He bought the ticket to Salisbury. He held it with trembling hands as he paid attention to the details. The train will leave at eleven in the morning which means he had plenty of time to wander around the place he hadn't seen since she had run away.
He laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Ariel ran away because she was hurt. Ruess wished she had run away with him, too. She could take his hand and he would never let go. He would never have.
But instead, she chose to leave him. Leave him with a "thank you for everything." Was it always easy for people to ran away from those who love them? She could have stayed. She could have. He wished she had. Because if she had, he will fight to keep her.
Ariel Prescott.
She played with fire and she didn't just got burned. She got scarred for life. Will those wounds ever heal? Definitely. Ariel was one of the strongest woman he had ever known. She can survived everything.
She was that girl who used to brighten his day with her smile. She was the first person she had opened up to, the first girl he had initiated a conversation with. He likes how she loves cinnamons and coffee and the smell of a brand new book. She was always so positive. The right to every wrong.
"You should stop thinking about her." Simon's voice echoed throughout the room. Ruess didn't answer. One wouldn't have wanted to argue with Simon. Aside from the fact that he was always right, he also won every argument related to Ariel. "And start looking for her"
"Do you think you can track her down?"
Simon toppled off his seat in shock.
"Are you serious?" he said, dusting his pajamas that were big and battered. He stood up and felt his forehead. Ruess swatted his hand away. His friend scowled.
Simon's eyes widened and his mouth formed a big O, like he was a fish waiting for a bait yet he grinned afterwards. A triumphant grin that says 'I knew this was gonna happen!"
He rushed into his laptop and started to work. Sometimes, Ruess was glad for Simon. That he never left him when things had gotten rough with Kyle.
"We will find you Ariel Prescott!"
As if the world had turned upside down, something popped into Ruess' mind. He hadn't knew why he had fallen in love with her. She was his bestfriend's girlfriend. She was someone forbidden. He thought it was because she was gentle and sweet or because she was the first girl to ever care for his feelings and a hundred reasons he would think of later.
But he was wrong.
He loved her because he wanted to save her.
He is Ariel's redemption.
Ariel had seen Sera from afar. The light had illuminated her clearly. She was beautiful, with blonde long curls that shone from the light. She was lean and sexy and her legs was long, no wonder Kyle had cheated.
And Ruess was right, Kyle wasn't due in his internship. He came for Sera. He had never looked so handsome, Ariel felt like he was someone she never met. This was not the Kyle he used to know, not the person he used to be. He kissed Sera, and she felt Ruess tensed beside her. Well, that's enough for the night. She was wet from the rain and she had to go back to the hotel for her clothes. Kyle never knew she was coming and Ruess would be staying with her.
She leaned her back against the cold, hard wall. She was expecting this yet she was still hurt. Maybe this was how heartbreak felt. Literally and not really.
"Are you okay?" Ruess asked. Both of them forced a laugh because they knew that that was a stupid question to ask.
"I guess we should head straight to the apartment." she said, her voice full of conviction. "Caught them in the act."
"What?! Are you crazy? We can't barged in there-"
"Of course we can." she said a little too loud. "Its your apartment, too and I'm your friend."
He opened his mouth to protest but the thunder had roared loudly, it interrupted him. It wasn't part of the plan but Ariel needed to see them, to caught them in the act. She knew it will hurt more than anything else but maybe it will help her to never look back no matter what.
"You have your keys right?" she asked.
"Ariel-" Ruess started to protest but she cut him off with a blank stare.
The rain poured heavily that they had to wipe their eyes in order not to blink water. Ariel looked up and silently cried. Her tears went with the rain water.
So this was what heartbreak feels like, she thought miserably.
"Ariel, we don't need to do this." Ruess pleaded. He could feel the pain too. Feel her pain, how excruciating it was. Like it was radiating off her.
His heart was breaking along with her, in front of the girl he loved. His bestfriend's girlfriend.
"We need to." she said sternly. Ariel was stubborn and strong-willed and those weren't the best combination at that time. "It will be unfair for me to just leave him without giving him any reason."
Ruess flared up.
"Unfair?!" he shouted. Ariel took a step back, wondering why Ruess had suddenly became upset. His hazel brown eyes had turned to stone. "Do you know .what the fuck is unfair?!"
"No! Just hear me out!" he said, cornering her in his arms. Ariel stood still, trembling with cold and fear against the wall in that wet, dark and cold alley. "What's unfair is that you fall in love with a man who cheated on you and you still care about his feelings without noticing mine!"
He was furious. She could tell, just by the quick rise and fall of his chest. Just by looking at the fire in his eyes. This wasn't the Ruess he had knew. He had became someone else. Something intense. Very far from the boy who kept to himself.
She smiled. Well, atleast the emotionless boy was gone. He knew how to be angry, to speak his mind. Maybe-
"I love you..." he whispered. He stood so near she could hear that he was still breathing raggedly. He bent down and leaned on her shoulders, against her neck. She felt her skin prickled and she too, had started breathing rapidly. She could feel her warmth against her. The sexual tension, the chemistry.. everything. She could even heard his heart beat.
'I know.' Ariel thought sadly. 'I know.'
She put a hand on his chest, feeling his heart drummed loudly against his ribcage.
"You just don't walk into my life, care about me, make me care about you and then bail out. That's not how it works." he whispered in her ears. Ariel closed her eyes. She could feel the fluttering feeling inside her. Like she was flying. Like everything would be alright.
She kept her eyes closed, feel the rain drops all over her and listened to the loud gush of water. She felt his arms on his waist. He was burning hot. His touch was like fire. And then she felt his lips on hers. He tasted like rain, like love, like bliss and everything beautiful. He kissed her fiercely and she reciprocated back with all her heart. She never felt anything like this with Kyle.
Ruess stopped to looked at her. She caressed her face, his neck before pulling him back for another kiss. And that time, she let all her guards down.
And this is how goodbye feels like...
