Rachel and Jack
“Please, Rachel. Please stop. Please...” Jack’s voice faltered and he looked away from his girlfriend; well make that his ex-girlfriend now. But even though he was focused on the window to his left, he knew her piercing blue eyes were still staring at him pitifully.
“I’m sorry Jack. You don’t know how sorry I am. I just...I just love him okay? I just love him.”
“More than me apparently,” he muttered spitefully. His eyes darted back to her and silently pleaded with her. Rachel tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, one of the many things she often did when she was nervous. He always found it kind of cute. But right then he hated it.
“You know I love you Jack. I do. I really do love you.” She reached out her slender hand and placed it over his larger one. She smiled weakly at him.
“No you don’t! You don’t love me, or you wouldn’t be doing this. How can you do this? It was just last week that we carved our initials in that stupid tree in your woods. Just one week ago! ‘Forever and always’ remember?” Her beautiful blue eyes watered up and she quietly sat back in her seat, taking her hand back with her. Jack shook his head and turned back to the window on his left. A red car passed by the small diner where they had been sitting for only ten minutes. And in those ten minutes, Rachel had shattered his heart. “Today was our one year anniversary, you know. One year ago from today I asked you to be my girlfriend. We kissed for the first time that day, too.” He said it almost to himself, but Rachel was listening from across the table.
“I know, Jack,” she sighed.
“It’s funny how long something good can last…and how quickly it can end. Isn’t it? How one day you’re the happiest man alive and then the next, the one thing that made your life worth living is just taken away from you. Just like that,” he snapped his fingers and gave her a sad smile. “One year,” he looked down at his lap and smiled again.
Rachel watched in horror from across the table as Jack revealed a small black box and placed it on the place mat in front of her. “Oh, Jack...” she sobbed and put her face in her hands.
A single tear ran down Jack’s face. “I love you.” Then he stood up, put a ten dollar bill on the table next to the box holding an engagement ring, and walked out of the diner.