Chapter 86: WTF

Short update to get everything in the shape I want it to be before things take off and I start writing again. After getting out of the hospital, Ty took an internship in Vancouver and left town.

9 months later

Geno's POV

The only way I could describe my current state of mind was completely frustrated. I had been getting the shit beat out of me all game. What went from a good hit, albeit a hit I went out of my way for, turned into disaster when I got hit from behind, pinning my leg at an awkward angle. After hobbling my way off the ice and down towards the locker room I'm taking off everything I can find just to hurl it across the room while shouting obscenities. I've thrown my stick, gloves, and helmet before I reach for my jersey and shoulder pads and rip it off before almost barreling down the training room door.

"Fuck!" I yell while slamming the door open and throwing my pads into the wall before reaching for the closest folding chair and chunking it in the same direction. She jumps out of her chair in response to my temper tantrum, and that's when I notice someone in the room for the first time. It's not until my eyes meet with her emerald ones that I realize who it is and my rage fades into a much different type of emotion, the pain in my leg fades only leaving the pain that has resided in my chest ever since I heard she had left town.

Ty...

Her eyes are wide with fear, and I understand why. I look like an absolute mad man, and I know it. She opens her mouth to talk, but then we hear Kyle walking toward the training room, obviously coming to assess my injuries. He see's Ty and goes and embraces her, welcoming her back before turning toward me, motioning for me to get up on the exam table, which is actually quite the effort since my ankle is screaming at me.

'She's back?' I think to myself.

"Geno, what the fuck has gotten into you?" Kyle asks while shaking his head and beginning to unlace the skate on my left foot. "Fighting in the first, unnecessary hits in the third? Do you even realize it's March? We can't have you doing this type of shit," he continues while ripping the skate off my foot, making me cringe but not totally bringing my focus to where it needs to be. I can't take my eyes off of her.

"I know," I respond quietly, not breaking my eye contact with her for a second. "I know I've screwed up a lot of things," I continue, hoping she catches my drift.

Chapter 85: The Fall/Rope

Short update from Ty's POV... more to come soon I hope. This is three or so months ahead from the last spot we were at.. Ty is out of the hospital and living in a studio apartment, but hasn't quite made it back to working again yet.

Ty's POV

Love.. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. This concept seems so simple, but in reality it isn't. It's a mind game.. a game of wonder, and questioning. Love is easiest understood when there is no questions asked, and trust is complete. But when is that ever easy? When does the human mind go unquestioning?

It doesn't.

There is always that lingering 'what if' floating around in the back of your head. And no matter how often you are telling yourself you are being ridiculous and that you do love your boyfriend, fiance, or even husband, there is always that feeling of 'do they love me back'? And then your mind plays games with you. Vicious, uncalled for games. You think the worst is going to happen, almost just to prepare yourself, so the burn from the aftermath doesn't quite sting as much. And in a way, you almost talk yourself out of the concept of love by implying that you aren't loved, so you have no love to give. You are so dead set that even though you won't break up, you aren't going to push the issue either. You put your guard up. And suddenly, the ground around the giant wall begins to crumble, and things start falling apart.

And then you begin to rely on trust, and the mind games begin all over again. You tell yourself that you are loved, and you love someone in return, without questions, no 'what ifs'. You tell yourself that when you look into that certain persons eyes, you can feel a heat emanating from them that you just don't find in other peoples. You tell yourself that when in their arms, you feel safe, and wanted, and content.

And then you start to believe it with all of your heart. You have your mind made up that you can't live without this person, and that better yet, you never want to. You start to think that life without them will be a constant struggle, a struggle you don't want to go through. You get excited at the thought of getting to see them. Even a single text message can put a smile on your face. And just when you think things are becoming more official, it happens.

The heartbreak. The feeling of getting everything you are accustomed to ripped out from under your feet. The feeling of unwant, deceit, and pain at the most intolerable amounts. Your heart feels heavy, as if it's carrying a massive burden from being abused. It's almost like whiplash.. like you are trying your best to hang on, but the rope saving you from falling over the ledge just keeps slipping through your fingers, and you struggle and struggle to hang on, but in the end you feel it slip right through your fingertips anyways, and the begin the fall to the bottom.

