Tis the Damn Season.
A/N: Happy New Years babes!! I’m back with this Ez imagine to wrap up the holiday season. I hope you all had a great holiday break and I wish you guys the happiest, healthiest new year. Stay Safe
Song: Tis the Damn Season- Taylor Swift
No happy endings, sorry :/
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“It’s the kind of cold, fogs up windshield glass
But I felt it when I passed you
There’s an ache in you, put there by the ache in me”
She should’ve known coming back was a bad idea, though it never really hit her until her eyes laid on the damn town sign welcoming those who passed through. Everything inside of her screamed as she passed the familiar town scenery. One that she grew up idolizing but one day ended up cursing at. It was a love hate relationship, she has with Santo Padre.
She grew up here, the memories of her as a young child are often replayed in her mind. They are cherished and kept in good shape, grasping onto the small details, she knows she’ll never feel again. But with the good memories, there’s the ones she keeps hidden. Ones she knows she’ll always remember no matter how much she tries to make herself forget.
He will always be in her mind, he had claimed that spot years back.
It’s been years since she last saw him but when she finally saw him standing outside his dad’s shop. And it doesn’t surprise her that he still looks the same, expect for a couple new tattoos. But he’s still the same kid who used to walk her home every single day after school just to make sure she got there safe. Except she’s not the same girl. She will never be.
But it doesn’t surprise her, that he doesn’t greet her. It’s usually never cold in Santo Padre but she swears she felt the temperature drop by a couple of degrees, when she passes by.
And it was her doing, so she keeps her head down; wondering if she made a mistake.
“ So we could call it even
You can call me “babe” for the weekend
‘Tis the damn season, write this down
I’m staying at my parents’ house”
She doesn’t know whether it was the couple of drinks she had before they arrived at the bar. But the sudden boost of confidence allows her to say hi to his brother, Angel. He was always kind to her and it gives her a chance to finally stand up close to EZ. Finally see the ways he’s grown. And it was a beautiful sight in front of her, one that takes her breath away.
A silent nod given by Ez makes Angel suddenly leave the bar, claiming the pool table was calling his name. And the Ezekiel that she once knew was right before her eyes.
They laughed, they shared stories, ones that made her heart beat faster. Stories that made her face heat up when she catches the way he still stares at her the way he used to.
Ez walks her home after the bar closes up, by this time Angel had already left home. And it takes her a while to agree, but one look at Ez’s brown eyes and she melts right there.
“Can’t believe after all these years I’m still walking you back to your parent’s house.” Ez smiles at her as they walk down the street, in the middle of the night. It’s comforting and she welcomes it, even if it’s just for a couple of days while she’s back in town.
And just for once, she feels like nothing has changed between them.
“The holidays linger like bad perfume
You can run, but only so far
I escaped it too, remember how you watched me leave”
She groans, as she walks to Felipe Reyes’s carniceria on behalf of her parent’s orders. It had been a couple days back to her childhood home but she soon realized that nothing’s changed between her parents and home. The feelings of being stuck in this small town have once again made themselves known. She suddenly feels like she’s 15, walking to her favorite place after school looking for Ez. It seems like no matter how many years pass by, her parents seem to treat her like she was still in high school. The same reckless teenager who has thrown everything away in order to escape Santo Padre.
The walk there feels like forever even though it’s only a couple minutes in walking distance. But she can’t help but see how much the town she once grew up in changed throughout the years. Only now, it seemed like everyone was in the festive spirit, the bright colors covering every inch of the town. Her eyes followed the people that walked around without a care in the world. How she wished to be one of them.
The last time she was here, she had left everything she once loved behind, She could still see Ez’s face when she had come over to break the news to him.
She was leaving, and she didn’t know if she ever wanted to come back to this awful town that pretty much killed everything inside of it.
But Ez could never understand her urge to leave this town they both grew up in. And because of that she felt smothered by not only her parents, but by the idea of their relationship as well. He wanted to settle down and of course her parents loved the idea of their wild child being tied down to Santo Padre’s golden boy.
As much as she loved him, she was still young and she wanted the chance to explore the world, and she knew he wouldn’t leave his own family behind to go with her.
So she left and she didn’t dare to look back at the man she loved with her entire heart.
Because she knew she wouldn’t leave if she did.
“I won’t ask you to wait if you don’t ask me to stay.”
It doesn’t surprise her when she wakes up in a room that’s not her childhood one. The memories of the day before creep up in her mind, and she lets out a soft smile. There weren’t any words between them but she felt every emotion he had in the way his hand caressed her body. It was like they were never apart but she also felt like the missing part in her was complete. She could still feel him as she laid there staring at the ceiling.
The house was quiet and she knew that neither Ez or Angel were home. It was probably for the best, considering today was the last day she had before leaving this town again. And she wasn’t sure she would be coming back after this.
Her heart tugged at the thought of leaving Ez again. She hadn’t planned to end up in his bed, she hadn’t planned to see him at all. But just one look at him and she’s suddenly her teenage self. Hopelessly in love.
“Hey, sleepyhead” Ez smiles, as he breaks her away from her daydream. She knew he saw the surprise look on her face, but thankfully he didn’t comment on it. He instead passed the coffee cup in his hand towards her, sitting at the edge of his bed.
His eyes lingering at her face, and she couldn’t make herself meet his. He knew, he knew that she was going to leave him behind once more. And there wasn’t anything he could say or do to make her change her mind.
She was stubborn, god she hated that about herself. But that’s what he loved most about her, she needed things done her way.
“You’re leaving aren’t you.” It was soft but she still heard it.
Her eyes finally meet his, and she swears she can hear both their hearts breaking. But she doesn’t hear that one word that she’s been longing to hear, especially from him. Maybe if he did say it, she could stay.
“And wonder about the only soul
Who can tell which smiles I’m fakin’
And the heart I know I’m breakin’ is my own
To leave the warmest bed I’ve ever know”
Her parents sent her off with only a hug and safe travel wishes. They don’t even bother asking her to visit soon. It was a lost cause and her father doesn’t hide the disappointment in his face when he closed the front door.
She’s disappointed them a handful of times throughout her life, but it had never occurred to them that she just doesn’t want to be stuck in the same town like the rest of them.
She had dreams and to her parents she was just a failure who runs away from the people who love her the most. But what they don’t know is that her heart breaks every time she thinks about the man she’s left behind. The only one who can make her feel like she’s on top of the world. The only one who truly knows her deepest darkest secrets and her dreams.
It was like something came over her and before she knew it she was at Ez’s house. She sits there maybe hoping, she’ll come to her senses and leave without him noticing her car. A soft laugh escapes her mouth when she see Ez leaning against the doorframe, watching her.
“I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye first.” She speaks first as he approaches her car. She silently curses herself when she feels her eyes fill up with tears. She’s usually good at hiding her feelings from others but this time she just couldn’t. This time she doesn’t hide them from him.
His large hands cup her face and for a moment she leans towards its, feeling him one more time. His thumb catches the tears that streams down her face.
She tries to smile at him but he knows her better than that. He instead places his lips on hers, making their last kiss way better than she expected.
“Make me proud.” He leans his forehead against hers, breathing in her scent and closing his eyes.
Ez steps away from her car, giving her a last smile before nodding at her.
She leaves and she hopes he knows that her heart is breaking as she drives away from everything she’s ever known.
This time she does look back because she wants to see his face one more time before she leaves him behind. And she come to terms that he’ll always be in the back of her mind, the future she could’ve had with EZ.
“And the road not taken looks real good now
And it always leads to you and my hometown.”
