Page 13 of One More Round

"G, I would never walk away from us," I say, and reach for her hands but she moves just out of my reach.

"No, I know that. But this is our place. Why would you want to leave it behind?"

Here we go.

"Without you here this place means nothing. These four old walls and this creaky wood floor becomes just another childhood memory. It's nothing without you."

Her eyes start to gloss over, and she pinches her lips together. I know this look well. She is fighting the tears.

I scoot closer to her and successfully grab her hands and hold them firmly in mine.

"G, I don't think I could manage to come up here, with all the memories knowing you won't be here waiting for me," I tell her softly.

The first tear falls, and my heart starts to fracture.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she whispers.

I brush a tear away as I lean in closer to her.

"Gia, I have to tell you something," I say, searching her face.

She bats her tears away but looks at me expectantly.

"I've wanted to tell you for a while, but I think ... I think, well ..." Shit, I'm doing a shit job of this. "Ah, man. I'm screwing this up."

"Simon," she says, more as a statement than a question.

"No, I'll get this right," I mutter.

"Simon. No."

She pulls her hands away from mine. Why the hell does she look freaked out?

"Gia, I love you. I've loved you for a while and not just the love you have for your best friend. But the love you have for someone you can't stop thinking about. The kind of love that creeps in and consumes you."

"Simon," she says more forcefully, but I'm on a roll.

"I know this is horrible timing, but I just can'tnottell you, you know?" The weight that has been sitting on my chest is suddenly gone and I know, without a doubt, that I was supposed to tell her how I felt.

"Simon. You need to stop. Stop talking," she nearly yells at me.

I am stunned into silence.

"You cannot tell me that you love me. It's not fair! Do you understand how unfair it is for you to tell me how you feel just days before I leave? Why? Why would you do this?!"

Angry tears fall down her face and I'm trying to register all that she is saying.

I gather my thoughts as she stands to leave.

"Wait," I say.

She shakes her head.

"No. Wait. Why can't I? I love you and you know damn well that it's not something new."

She keeps walking and climbs down the ladder out of the tree house.

"Gia, this is bullshit. Wait."

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