ignore the stranger who was still following me.

As soon as I entered the building, I immediately told Fred, the guard, to not let him in. Turning around to check if he was still following me, I found myself asking "Why does he look familiar?" The tall guy stood on his towering height as I peeked outside the staircase. Weird.

I drank a cup of water and washed my face before jumping on the bed. The darkness started to cave in, my eyelids becoming heavy.

But before I closed my eyes, I grabbed the picture from my bedside table. Our picture from our first date.

-

I woke up with sweat trickling down my forehead. Alex's voice echoed inside my head, together with Chris', Angela's, and Melissa's. My heart beat faster as memories replayed in my head. I pulled my knees to my chest and cried out my boyfriend's name.

It was my first time having a nightmare after a long time. The sun started to rise, the city becoming alive now. I walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer. I miss him so much.

With every thought clouding me, I slowly drank the pain away and decided to call him. He didn't answer every time I tried, making me worry. I put on my coat, decided that I'd go to his penthouse.

I knocked on his door a lot of times, my hand started to hurt. The bracelet he had given me dangled on my wrist along with the fresh scar. I pulled out my spare key and opened the door.

The place was clean—spotless. The furnitures were arranged differently, the room smelt different. The ambiance was very far from what I remembered. No signs of his belongings were around. My heart pounded in my chest, my breathing becoming heavy. Maybe he wanted a change?

I walked towards his room but stopped when I noticed something on the kitchen table. Curious on what it could be, I slowly walked to it. Nervous and hopeful, I held the envelope with my hands.

To: Liandro

Panic rose inside me as tears started falling.

Dearest Leo,

          I have loved you ever since I met you. Every day that passes by, my love grows more for you. Every day that passes by, I realize that I haven't been the person that you truly deserved. You deserve better, Leo. It pains me to say this but our relationship as boyfriend and boyfriend ends here. I do hope we continue our lives as friends and see each other like we used to—except for the kissing part. I will be away for a while to work on myself—to be a better person so that when we meet again, I won't be as terrible as the way I have treated you. You are the best man I have ever met and you will always be. Don't let this come in the way of finding your true happiness. Remember that I will always love you,  just as a friend this time.

Love, Alexander

My heart shattered into a trillion pieces.

All I wanted to do in that moment was bring back time. Back to when I made that stupid decision to make him jealous.

I sat on the floor, mind completely empty. Tears wouldn't stop falling as I sat on the same spot where I had my first kiss. I wasn't going hysterical and that made it worse. I wanted to destroy the whole place, break everything that reminded me of him—but I didn't have enough willpower.

My body was still, my sobs becoming sharp with every breath I took. My body shaking with mixed emotions as I tried to scream. I pulled my knees up to my chest and tugged on my hair. "Alex" I breathed out, our happy memories being replaced with dark ones. He's leaving me again.

Nothing in the world could have prepared me for something like this.