The prompt is: "Why don't we take the long way home?" and kiss prompt 5: Throwing their arms around the other person's neck, hugging them close before kissing them passionately on the lips.

Warnings:none

You were getting married next week.

Your fiancé was a kind young man, a loving person, and he loved you, but you didn't love him as much as he deserved it.

You loved him and the moments you had together, but he didn't compare to a past relationship you had had, and he knew that.

You had told him from the start that nothing had compared to the relationship with Aethelred, that you still loved him after everything he had put you through, and your fiancé was okay with it, because he loved you, and he wanted you to be happy.

He knew he was second place to a guy that had left you to help his brother lead the family firm, even though his brother had inherited everything after his grandfather died, and he had been left with nothing but the love for his younger sibling, which he acted on.

It had been a horrible time for the two of you when he had told you he had to move away to support his brother, leaving the two of you devastated.

After only days of not seeing each other you had stopped talking altogether, because it was just too painful.

At college you had met your fiancé and he had ultimately proposed to you, with the knowledge that you were still and would always be madly in love with someone else.

When you received a call from an unknown number you answered the phone with caution.

"Hello?", you asked, answering with adding your name to the question.

"Thank God it's you", you heard from the other end before you heard a quick sigh, and you immediately knew the voice.

Your heart began to flutter and your breathing picked up.

"It's Aethelred, I'm... I'm back in town and I was wondering if you wanted to meet", he asked and fell silent, as silent as you were.

For some time you simply stood there motionless, listening to his breathing as he was listening to yours.

When you didn't answer he continued, pain obvious in his voice.

"I thought that maybe we could meet somewhere, you know, to talk... I'll be waiting tomorrow afternoon for you at the café we used to love... I understand if you don't want to come, but I'll be waiting", he told you and before you could muster the strength to reply he hung up the phone.

You were left staring at the cell phone, not able to grasp a clear thought.

You didn't know if you wanted to go and talk to him, even seeing him would probably be too much for you.

But you couldn't just leave him waiting there, and you had to know what had happened to him in the time you weren't in contact with each other.

Your family and friends all hated him for how he had left you, making you feel lonely and miserable at times, and entirely changing you from a person always in happy spirits to one they wouldn't recognize if you weren't looking the same.

You didn't tell your fiancé where you were going when you left the house the next afternoon to meet Aethelred.

You weren't even entirely sure if you wanted to talk to him, but you had decided that you would at least look for him in the coffee shop, and see if you would have the courage to talk to him in that particular moment.

Leaving the metro you went straight to the café to find him sitting at one of the tables, coffee in hand.

He looked nervous, fiddling with the cup he was holding.

Nevertheless he looked better than you had seen him before, he had gained some muscle and some confidence, grown a designer stubble, and was wearing expensive clothes you certainly wouldn't be able to pay for.

Standing in front of the glass door of the café you realized that you weren't able to go inside on your own, though you knew you needed to.

"Are you going in or what?", you heard an annoyed voice from behind you and turning around you saw a woman angrily looking at you.

"Yes, I'm sorry", you answered as you stepped aside and she moved around you to go inside.

Aethelred's attention was captured by the door opening, and he saw you standing there, looking back at him.

A small smile, really just a tug on the corner of his lips, gave you the strength to follow the woman through the door and to face Aethelred again.

It took you some time to reach the table he was sat at and he stayed seated, respecting the time you needed to talk to him again.

You sat down in front of him, taking your time with it.

Your fiancé didn't know you were meeting your ex, the one who you were still in love with, the one that had left you.

It took you way too much time to say something but Aethelred kept silent, ready to accept whatever you would say next.

When a waitress came over to take your order Aethelred glanced at you with something like melancholy and pity in his eyes as he told the waitress the order you had always ordered when the two of you were still together.

It built up the strength you needed to say something.

"No, I'll just have a black coffee, thank you", you told the waitress who nodded and smiled quickly before leaving.

"I changed after you left", you told him as an explanation, and Aethlred nodded softly.

"So did I", he answered you, and you nodded too.

