A bitter smile was plastered on Aelise's features as she looked at Zen, holding his hands that cupped her cheeks. 'I just want to look at your stunning face forever.' She thought to herself. "I never felt happiness since five years ago until now." The female admitted as she shed tears.
"God damn. I still love you, okay?" She said in a small voice as she knelt down, bringing her hands to her face. She felt so sorry for Ace even after the shit he did to her. She cried harder. "I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid."
Zen's eyes widened as he looked at her. He looked back at Nate who was just as surprised as him. "H-Hey. Don't cry please." Zen spoke in a soft voice as he crouched down, wrapping his arms around her. "It's not your fault, okay? I didn't know I had stuff to do so I just came out. It's mine. If anyone should be blamed then it's me." He said as he caressed her back gently to get her to calm down.
Aelise shook her head and pursed her lips before she spoke. "Stop taking all the blame on just yourself. I hate it." She ran a hand through his hair gently which was something she did back then in order to comfort him.
Zen gently picked her up and sat her on the bench. He crouched in front of her like that day when he sat her on the bike. He looked up at her and held her hands. "Look here." He smiled and gently tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "Come on. Where's the sarcastic bad ass that I knew, huh?" He smiled as he looked at her.
She tensed as she got picked up. She even wondered why she always get picked up like a child by literally everyone, chewing over the thought of if she was underweight or not. She relaxed just a bit when she got seated on the bench. A smile crept up to her face upon hearing his words. "Now it isn't the time for some joke."
Then, Aelise listened to every word he said. Constantly nodding at him whilst looking down onto her lap. The feeling of shame just consumed her whole being. She wanted to cry so hard but the tears wouldn't come out now.
"It's not my place to speak, Aelise. Absolutely not but if your boyfriend is hurting you, you should break up with him. I don't know what you guys have been through but it's worth a thought. Just think about it. What's the use of this relationship if it doesn't make you stronger but only makes you weaker and to lose yourself?" He spoke, still using his calming and soft voice.
"As much as I want you back, I don't know if I deserve you. After everything that I did, no amount of 'sorry's' can fix it. Of course. I regret it and I am very sorry. All I'm saying is, do what makes you happy, okay? I don't care who you're with. I just want you to be happy even if it isn't with me." He smiled and let out a breath. "Oh man, that was so hard." He chuckled and looked at Nate who smiled at them both.
"Now that that's out of the way." Zen sighed as he looked back at her. "I still fucking love you so much. I miss you. I-I don't even know who I am anymore. Nate's mother even told me she couldn't recognize me. You've still got me hooked Aelise. I don't know what to do anymore. I want to move on and let you live your life but I can't. I'm not able to. I swear I've tried. Nothing works." He spoke, pouring his feelings out. "It's not your fault, baby." It felt good to call her that again after so long.
"You know what, I don't know what makes me happy anymore besides my family and friends." She trailed off. "My dreams are crushed. It's because of me not moving on. If I did so and stopped getting drunk and shit, th-then.." She paused for a bit. No, it's not like she was selfish, she just didn't know what to say anymore. "I- W-What I'm trying to say is, I love you too much. Way too much. That's why moving on is more difficult than it has to be. I even went as far as using some guy to move on." She finished and hesitated to look at him in the eyes.
"Zen, I love you."
Hearing those words from Aelise made Zen's heart flutter like always. Nate's eyes widened when he heard that. He walked a little away from them to give them their space. 'God, Zen. Please.' He thought to himself as he looked at them. Zen smiled at the girl.
"You were an amazing singer. I'm sure you still are. I learnt singing, you know. Completely." He smiled as he caressed her hands. "Why don't you try and follow them again? Hmm? Maybe take a break and just concentrate on making a name for yourself. I know how much that dream meant to you, love. You shouldn't just give it up, okay?" Zen spoke and looked up at her.
"Now, I know Nate called you out so late at night. So, what do you want to do?" He asked. "Oh and by the way, I do not want any kind of problems between you and your current boyfriend. Like I said, please. At least right now. Treat me like a friend. You've changed, Aelise. You've closed off. If you don't want to then it's fine but I'd like to be someone who can get your mind off things and be there for you. If not as a boyfriend then as a friend for sure." He said and smiled, making Nate sigh in relief.
"Just remember that your idiot is always here for you whenever you want, okay?" He spoke. It felt like his whole world was turning upside down and everything was getting mixed up again. He wanted her back so bad again but he didn't want to force her. Her boyfriend was cheating on her but she still wasn't letting go. "But as your friend. Let him go. I'm not saying this so that I can come back into your life. I'm saying this out of concern. If he's hurting you emotionally or physically, which I hope he isn't, then you need to find someone who treats you right."