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"My love? Are you okay?" Gerard questioned worriedly as he rested a concerned hand on your shoulder.

You bit your fingernails as you thought about how to voice your anxiety. A moment later, you stopped biting and wiped your palms on your jeans, deciding that the best way to go about it would be to just come right out with it.

"Are you still in love with Lindsey?"

Gerard looked taken-aback, to say the least, and mumbled in perplexity before shaking his head as if he hadn't heard you properly. "Wh-why would you ask something like that?"

"Just answer the question, Gerard," you said tiredly, wrapping your cardigan tighter around your frame.

Your boyfriend remained silent. As he took in your appearance, hair wild, dark rings under eyes which were quite clearly puffy from crying not too long ago, hands clutching onto their arms as if to stay steady, his heart broke, and he knew that he couldn't lie to you – or to himself – any longer.

"Yes, I-I think so," he whispered, avoiding eye contact.

Your heart fell apart into a zillion pieces, and you hard to bite your lip hard to keep from crying. His answer didn't come as much of a surprise to you; you'd suspected it for a long time. It wasn't anything Gerard said or did, necessarily – he always showed you love, but it was the way he would talk about that period in his life when he was with her, or the faraway look he would get in his eyes whenever he came across old photographs or things that belonged to her. It seemed to make him happy in a way that you never could. Even though you'd been expecting his response, there was nothing you could've done to prepare yourself for the pain that came with it.

"But I love you, too," he added quickly with wide eyes, kneeling in front of where you sat on your sofa and taking your hands into his. "I do."

"Maybe," you choke out, blinking rapidly to get rid of the tears. "But not like you love her."

"(Y/N)..."

"No, Gerard, don't," you held up a hand to silence him, sniffling a bit. "It'll only make this harder. I should start packing." You stood up from the couch and Gerard stood up too. "You need time to figure out what you want, and I need time to..." you sighed deeply, "well, I just need time."

~

You knocked urgently on Frank's door. Crossing your arms over your chest and hugging yourself in order to receive some kind of comfort, you shivered slightly as you stood in the dark waiting for Frank to answer the door.

Hearing his footsteps get closer, you took a step back, away from the door.

It was evident that Frank had been sleeping; his hair was matted to one side and he looked groggy as he rubbed his eyes in an effort to awaken himself. But at the sight of you and your forlorn state, he woke up almost instantly. "(Y/N), are you okay?"

At those words, you couldn't control it anymore and you broke down crying; your sobs were so heart wrenching that you lost your balance and nearly fell over, but Frank's arms reached out to keep you steady before pulling you into his warm and consoling embrace.

"Come on, princess, let's get you out of this cold."

~

"Does he know that you're here?"

"No," you replied, taking a sip of hot coco. "The last thing I said to him was that I needed time."

"And he didn't even try to stop you from leaving?" Frank asked in amazement, sitting cross-legged next to you on the sofa.

You shook your head sadly and shrugged. "I wouldn't have believed him if he told me that he wanted me to stay, and I think he knew that."

"Oh man," Frank shook his head too. "I actually can't believe this."

"I can," you said simply, Frank giving you a confused look. "I always knew that he still loved her, right from the start. It wasn't that he showed it – cause he didn't – but I just... I knew, ya know?"

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," you chuckled. "Not your fault."

"Yeah, but you don't deserve this bullshit, (Y/N)! Not again," Frank spoke angrily, throwing his hands in the air. "I have the right mind to go over there and beat some sense into him."

"You could beat him all you want; still won't change the fact that he loves her."

"I know he's my best friend and all, but sometimes he's a real fucking idiot," he scoffed. "I mean, who in their right mind would..."

Frank trailed off when he noticed that you were crying again, and he repositioned himself to get closer to you, leaning in and brushing your tears away with his thumbs.

"Hey, no, don't cry, princess. You'll be alright, I promise."

You wanted to stop crying but you couldn't; the tears continued to stream down your face no matter how much you tried to stop it, urging Frank to pull you into his chest again.

"(Y/N), you're literally the most fucking incredible person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Your personality is amazing, the kindness and compassion you show towards any other living thing is fucking unreal, and you're gorgeous as fuck," Frank spoke into your hair, and you couldn't help but smile a little bit at his last comment. "If Gerard can't see that, then he seriously doesn't deserve you."

You lifted your head from where it rested on Frank's chest and gazed up at him. "Thank you, Frankie."

He smiled down at you. "Anytime, princess."

You continued looking at Frank, he stayed staring at you, and before you knew what was happening, you were leaning in.

But he stopped you.

"No, you don't wanna do that, princess," he murmured, brushing the hair out of your face.

"Yeah, I do," you argued, leaning in again.

"No, you don't," he repeated. "You're hurting, you're pissed at Gerard, and you think that doing this will make you feel better, but it won't."

You slouched somewhat and furrowed your eyebrows.

"Don't get me wrong," Frank continued. "It would be one hell of a good time, I can assure you." You both laughed lightly at his remark before his face turned serious again. "But it's not what you need right now. What you need is – you said it yourself – time."

"I'm sorry, Frank. That was out of line." you sighed and closed your eyes.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "But hey, if you still feel the same in a year's time, my door's always open."

~ 1 Year Later~

You sat at your usual spot in your favourite coffee shop, typing away on your laptop while nursing a latte. You were so engrossed in your work that you unintentionally blocked out your surroundings and any background noise – until you heard a particularly familiar voice, that is.

"Two coffees to go, please."

You looked up from what you were previously busy with and directed your gaze to the barista counter. What you saw sent a wave of fury through you and broke your heart all over again.

Gerard stood with his arms wrapped around Lindsey's waist as he peppered kisses on her neck, and she giggled lovingly. He looked up and noticed you in your seat; you forced a smile and waved gingerly at him. He smiled back and mumbled something to his partner before making his way towards you, which was the last thing you wanted.

"Hey, (Y/N)."

"Hi, Gerard."

"You look great," he attempted to lighten the mood, but both of you knew that there was no point.

"Thanks. And you look... really happy," you replied, eyes darting towards Lindsey, who was now walking over too, coffees in hand. You were wrong before; this was the last thing that you wanted. But you smiled politely at her nonetheless.

"Yeah, I am," Gerard said softly, turning to Lindsey. "We're, uh, we're actually engaged."

Oh, wrong again. This was ultimately the last thing you wanted.

"Oh, that's, um, that's great! Congratulations," you managed to say, giving a pained smile. You started gathering your things. "If you'll excuse me, I-I have to go," you said, pushing past Gerard.

"(Y/N)-"

But you were already out the door.

~

You knocked harshly on the door and waited for its owner to open it.

"Hey!" Frank greeted happily. "This is a nice surprise."

"It's one year's time."

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