And just like at every fall, there is a stopping point. Mine was a couple of months ago, when the look in Geno's eyes made it very clear that I had no hope. And just when you think there is no light at the end of the tunnel, and there will be no rope to help you back on your feet, one appears, and inch by inch you feel yourself getting better, getting stronger, and the rope continues to pull you up. Not enough so that you make it all the way to the top, and not enough to bring you back completely from the fall, but ever so steadily, the rope continues its decent to the top, and you continue to get stronger. Everyone needs someone like this in their life, and after three months of a constant struggle, I had found my 'rope' in life-form.

Max.

Chapter 84: Broken Strings

Enter Max: Whooooo. :)

Theme Song for the Chapter: James Morrison and Nelly Furtado - Broken Strings

Ty's POV

Let me hold you for the last time

It's the last chance to feel again

But you broke me

Now I can't feel anything

When I love you it's so untrue

I can't even convince myself

When I'm speaking it's the voice of someone else

"I can't go through that again." His voice is soft, but on edge at the same time. I look up at him just in time for him to make eye contact with me. "Not ever." His words are so final, so thought through that they cut through me as if my feelings are paper thin, and I guess at this point they are.

I keep telling myself that I can change his mind. That maybe, just maybe.. if I can get him to talk to me, and really talk to me, that he will feel for me once again all the things that he did. But looking at him now, I know that's not going to happen. He's dead set on his decision. I go off on a rant, trying that as a last tactic, but it doesn't help at all. "Come on, this is so wrong" I try as a final plead, but when all emotion is still vacant from his face, I know I've lost him.

It tears me up

I try to hold on but it hurts too much

I try to forgive but it's not enough to make it all okay

I watch him as he shifts his weight from one foot the the other, never once glancing up at me again. His jaw is tight, almost in the same way it is when he's on the ice and he's getting pissed. I open my mouth to say something, anything, but my voice fails me as my mind decides I have nothing further to say. I can't make him want me. I can't make him want to try and make this work. And I can't make him want to love me again. I clutch my hands into fists by my side right before I hear the door open.

I look over, and when I see it's Max he looks from me to Geno, and then back to me but doesn't dare say anything. He can obviously tell that we aren't seeing eye to eye, so he doesn't say anything as he stands in the doorway continuing to look at us both.

"You should go," Geno says in a quiet voice, breaking the silence between the three of us. He makes his way over toward me to help me to the door, and anger suddenly fills me.

"I know my way out," I retort, moving my arm just out of his grasp before starting the painful walk toward the door. Not only is my knee hurting with every step, but it feels like every inch I take closer to that door and farther away from Geno and the comfort he use to provide for me, that my heart is breaking that much more.

Once I shut the door, Max scoops me up in his arm and takes me toward his car. I wrap my arms around his neck and allow my head to rest on his shoulder as the first silent tears begin to from my eyes. Instead of putting me into the car right away, he leans against it instead, holding me and allowing me to have my mini breakdown. I'm sure we look like quite the pair, and quite awkward as well. Since I stand a good couple of inches taller than him when on flat feet, I'm I look weird cradled in his arms now. I pick my head up and place one hand on the other side of his face, bringing his cheek closer to my direction before placing a single kiss on his cheek before my sobbing becomes more intense. He clutches me closer, and all I can do is snuggle closer as I realize for the first time that it's still raining.

Max's POV

While holding Ty, I feel a warmth emanating from inside of me that I've never felt before. I feel giddy like a child, and that scares me. She kisses my cheek gently, and it's then that I know I have to get her out of my arms. I place her in the passenger seat of my car before closing the door and taking a deep breath. For some reason, I feel almost like the vampire from twilight; almost as if I get into that car with her, that her smell will consume me and I might not be able to keep my composure. Taking another deep breath, I trot around to the other side of the car and slide in, throwing it into reverse and backing out of the drive way.

After I finally get her back into her room at the hospital, after several 'go to hell' looks from the nurses, I sit in the chair across from her bed and I watch her. She's quiet, reserved. Yes, that's how Ty normally is, but that glimmer, the one that is always present in her eyes is gone. No trace of it what-so-ever.

