I had reached the end of the street when I realized Vino was calling out my name. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear him sooner. I turned on my heels and found him standing a couple of feet away from me. His chest was heaving, and his eyebrows were meeting in the middle.

"I know you don't want to hear an apology from me," he said, and his voice sounded brittle. "But I'm going to say it anyway. I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Kane, I was an idiot, and I'm sorry for hurting you. There are tons of things I have to apologize for."

I stood frozen on the ground and watched him press the heels of his palms on his eyelids. Then he ran his fingers through his hair, pulling it at the tips.

I wanted to say something, anything, but all I could think of was how he let me walk away after I had told him I still love him.

He took a tentative step forward.

"I owe you an explanation."

I pulled on the straps of my bag before saying, "You thought you were wasting your time, waiting for nothing. I think it's perfectly clear to me now."

He sighed and remained to stare at me as his eyes welled up. I took a step back, surprised to see him cry. I had never seen that before, and now it terrified me.

"I know it was my fault," he admitted and walked towards me to close the distance between us. "I wasn't expecting that there's another side of the story. I didn't expect you to confess to me. It should've been the other way around."

I raised my chin to gaze at his sad eyes. I pushed his chest, but he didn't even budge. What should I expect? A small girl like me couldn't push a big guy like him.

"I messed up big time," he whispered.

I stared at my hands as I dug my fingers in his tee. He lifted his hands to hold mine, and they were freezing. I realized they were even trembling. How did I not notice that earlier?

I looked up at him once again and watched him blew a puff of air.

He was one of the most confident guys I had ever met. Sure, he didn't like public speaking, but he never trembled that way when he needed to speak in front of a crowd.

For the first time ever, Vino Williams looked helpless.

"For years, I had believed you never loved me. I had no idea what really happened that day, and I was caught off guard when you confessed to me inside the car."

I watched him as he swallowed and breathed in. My pulse was racing, and I was terrified of how defeated he looked. His hands gripped mine like it was his lifeline.

"This wasn't how I planned our night would be. This wasn't how it was supposed to play out," he added. "I didn't mean to let you walk away, but I was stunned. And while I was watching you, I felt like I was watching my whole life crumble down in front of my eyes. I knew I messed up again, and I didn't want things to end that way."

"I ruined the night."

He shook his head. I was waiting for him to answer, but he didn't.

"Vino, pleased don't play with my feelings," I continued.

I knew he wasn't drunk, but one would think he was because it felt like he was running in circles trying to make a point.

"I took the coward's way out. But trust me, leaving you—avoiding you, hurt so damn much. But also, it was what made me feel safe at that time. I believed it was the best thing to do."

I nodded to show him I was listening.

"I made a promise to make it up to you—for all the years we missed out on each other. We stayed friends, but there was always this gap. You know. We were careful not to talk about the past as if it never happened. We've spent years keeping things to ourselves, and now all I want to do is tell you everything."

I nodded again.

"You knew how Lanie and I started. I, honestly, wasn't as interested in her as she was in me. But because she liked me so much, I thought maybe I could move on from you if I start going out with her."

I chuckled inside, thinking Vino wasn't different from all the stupid high school boys. That was such a wrong move for him. I felt a little sorry for Lanie.

"I had grown to like her, but I couldn't reciprocate everything she did. When we broke up, I realized why it didn't work out—why I couldn't love her. I was still hung up on you."

He took a sharp, deep breath and squeezed my hands.

"I learned I shouldn't be impulsive, so with Grace, I decided not to rush things with her. I wanted to take it slow, but she wanted us to date exclusively sooner than I had planned. But I promised myself to do everything to make her happy—to do the things I hadn't done for Lanie."

"So, you did everything for her."

He nodded.

"But somehow, no matter how much I give, it still wasn't enough for her. She always wanted more. It was as if she wanted our lives to only revolve around each other, and that's not what I wanted. I tried to save our relationship, but it came to the point I was really suffocated, and I couldn't do it anymore."

"You learned when to stop," I murmured.

He gave me a tiny smile. "See, I was learning. And you don't learn those kinds of things in school."

"Yeah, I guess finding x and y won't help you save a failing relationship."

His smile stretched, and the sadness and fear etched on his face slowly faded. I squeezed his hands, and they were no longer trembling. I was relieved things were starting to turn around.

"There's one more thing I learned."

"What is it?"

"I learned that I don't want to make the same mistake, so I should never let the girl I love slip away from me."