warnings: suggestive, pathetic angst
Six in the morning leads to downturned gazes and shared silence after an unexpected night of hooking up with your ex in the backseat of his car.
You're comfortably settled in your lap, legs dangling off to the side as your side presses firmly into his chest.
Kevin drums his fingers against your back, a loving yet saddened look on his face. His chest still heaves from earlier, and he looks at you with hope glistening in his eyes. It quickly dies down when he realizes that you and him can never be together no matter the circumstances. You two are too perfect to end up as one, so he's doing all he can to treasure the moment brought upon him on his special day.
Your head gracefully drops onto his shoulder with your nose brushing against the crevasse of his neck every time you shift. It isn't hard to notice how you've startled Kevin due to your unexpected motions considering his own movements have stuttered thanks to the tickle provided by your breath, but he doesn't halt his little habits. The rain that patters against his windows follow rhythmically with the tapping on your back, and occasionally he'd run his fingers up and down.
โI'm sorry,โ you say, allowing your eyelids to flutter shut.
โWe've broken up months ago.โ
โI know.โ Kevin rests his head on top of yours, securing your position by looping an arm around you to keep you close. โI was there, dummy.โ
โIt's wrong. This, what we did, was wrong.โ
Silence trails after his dry response, but then he speaks up, voice hoarse after the hours you've spent with him.
โI never moved on anyway, so I don't mind.โ
You can tell he's trying to lighten the mood, but it only breaks your further.
โGod, I basically used you,โ you murmur, but he cranes his head to have his plump lips meet your damp cheeks, reassuring you with the simple kiss.
โConsider it my birthday gift.โ
โKevin...โ You pick up your head to look at him, but he quickly rejects whatever you planned on saying with the shake of his head.
โIt's okay. Whatever you have to say, it's okay.โ
โYou don't deserve this.โ Your seriousness makes him gulp, and he averts his eyes elsewhere.
โLook, I consented, yeah?โ Hesitantly, Kevin takes a strand of your hair and places it behind your ear, avoiding your gaze while doing so. โIf I become hurt, it'll be me to blame because I'm the one who took you inside my car when you were broken and gave you an extra shoulder to lean on...and sure, I did more than give an extra shoulder, but it was me and my doing, okay?โ
You take in his words, processing them with every passing second.
โ...I never wanted to hurt you. I never want to hurt you.โ
Kevin purses his lips as he rests one of his hands on your thigh, brushing his thumb against your skin as he thinks.
โIt was...out of your control. You can't control the way you feel, and neither can I. I just managed to get the bad end of the stick.โ A bitter chuckle cuts off his words, and he's shaking his head once again in disbelief. โIt's just how life works.โ
โI loved you,โ you say sincerely, looking at him with glossy eyes. โAnd I never want you to believe otherwise. I loved you, Kevin. I really, really did.โ
He sucks in his cheek and gently gnaws on it. His eyes flicker back and forth between you and the windows of his car before shutting them tight, rather wanting to deal with the emptiness the blankness provides. With a deep breath, he whispers.