Broken Love part 1

I looked up at the familiar sound of bells laughing. My brown eyes flashed behind my black rimmed glasses when I saw an all too familiar but unwanted face. 4 years, 3 months and some odd days after Gabriela Cristina Mark walked out of my best friend Edward’s life, she had appeared in front of me. Not that I was counting the days or anything (but I totally was). I took a deep breath, took off my glasses and pinched the bridge of my nose trying to gather my thoughts. I chuckled softly, it was a habit I had picked up from Edward during our almost 25 years of friendship. My mind flashed to Edward’s devastated look the night she walked out of his life. I sighed again, this time letting my mind drift back to that fateful night. Christmas Eve 2011 was not a night I thought of often, nor did I think about the almost 5 years that Edward and Gabriela or Gabby as she preferred, were together.

It wasn’t that I particularly disliked Gabby, I didn’t I swear but my issues with her were due with the fact that she treated Edward like crap while blatantly flirting with Edward’s twin brother and another one of my best friends Christopher. Not that Edward noticed or Christopher tried to discourage her behavior. Everyone had always thought of Gabby as such a sweet, nice, lovely person - at least until she broke Edward’s heart.

Edward and Gabby had been going out for nearly 5 years and I had decided that that Christmas was the year that I had worked up the courage to tell Christopher that I had been in love with him for just as long. Edward never talks about that night, no one really does or at least they don’t to me. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but faced with the idea that she was back, the time doesn’t seem like long enough.

I watch as a man greets Gabby. He reminds me of my bear of a brother John. I take the guy in. Just like John, he is tall, muscular, has the same blond hair. When the man’s nervous face finds mine, I know that the eerily similar man isn’t eerily similar. I have half a mind to go over and chew him out for even looking at Gabby, let alone talking to her like an old friend but I don’t. I hate conflict of any kind so instead I leave

I had to give Gabby some credit though. Of all the people Edward knows, my brother was probably the biggest pushover when it came to girls. Probably had something to do with the fact that he and dad were they only guys in the house, and dad was never home. But that aside, I never would have thought John would agree to meet or talk to her. After all, she destroyed on of his best friend’s life.

John,Christopher, Edward, and I all grew up together. Our fathers have been best friends since before medical school and after my mom died, Elizabeth - Christopher and Edward’s mother, stepped in and helped my dad raise John and me. Read, that means Elizabeth pretty much raised us.

But back to how we ended up with Edward’s heart broken, me not telling Christopher about my secret crush on him and my secret/not so secret desire to hurt Gabby for breaking one of my best friend’s heart.

My dad, Dr. James McDuff and I headed to the Greye house just as we have one every Christmas since mom passed away. John and his wife, Katherine were meeting us there. Dad and I walked into the kitchen where Dr. Richard Greye, his wife Elizabeth, and Christopher were all indulging in Elizabeth’s eggnog. We hadn’t been there long when we heard the front door open. Richard went out to greet the couple at the door. I think we all expected it to be John and Katherine. I went back to my eggnog and drooling over Christopher while maintaining a conversation on...I’m not sure what was being talking about. Richard didn’t make it but two steps out of the kitchen before hurrying back in and shutting the french doors. He quickly picked up his eggnog and took his seat looking anywhere but the door that he just closed. I remember finding his actions strange but didn’t have much of a chance to ponder of it as Gabby started screaming at Edward.

“I’m leaving you, Edward” Gabby said loudly. Edward must have said something but because next thing we heard was Gabby screaming, “I CAN’T!!! I’M DONE!” and the front door opening and being shut hard. Everyone rushed out to the foyer. Seeing nothing there, we looked to the left in the living room. What we found there, to this day breaks my heart. Edward was standing in front of the Christmas tree, holding an engagement ring and a key tited with a bow and was staring at the front door. It was clear that he was in shock as he asked us over and over if she had said yes. I slowly walked up to him and took the box out of his hand as his mom and dad led him upstairs. Christopher frowned at the door and then walked over to table sitting in the hallway and picked up an envelope that hadn’t been there when we arrived. I tried to shut the box as quietly as possible but it still sounded like a gun went off in the eery quietness that had come over the house, and to be honest it felt a little like I was shooting Edward in the heart by closing it but I knew that staring at it wouldn’t be helpful either. John and Katherine arrived as Christopher and I were all looking at each other. Quickly explaining what we had heard, led Katherine running back out the door. My father went back into the kitchen presumably to spike the eggnog. Christopher shuffled his feet and then followed his father, mother and heartbroken twin upstairs while I sat the black box on the coffee table. John turned over the envelope as he walked back towards me. I saw it was addressed to the Greye/Mc Duff families in Gabby’s handwriting.

