Prologue: Us

I watched everything fall apart. I knew the end was coming. But I felt powerless to stop it from happening. I had no idea what to do to fix it. It's over.

Maybe our being together was never supposed to happen...

But he's been my rock for so long. The man I love. My best friend. My confidant. Now, it's all gone.

We did have a good time together, didn't we? He believed in me. 

We went through everything together. He was always there for me. And now he's not.

Maybe it just got away from us somehow, and we lost our way...

But now we're over. No more. "Us" is over, done with, and dead.

The hardest part is also losing him as a friend. There's nothing left. Now to him, it's like I don't even exist. 

Why can't I just delete him off the face of this earth?

What purgatory can ex-boyfriends be condemned to to think about what they did?

Tiptoeing around him at work, pretending like nothing even happened between us.

To him, moving on seems so easy. Did I mean anything to him? Or was all that stuff he said just...

I try to keep it professional. For everyone's sake. Especially my own. Especially his. Maybe he still has feelings too and is just as miserable...

Inside I'm aching, trying to hold it together. And I hate that he knows that.

He pisses me off. How dare he. He doesn't even care.

I knew it was coming but I still wasn't prepared when it came. I thought I could avoid it forever. But it caught me completely off guard and knocked the wind out of me.

And yet here I am. Running myself insane trying to cope with the death of what used to be "us."

Him and his new girlfriend don't seem to be suffering at all. They seem to be doing just fine.

She ran her fingers through her long hair, taking a seat at the grand vanity in her softly lit, bewilderingly luxurious and arabesque designed lavish four-room suite, alone. Picking up an old photo of her and him still together, like some kind of Masochist punishing herself with more pain.

The way her heart longed for him told her that maybe the reason she couldn't part with this memory is because she wasn't ready to accept that it was actually over. She hated the way one glance still stirred butterflies and triggered poignant old memories she was now desperately trying to cut off and escape from.

What began as a careful application of lipstick, became a berating examination of her reflection, guilt pummeling her mind with hypotheticals of what she could have done or should have done or would have done if she and Christian had the chance to do it all over.

She hated that she wanted him. Did he even deserve a do-over? Was he even sorry? Why couldn't she just move on?

Her sigh suppressed the pain threatening to shatter her again at any moment. Along with the precisely placed pillows and crisp fresh bedding, the flowers had been freshly changed, the aroma of new white roses filling the room. Yet dissociation from her entire life disconnected her from who she was, leaving her to wade through life like a phantom, hiding heartbreak behind swipes of red lipstick.

Addicted to ruminating between the lines of why they ended, the paper of their post breakup letters crinkled in her fingers as she indulged in re-reading one of them.

Estella. Meeting you was amazing.

How you continued to captivate my soul. 

I'll never take for granted the amount of growth I've experienced through you and your nurturing. The hours you took just to listen and understand. When I was lost, you gave me clarity. 

You're going to live your dream life. Never doubted it for a second. Always had and will have faith in your success.

Running her fingers through her long dark hair, swiping it out of her face behind her ears, she wanted to tear it up. But her fingers went numb, barely able to hold the paper. She folded the letter and tucked it away in the drawer of her vanity.

After securing the backs on her earrings, she strolled over across the extravagant yet empty room, opened the two grand doors, and prayed that she could endure joining the guests downstairs.

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

Instead of walls dividing the entertainment rooms, The Sorino Mansion favored exquisite fountains enclosed underneath regal arches that turned their dwelling into a palace that Freddie Mercury was sure he belonged in.

Not only was the soiree at the the Sorino Mansion incredible publicity for Queen, already expanding their collaboration connections, but the icing on the cake was vast arrays of extravagant architecture and design that immersed him into an artistic underwater wonderland.

The fish swam freely without reservation, their exotic colors and patterns captivating his attention as the opera singer in the next room performed Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite Op.71A. Drawing inspiration from every note, Freddie found himself quite entertained with the way the fish played. Through dark lashes, his deep brown eyes explored the depths of this underwater world, catching another curious eye peeking at him through a hole in a reef.

Embarrassed to be spotted when she rose to her feet, Freddie's eyes widened and followed her, reluctant to blink in case he missed a moment of her. His expressive brows raised as he took in the sight of her, his  midnight hair complimenting the sharp outline of his face. His deep insistent eyes silently holding her in place, determined to break the barrier between them. When she inched alongside the tank, he followed her movements, wordlessly insisting.

Freddie couldn't take his eyes off her, watching her with a dangerous hint of mischief in his expression. He moved with her when she tried to hide, until finally, he stole a smile from her. He blew a kiss at her through the glass, making her laugh, playfully mouthing and motioning to her, "come here"

She returned an elegant smile, cordially shaking her head no before rejoining the opera performance's audience in the ballroom. Returning to her senses, she slipped into the rest of the crowd to hide herself.

In the state her heart was in, a dangerously handsome flirt like him was sure to be trouble.

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

thank you for coming along on another adventure with me, i hope you enjoy! please let me know what you think ❤️ xx