| Fan Fiction |
by kglove
“Sorry bro, my meeting finished later that what I expected.”
“So what’s up? I was a little surprised when I received your message. You’ve been a little MIA lately.”
“I just need someone to talk to. You’re my closest friend and I know I can trust you.”
David frowned. “This sounds serious. But okay, I'm listening.”
“Remember couple of weeks ago I told you that Kim and I had a fight?”
David nodded. “Yes, but you never told me why. Am I about to find out the reason?”
“Well, yes. I wasn’t planning on saying anything but I need to vent out.”
“Alright, let’s have it.”
Gerald told him the story behind their fight. When he finished, David was frowning at Gerald.
“You suck, man, are you aware of that?”
“Yeah, I know. I hate myself for what I did and everyday I wish I could do something to take that back.”
“That is the last thing that I expected from you to be honest. I mean, you and Kim have been together forever and I never thought you’d back out from a responsibility that involved Kim and raising a family with her. Wasn’t that the whole point of living together?”
“David, I don’t know what got into me. The moment I thought that Kim might be pregnant, my head spun like crazy. I always pictured having kids with Kim but not that soon. I mean… I don’t know, dude. I can’t even explain it.”
“You’re lucky Kim took you back. If I were her, we’re done.”
Gerald drank his beer and fell silent for a minute. “I don’t know about that.”
“What do you mean?” David had his eyebrows furrowed.
“Well, things haven’t been exactly the same as before. Yes, she is with me but her heart isn’t.” Gerald sighed. “She hasn’t looked at me the way she usually does. I say I love her every single day but she hasn’t said it back. I can feel that I'm losing her. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose her.”
“You should have thought about that before you said something you know would definitely upset her. I don’t blame her for feeling that way towards you. Honestly, in my opinion, you already lost her the day you acted like a jerk.”
***
Kim just finished doing her reports when her phone rang. She bit her lip when she saw the caller id but pressed the answer button.
“Hello?”
“Hey. I don’t know if you received my messages earlier.” Gerald’s voice came on the other line.
“Uh, yeah I did. I had to do some training reports. Sorry.”
“That’s fine. Are you almost done?”
Kim hesitated for a bit. “Actually I have a few more.” She lied. “Why?”
Gerald’s voice sounded disappointed. “I thought you’d be home early so I prepared your favorite.”
“Oh. I'm sorry.”
“I’ll just wait for you. I'm not yet hungry anyway.”
“No, you can go ahead, Gerald. I might be here for a little while.”
“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just go there and bring you dinner then we can go home together.”
“Gerald, it’s your day off. You should get some rest. Don’t worry, I'm okay. I’ll see you when I get home, okay?”
He heaved a sigh. “Okay. Just be safe.”
“I will. Bye Gerald.”
“Uh, Kim?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
Kim closed her eyes upon hearing him say it. “Bye.” She immediately ended the call.
***
A few days later, Kim was surprised to find Gerald waiting in her office after training class.
“What’s up?”
“I want to invite you out for dinner.”
“Uh… now? I'm not sure…”
Gerald cut her off. “Please?”
Kim looked at him and saw a hint of desperation in his eyes. She nodded. “Okay. I’ll meet you outside. I just need to finish some stuff first.”
Gerald went out and closed the door behind him. Kim took as much time as she can arranging the papers on her desk until she can no longer find something to do. She grabbed her bag and walked slowly out of her office, out of the building and towards the parking lot. When Gerald saw her approaching, he went out of the car and held the car door open for her. She muttered thanks just before she took a seat. Gerald drove off and there was an air of awkward silence between them. Kim focused her stare at the view outside while Gerald was stealing glances at her every once in a while. He very much wanted to take her hand and entwine them with his but he can’t seem to find the courage to do so. Normally, it wouldn’t cost him any effort just to talk to her but now, he was completely speechless.
When Gerald stopped at a restaurant they used to frequent, Kim felt butterflies on her stomach. They usually go to this place during special occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays. But for some reason, she didn’t feel like going to this place, especially with the way she is feeling. However, she doesn’t want to disappoint Gerald. He ran to her side of the car and helped her get off the car. They walked together and were greeted by the front desk personnel.
“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. We haven’t seen you here for a while.”
Kim bit her lip upon hearing the greeting. When they first went there, Gerald conveniently introduced themselves as husband and wife. She never bothered correcting that ever since but now, it sounded like a nail on a chalk board.