Dear Richard, Elizabeth, James, Christopher, Sara, John, Katherine and my dearest Edward,

I’m sure you all must think the worst of me right now. I know I would but know that my leaving is the best Christmas present I can ever give you. Edward, marriage isn’t something that I’m suited for, just look at my parents and by default, I have never wanted children. Parents, at least in my experience, tend to screw up their children and marriages never work out. I know that I will never have what any of you have, no matter how much you all have tried to include me and leaving and never coming back is the right thing for everyone, especially me.

Leaving is the only way, Edward, that I can assure that you will have a happy life with the family you have always wanted. Edward, you ill make an amazing father and husband someday. Know that this is one of the hardest things I will ever have to do.

I will miss you all greatly. I am eternally grateful to you all for letting me into you family, even if it was only for a moment. I want you all to help Edward to move forward and forget that I ever existed or exist out there. You may not believe me now but someday you all will understand that this is the best move for me...for all of us.

Always,

Gabby.

I look down at the ground, biting my lip, trying not to say what I’m truly thinking...Gabby is lying, that the reason she’s gone has nothing to do with Edward’s happiness and if it did she wouldn’t have flirt so shamelessly with Christopher. John interrupts my thoughts and for once I’m grateful. The last thing anyone needs is for me to bitchy.

“Wow...so she’s gone for good?” he asks, although I wasn’t 100% sure it was a question then and I’m still not. But it didn’t matter then and it doesn’t matter now. Gabby built Edward up only to break him down and at that moment in time none of us were sure he’d make it thru. Edward was the type of soul who loved wholeheartedly and unconditionally. When he fell, he fell hard.

My phone chirped pulling me back to the present. I glance down at my phone.

We need to talk - J

‘John,’ I think with a grimace. ‘No shit, einstein,’ I mutter under my breath and text back my place after class. I sigh again. I seem to do that quite often whenever Gabby was involved. I briefly contemplate ditching my graduate seminar on the history of the Celts but before I can decide a fellow classmate comes up to me and together we head to class.

Two and half hours later, I walk into my apartment with John close behind. I sigh, put my backpack by my desk, take out my computer and plug it in. I turn to face my brother, taking off my glasses and pinching the bridge of my nose in the process. I sigh again waiting to hear what he had to say. Even if part of me wanted to yell and tell him to get lost.

“She’s not back for Edward,” he says quickly as he flops down on my gray couch and puts his feet on the coffee table.

“Could you not break my couch, John?” I say as I swat his feet off the coffee table. He shoots me an ‘I’m sorry’ look. “and what do you mean she’s not here for Edward?” I ask sitting in an armchair.

“She says she wants to be friends with all of us again,” he pauses then smirks. “Probably more than friends with Christopher,” he says, “seeing how she said she left because she’d fallen for Christopher and didn’t want to hurt Edward by dumping him for his twin. She says she’s sorry.” He gives me a shrug. I take a deep breath and stand up quickly. Probably a little too quickly as I have to take a moment to steady myself. I look at my brother trying hard not to glare but knowing that I was probably unsuccessful. My brain races as it tries to pick one thing to focus one. ‘she’s back, she wants to be friends, she left because she was in love with my Christopher.’ That last thought made my blood boil.

Finally I sputter out, “Sorry? She’s sorry” I take a deep breath and continue with more venom than I thought possible, “and what, that’s suppose to make up for the last 4 years? Because she loved my Christopher?!” I stop and look at my brother hoping that he didn’t notice that I called Christopher mine. I wasn’t that luck. He noticed, gave me an raised eyebrow but didn’t call me out on it rather giving me one of those ‘finally you realize you love him’ looks. He didn’t know that I had known I loved Christopher for awhile or that I had finally told him the night before at dinner or that Christopher had laughed his ass off or that Christopher never would be mine. “She came to me because she saw me at the market with Ben and felt I’d be the most…” his voice trailed off for a moment, “understanding and would help…” He faltered again. I glared at him harder. I suddenly felt like my life was crashing around me. “So in other words, you are big pushover and the rest of us are too,” I throw my hands up, “whatever to forgive her without your guidance.” John opens his mouth. “Save it, big brother. I don’t...want her in...my life, our lives,” I say knowing how whiny and childish I sound. One the one hand I want to be and on the other I knew how manipulative Gabby could be.

He sighed, and headed for the door, knowing me well enough to know that this was as good as it was getting with me. He knew that if Katherine or any Greye family member forgave her, I’ll at least tolerate her no matter how much I wouldn't want to. Family always comes first. The tears that had been threatening to fall since I saw Gabby, flood out as the door shut behind my brother.