"You and I were never meant to last."

The words of the truth stung as they left my mouth. It was 2:30 in the morning when Asher showed up at my window. It was 2:32 when he asked me to take a ride with him. For some reason, I didn't ask him why. For some reason, I saw myself pretending it was when Asher and I still found tranquility in each other's presence.

"I need help, Erica. I don't know what to do. I love this woman, and I don't know how to make her see it. What happened to you and I? Why did you break up with me? What had I done, that I can change with her, because goddamnit I love her Erica, I really do." His grip on the steering wheel tightened and I saw as his jaw clenched. He continuously glanced at me with pleading eyes, making me almost feel sorry for him. I felt foolish for thinking that maybe he showed up at my window at 2:30 in the morning to discuss us.

I knew it was just wishful thinking. I feel like after you break up with someone you're never fully over them. Things happen that will somehow take you back to a time when you and that person were happy. When you and that person had so many inside jokes, and so many good memories that it brings you pain thinking how you will never make anymore.

Asher loved me. He loved me deeply. He loved me passionately...but he wasn't in love with me. He didn't care if I got home late with no explanation. He didn't care if I ignored his calls. He didn't even care if I didn't talk to him for days on end. I just wanted him to show me he cared, and he never did. I found myself doing things in spite of him, hoping, wishing, that one day he would turn to me and ask me why. Why was I acting so vindictive? Why had I been ignoring him? He was so laid back and care free it honestly just confused me.

He said he loved me and felt that would be enough. People tell each other they love one another all the time...even if they don't really mean it. That scared me. Getting attached to a person who I thought I was in love with and them not loving me as much scared me even more. It seemed these days everything scared me...

The silence filled the awkwardness in the car. Things used to never be awkward between us. I wanted to reach for his hand and tell him everything would be okay, but Asher was no longer mine to hold.

"You made me feel like I would never be good enough for you." I said into the window, that began to fog up from my breath.

His eyes turned to look at me. They looked hard, and cold. Not like the eyes I used to peer into out of pure, sheer amazement as to how somebody like him could've possibly settled for someone like me...but that was then, and this is now.

"H-how could you possibly think that? Even if we didn't last forever like we'd hoped, that doesn't mean I didn't love every inch of you any less than I love Natalie." He had stopped the car, in front of the gas station. I watched as the red lights from the sign illuminated off his olive skin. It sent goosebumps up my back.

"Oh...so her name is Natalie? Is she nice?" I said, trying to avoid his questions.

"Stop it Erica, just answer me. Please, I need to know."

His eyes burned into mine, causing me to shift my gaze straight ahead. Knowing, his stare was hypnotizing, consuming...and I was weak. In this moment, as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was weak.

"You never assured me that I was what you wanted. You never showed me you wanted me just as much as I wanted you." My voice was hard, I sounded angry, although that's not the emotion I was hoping to come across as.

"B-but I did love you, you have to believe. How could you not believe me?" He turned his head in all different directions, trying to find my eyes.

"Would you believe you?" I looked at him, long and hard. I looked at him for what seemed like forever.

We sat there in silence. He ran his hand over the ignition, and put the car in drive. There we were, the silence filling up the lost hope and pain that we were both feeling in this moment.

Before I knew it, the car was parked on the street outside of my house. I didn't know if he wanted me to go, or if he expected me to just leave. I felt myself exiting the car, I could almost feel all of my dignity slowly slipping away from me. I should of never agreed to go with him.

"Goodbye, Asher." My voice was flat and emotionless.

"Goodbye, Erica." He sounded defeated and just plain sad.

I glanced down at my watch.

It was 3:04 when I saw Asher Marona for the last time.