“Hi Michael. Can we have our usual table?” Gerald ignored the remark of the perky waiter.
“Of course. I’ll be with you in a minute with the menu.”
Gerald led Kim into the two-seater table at the very end of the restaurant. They like this spot because it gives them a little privacy. He held the chair for her which she took. They perused through the menu and gave their orders. After several minutes, their order was served and they ate in silence.
When Gerald saw that Kim is almost finished with her meal, he asked her. “Kim, do you want to order desert?”
“No, thanks. I'm full. I don’t think I have room for desert.”
Gerald paid their bill and waited for Kim who went to the ladies room.
“Are we ready to leave?” Kim asked when she saw that their table has been cleared already.
“Yes. Unless you want to go somewhere else I'm okay with that.”
“We should probably just go home.”
“Okay.”
Again, the drive home was a silent one. When Kim opened the door of their apartment, Gerald spoke up as soon they were in.
“Kim, can we talk? Please?” Gerald pleaded.
Kim turned around after a few moments of hesitation and faced Gerald.
“I don’t think I can do this anymore, Kim. I want us to go back to the way we were before.”
Kim sat down. “I'm not sure if we can go back to those days, Gerald. A lot of things have happened and those are not easy to forget. It keeps replaying in my head every time I look at you.”
“I know I made a huge mistake. I was hoping we could get past it as time passes by. I know I hurt you so much and I wish I could take it back.”
“Believe me, I tried putting it behind me and told myself that we can have a fresh start.” Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. “But I can’t do it. Not right now.”
“Kim, I love you. You’re the only woman I have and will ever love.”
“I love you too, Gerald. But I don’t think that’s enough to keep this relationship from falling apart.” All the tears that she was holding back fell endlessly. “I think it would be best for us to just let go of each other. I don’t want to wait for the day that we have to break up because of hatred.”
Gerald was crying as well. It hurt him very much to see their relationship come to an end. But as much as he hated the idea, he knows that Kim is right. It would be beneficial for them to go their separate ways at this point.
“I'm really sorry for whatever stupid things I did.”
“I’ve also done some things that hurt you, especially these past few weeks.”
Gerald took careful strides towards Kim and held her face. He wiped the tears on her face. “I'm letting you go because I love you. More than anything, your happiness is all that matters to me. Thank you for all the wonderful years you shared with me. I will forever be grateful that someone as special as you loved me the way you did. You’re the best girlfriend any guy could wish for. Be happy, Kim. Always remember that I love you so much.”
Kim could not stop herself and pulled Gerald closer to her so that she can hug him. When they pulled apart, Kim spoke in between sobs.
“For whatever its worth, this is the most painful decision I made in my entire life. If only I can tell my mind to stop thinking about what happened, I would.”
“Kim, you don’t have to explain. I totally get it. I'm just happy that you gave me a chance to redeem myself. Unfortunately, I fell short.”
“Gerald…”
“Ssshhh! Its okay, Kim. After tonight, it’ll all be over. Just give me an hour to pack my stuff and I’ll be gone. I already talked to Ken and I'm going to stay with him until I find a new place.”
Gerald started packing his things. After almost an hour, he gathered all his bags and went out. Kim stood up when she saw that Gerald is ready to leave. He walked wordlessly towards the door. She stopped herself from running to him and asking him to stay. He was looking at her, waiting for her to say something. He was hoping that Kim would change her mind and stop him from leaving. But when Kim finally said something, he knew it is over.
“Take care of yourself, Gerald. “
“You do the same thing, Kim.”
Those were the last words they said to each other before he left with all of his belongings. When the door to her apartment closed, all tears she was keeping inside fell endlessly. She loved him. Still loves him. And deep inside her heart, she knows that he also does. But separation is what’s best for the both of them.
Wiping her tears, she turned around and headed to the bedroom. Her eyes fell upon the picture frame that is prominently displayed on the bedside table. She picked it up. The picture was taken during their anniversary a couple months back. Gerald’s head was resting on her shoulders, his hands tightly wrapped around her waist. Kim, on the other hand, was leaning her head onto his, while her right hand was holding Gerald’s face. They both have smiles of contentment on their faces.
“How am I ever going to start living my life without you in it, Gerald?” Kim cried, still staring at the photo, running her fingers on Gerald’s face.