Right Where We Belong

"I'm sorry, Eve. I just have to go."

"But you can't leave me! I thought that you said you loved me."

Looking down and holding back tears, Mike held his breath. He didn't want to leave, but he knew what was best for the both of them. He knew that staying there would only bring harm and pain in her direction.

"I do love you, so much more than you'll ever know."

Eve wasn't about to let herself hold back any tears. Mike was breaking her heart, and she couldn't control her emotions. She knew why he was leaving, but the thought of all of this beauty ending was unbearable. She was losing all control of herself. She just loved him so much.

"I can't believe you're leaving me like this. After everything we've been through? You're just going to waltz out that door and right into someone else's grasp, and I have no control over any of this." The brunette looked at Mike, right in his eyes. "So this is how you're going to be."

Mike looked deep into her eyes, and grabbed her face with both of his hands.

"Stop making it sound like I have a choice, Eve! If I did then I wouldn't leave you like this." He was shaking from all of this raw emotion spilling from his mouth. "I love you Eve. I always have and I always will."

Eve's lips were quivering, and she began to allow more tears escape her green eyes. She quickly pressed her lips against Mike's, tasting every ounce of the pleasure she was afraid she'd never taste again. She wrapped her hands around his wrists, which were connected to the hands he kept cupping her face with.

She thought about Maryse, and everything she'd put them through in the last few months. She thought about how the blonde faked a pregnancy and then tried to frame Eve for cheating on the man she loved. Just the thought of the manipulative French-Canadian was enough to disturb her mind.

The brunette pulled away from Mike, their lips parting slowly. They looked at each other deeply in each other's eyes, soaking up every second they had left to themselves. She knew why he had to leave her, but she wasn't ready for the days to come of bitter loneliness and humiliation from Maryse.

"I love you, Mike. I really do, no matter what Maryse says."

Mike closed his eyes, trying his best to hold back the salty tears forming in his eyes. He was so pissed about the situation, but overall depressed about leaving the love of his life behind. He didn't want to move to Ohio with his family, because leaving Colorado was the worst thing he'd ever thought of. But, the thought of sitting around here putting Eve in more stress over Maryse and her antics was even worse in his opinion. He loved Eve too much to sit around and watch her life fall apart at the seams just because he had a jealous ex-girlfriend.

Bringing her head to his, he gently kissed her temple and released her from his hands.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I wish it didn't end like it has to."

She shook her head and pulled some stray hair behind her ears. Eve didn't like the idea of him blaming himself for this mess, just the thought of him hating himself was enough to send her over the brink of madness.

"Don't act like it was your fault, Mike. We all know whose responsible for this one." She officially hated Maryse for this. She officially wished the woman didn't exist, and that she didn't come into their lives the way she did. It was all too much for her to handle.

Mike clenched the handle of his suitcase, having trouble deciding if he should really leave. Despite the fact that he had already paid for his plane ticket, and the months rent for his apartment he'd be living in.

Eve took a deep breath and sighed. She was having such a difficult time reminiscing the idea of losing her true love. She couldn't imagine waking up with him not next to her, or eating dinner alone in her kitchen, or simply driving to the store without knowing that he'd be sitting in their living room waiting for her return. It was all so ugly. It was all the ugliest painting ever painted, and Eve was sick to her stomach thinking about it all.

"You know, I always thought we would get married." Mike forced a smile, clinging to the idea of staying here for a few moments.

A little laugh escaped the brunette's lips. She had actually spent the majority of their relationship praying that one day he was going to fall down onto one knee and pull out a ring from his pocket. That question...she never got to hear it from his mouth. And it was never going to be spoken now.

"I don't want to lose you, Mike."

They looked at each other for a few extra seconds, holding onto this little, simple moment. Mike stroked her face, feeling every inch of her smooth face for the last time.

"I am so sorry that it's ending this way." Mike let go of her face and looked down at the floor again. This was really the last time he'd see her.

Eve nodded slightly, understanding that this was the way it had to be. As much as she dreaded this, she knew that it was going to happen and it was the ending of something she'd miss so much. This was the way it had to be.

Twisting his frown into a small smile, Mike wiped a tear that had rolled down his cheek against his best efforts to stop that from happening. He had a feeling that something was going to ruin the little ounce of strength he had left in his body. She was his strength, and now that he was losing her it must be poetic justice that he's losing his ability to control himself too.

"I'm going to miss you, Eve."

"Where do I even start with you?" Eve let a genuine smile creep onto her face as she thought about the life she'd had with Mike. "I've spent the best five years of my life with you. And, I know that no matter where you end up you'll always have a piece of me with you."

Mike smiled too. Having a real sense of happiness fill his body after the last few months of misery they'd been through was a big sigh of relief for him.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Mike teased.

Suddenly, a loud honk from outside their small house broke the beautiful moment they were sharing. Eve's smile faded away, as she was aware of what was about to happen to them.

"That's my ride."

Eve nodded and wrapped her arms around the man, one last time. She gently squeezed, giving him a little thing to remember her. She had known he was leaving before, but the idea of actually living without him was finally kicking in, making it nearly impossible to actually feel anything other than pain. She just didn't want to lose him, knowing everything that they were and had the potential of being. It was the little things she couldn't stop remembering.

"I love you, Mike."

"I love you too, Eve. I promise I'll visit."

Eve wiped her nose with her hand as they parted away. She looked at him a forced a sugary smile, taking in every last thing she saw in him. She was standing there, unsettled by this situation. Just the thought that a year ago, she had everything she'd ever wanted and now - a year later she was losing the one thing she cared about the most. Her soul mate, the love of her life and the last thing she ever thought of losing, Mike; he's leaving her alone.

"I have to go," he mumbled.

Nodding again, she began to cry a little more, but took a step away from him. She knew what had to be done, and she knew that whatever happens to him it was for the best.

Eve watched as Mike put his suitcase into the trunk of the taxi and sat in the back seat. She waved back to him as the yellow car began to slowly move out of her quiet neighborhood and down the main street. Taking a deep breath, she realized that it was all over and it wasn't going to come back to the way it used to be. She walked throughout the house and recalled all of the crazy, silly things that they used to do together. The memories of them being happy was only the first step for her to getting through this difficult time.

It's just really hard, knowing that all good things have to end.