Hello coffee lovers and avid readers! Welcome to Olive’s Library at Olive’s Café, where you can read the stories of adventurous characters as they explore life.
Here’s a story of a couple who wants to properly break up after a long relationship.
The cool breeze caresses my face as I sit on the park bench to wait for Andy to arrive. It’s not even that cold, yet I shiver at the thought of breaking things off with him after 6 years of being together. Things have changed over the years, and I want something else for myself. Something that he won’t be able to fulfill. And the argument two weeks ago was what motivated me more to break things off. I’m just not in it anymore, and I want out, but I don’t want to end things on the wrong note.
Six years of a relationship deserves a proper break-up.
I tighten my grip on my sweater to try to get some kind of warmth as I continue to wait. Then, doubt starts to surface as I sit in the chill. Will he ever come over? Did he forget? Or does he not want to end things between us? Does he truly believe that we can prolong this relationship? I’m even having second thoughts because of how long I’ve been waiting.
I look at the time on my phone and see that it’s 7:30pm. He’s late, as usual.
Maybe this isn’t a good idea. I mean, I haven’t even spoken to him since the argument, so maybe he doesn’t-
“Leslie?” I hear a voice asking. I turn and see Andy standing there with a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay? Do you want my jacket?”
I shake my head, rejecting his offer.
He sighs and asks, “So, how you been? We haven’t spoken in two weeks.”
“I know,” I tell him, “I needed time to think.”
“About what?” he asks as he sits next to me on the bench.
“About us. That argument was really intense, and it had me thinking about us,” I explain.
At this point, I just want to end, but looking at him is making it harder.
“What do you mean? I thought things were fine between us. We just had a little hiccup, right?” he says, his tone telling me that he wants to repair what we broke.
Honestly, the argument shattered it so severely, I don’t want to hurt either of us while gluing it back together.
“I don’t think we can repair it this time. We’ve had a lot of hiccups, but none of them were as bad as the one from two weeks ago,” I tell him, growing impatient.
“But we can fix it. We can go back to the way things were,” he says, still hopeful.
“I’m sorry, but no we can’t. The argument revealed to me that you’re not ready for the next step, whereas I am. I want something more, but you’re not willing to budge,” I say, finally.
“But what was wrong with what we’re currently in? We don’t need any more commitments. Like what we have right now is okay,” he argues.
“But I want more. I want maturity in the relationship. If you don’t think our commitment needs to mature, then this break-up is what we need.”
By now, he stares at me, not knowing what to say after that. Did it not occur to him that our relationship wasn’t going anywhere? I get that he wants a peace of mind, and he wants to be with someone, but I want to grow, to flourish, to become more than who I am. And that is what we both need: to figure out what we truly want for ourselves and being together will only hinder that for us.
He scoffs as he gets up from where he was sitting and paces in front of me, stressed out about what I told him. When he stops pacing, he continues to stare at me and asks, “Why do you want to end this relationship? I mean, we’ve been together for six years. We were going strong.”
“Going on strong? Andy, you haven’t changed since high school. I’ve grown out of this. Out of us. I want to figure out what I truly want, but I don’t want to hurt you along the way,” I argue back.
“So, are you leaving me behind so you can discover yourself?” he asks, on the verge of tears.
“I’m not leaving you behind,” I tell him as I stand up, “but I do think that you need time for yourself as well. Maybe you can find someone that’s right for you.”
“But you’re right for me. I want no one else but you,” Andy says desperately as he grabs me by the arms.
“Andy, no. It’s been too long and it’s time for us to move on. Please,” I plea as I remove his hands from my arms.
We grow silent as we stand in front of each other. I had a feeling that we would end up like two weeks ago. The silence growing between us is making the chill even colder, but I will not leave until we finally break things off. It should have been two weeks ago, maybe three years ago, but I was afraid of breaking his heart. Now, it’s suffocating mine.
After a while, he breaks the silence as he asks, “How long have you thought about breaking up with me?”
I shuffle in my feet as I answer, “Three years ago, but I was too afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“Hurting you. But I already was when I decided not to end things between us. I told myself to keep going when there was nothing left. I told myself that you love me and that’s all it mattered. But two weeks ago, I realized that love wasn’t enough anymore.”
“And did you ever consider how I would feel?” he asks, more desperate.
I nod. “Yes, but I also realized that I wasn’t doing any of us a favor by staying with you when I want more. That I need more.”
He stares at me some more before he says, “So, this is it then, huh.”
“Look, Andy, you’re a great person, truly. But we need to grow up. And I grew apart from you. It’s not fair for you. And don’t tell me you didn’t feel the same way.”
I wait for his response, expecting him to agree with. One beat later, he nods in agreement. “Yeah…yeah, you’re right.”
“But just know that I have always loved you. That will never change,” I assure him.
We stand here in silence again, not knowing what to say next. I truly do hope for the best for him, it’s what he deserves, but I also hope he finds it in his heart that he grows more.
“So, this is it, right?” he asks. I nod in silence, knowing that it’s time for us to part and not say any more than what we should. “I’ll walk you to your car then,” he offers.
I want to object, but then I also want a final goodbye, so it wouldn’t hurt to walk with him. I nod and we both walk to our cars. Although, the silence may have been suffocating throughout the interaction between us, this silence feels a lot more healing, refreshing even. Once we reach my car, I turn to him and give him a small smile as I tell him, “I hope you’ll be okay.”
“Right now,” he says as he sighs, “I’m not okay. I still have to process all of this. But once I take some time, I will be.”
I nod and unlock my car, but I don’t get in when he says, “Wait. I have one last thing to say.” I turn to him and wait for what he has to say. “I’m sorry for not giving you what you want but thank you for staying with me.”
Now I want to cry. I give him a hug that lasts a good minute, my last hug before we officially end things between us. I pull away from him and get into my car, turning the ignition on and drive away, leaving Andy behind as he waves good-bye to me.
Have you ever had a long relationship where you felt like you needed something more, and the relationship wasn’t going anywhere? Comment down below.
Thank you for tuning in to Olive’s Library at Olive’s Cafe!
Olive's Cafe 