You could see that he had, but you still wanted him with everything you had.

After he had left and put you through so much misery you had found someone who loved and appreciated you as much as Aethelred had, but whom you could never give that back.

When the waitress brought your coffee you took it, unintentionally displaying the engagement ring you had gotten used to having on your ring finger.

Aethelred watched you closely before looking down.

"You're engaged", he stated, and you nodded.

"I'm getting married next week", you answered him, and you could see how hard this realization was for him.

He grew pale and kept staring at some part of the wooden table, trying to come to terms with it.

"Why did you come, then? If you're happy?", he asked you as his eyes met yours again and you could see the pain you had caused clearly.

"I'm not, that's why I came", you answered him, and admitting the truth hurt you much less than you were expecting.

"I... he knows about you, and that I love you", you told him and the glimmer of hope in his eyes made you feel so much better, giving you back feelings you had thought you had lost forever.

"You still love me?", he asked you and you only replied with a brief nod, one he returned as well.

"I love you too. Always have, always will", he answered, nearly making you start to cry.

He started talking about his life now, telling you about the brother and the company they led, and that his brother had inaugurated that they led the company as equals, not just as him helping his brother.

It was nice to know what had happened to Aethelred, and you were so grateful to be able to listen to his voice again, so you kept silent and let him talk.

When he finished his story he watched you, smiling painfully again.

"I'm still very busy now but I'm... I need you. I miss you, and I need you, and I want you back", he told you, waiting for an answer from you.

A different person would have slapped him because of the thought of him leaving you behind and picking you back up when it was convenient for him, but you couldn't be mad.

It was him who had left you just as much as it was you who had stayed, and you couldn't blame Aethelred for leaving because you could have gone with him.

You didn't know why you didn't go, but you had stayed and studied, and he had gone to work, leaving you to realize that your life without him was nothing you would want to have.

"I know you're getting married but I thought I should at least tell you how I feel, because you deserve to know. And I needed to tell you", he said and you nodded, before looking at your phone, seeing how late it was, and how many texts and missed calls you had from your fiancé.

"I have to go", you told Aethelred who nodded, disappointment and sadness visible in his face.

"I'll walk you", he nodded as he asked for the bill, paying for your coffee and his, and opening the door of the café for you.

You moved together down the stairs towards the subway, before waiting for it to arrive.

"I... it was wonderful to see you again", he told you, and you nodded.

"I missed you every day, you know. I'll miss you every day", he added and you had to close your eyes for you to not start crying.

You felt the exact same way, but going back to him would mean leaving the life you had been living, and your fiancé, in ruins.

When the tube arrived you said your goodbyes, and you moved to stand in the entrance near the metal bars, people filling the tube after coming in from behind you.

When you looked back at Aethelred you felt like you couldn't breathe, that you were making the biggest mistake in your life yet.

Shortly before the doors closed you pushed your way through the people in the doorway and past the closing doors until you stood on the platform, the metro behind you emitting sounds of alarm as the doors shut closed and it began to drive away.

You were left on the nearly empty platform, the two of you looking at each other before simultaneously moving in for a bone crushing hug.

You hadn't touched each other before, knowing that if you would you would want to stay together, but you had decided so even without the persuasion of physical contact.

The hug the two of you were sharing, during which you were sure you were both crying, turned into a desperate kiss when you moved to face each other, a kiss that showed just how much you had missed the other.

When you finally pulled away, out of breath, tear stains on your faces and really happy for the first time in years Aethelred smiled at you, taking your hand.

"Why don't we take the long way home? I'll walk you", he asked you and you glanced at him.

The house you were staying in wasn't your home as much as he was, but you nodded in agreement.

"I'll talk to your fiancé with you", he offered and you nodded as well.

You knew you were going to break a heart, but you also knew that it was better to break it now than slowly and painfully over years of an unhappy relationship.

You also knew that you could move on from heartbreak, and you had realized that happiness could only be found if you did the right thing, which was letting your fiancé find his own happiness, instead of living a life of sadness and longing at his side.