We're a lot alike, her and I. She was doing fine on her own before Geno, just as I was before I met Rylie. Neither of us had any intentions of getting into anything serious anytime soon. And then they both broke into our worlds, and we don't quite know how to function without them.

She scoots over on the bed a little bit, and taps the empty space next to her. I wonder if she knows what she's doing to my mind right now or not, but then decide against that fact. I can tell just by the way she's acting that Geno is the only man on her mind right now, and that right now, she just needs to be held. I slip into the bed next to her, allowing her to lay on my chest as I hear her breathing getting deeper again, indicating that she's crying again.

"I don't know what to do," she sobs lightly while clutching onto me tighter, making me feel a little more uncomfortable. Sure, I love being able to sit here for her, helping her get through this. But it's never been this tough on me before.

"Maybe he will change his mind," I offer, but silently hope that he doesn't. After the thought has crossed my mind, I wonder where it came from. "Sure, he's being a dick right now," I add, to which she shakes her head and I can't help but chuckle. "But he does love you. I know it." I sit there before adding, "Everybody knows it," because it's true. When in the locker room, every single guy as the moment of feeling 'I want that', when looking at couples that are together. Happy couples. When looking at Ty and Geno, it was hard to not feel that.

"I guess that's not enough anymore," she sighs.

"Who knows when it will be, but he'll come around. Eventually."

She pulls away from my chest and looks me in the eyes. A chill goes down my spine as I realize for the first time just how close we are to each other. "I just don't know if I'll still be waiting for him," she answers, before silence comes between us and we both just look at each other.

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Alright ladies, I want input. This last update is not where I planned on taking things, but my fingers hit the keyboard and it just kinda happened. Ha. So.... vote time.

Do you want something to happen between Max and Ty? Do they sleep together and nothing more, do they fall for each other, do they hide it from Geno, does he know... I want to know what you all think on all of these ideas. Heck, even throw in some of your own ideas. This last update has my mind turning. Hopefully that means more updates soon..? At least I hope so..

Chapter 83: Responses

Spell check wouldn't work, so I'm almost promising there are errors all over the place.

Geno's POV

Today, it was especially harder than normal.

For me, I had no one to console me, no one to talk to about it, and no one to try and cheer me up simply because I did this to myself, and no one feels sorry for me. Everyone thinks that this is all so easy on me, that I'm perfectly fine, and that I don't feel incredibly alone every second I sit in this damn house.. the home we created together; they couldn't be more wrong. Every single thing in here reminds me of her some way, some how.



The couch. Anytime I sit on it or even sit in the living room looking at it, I can almost feel her body pressed up next to mine, resting next to me on a lazy day. The silence I always sit in reminds me of the silence we use to share together on this very coch, except silence with her is way more comforting than silence by myself. We never had to speak to know what the other was thinking, and I'm just now realizing how much comfort I found in that.

The kitchen. I can just pass by, and I can see her standing at the sink, her hair in a messy bun with strands falling down around her face, washing the dishes before she turns and looks over her shoulder, a smile crossing her face as she looks at me walking toward her. I wrap my arms around her waist, trying to drag her out of the room before she sends me away. I don't pout for too long though, because I know she'll be coming after me soon; she always did.

The bathroom. The location of all those dreaded bubble baths she use to make me take. I would complain anytime we took one, but secretely liked it, just not wanting her to find out. Sure, the scented bubbles sucked like hell, but having her laying in my arms was never detremental to my health. Not to mention the shower.. I can barely even stand to look at it without the memory of water dripping down her body coming into mind.

The bedroom. Sure, this is where I had my way with her, but that's not why it kills me to enter this room. With the lights off, no clothes on, and nothing to hid behind, this is where I learned the most about her and where she learned the most about me. We were in the most vulnerable states imaginable here in this room together, and anytime I enter this specific room I can't hep but think about that.. about how she opened up to me.

Someone rings the doorbell, bringing me out of the daze I had previously been in. But what, who the hell would be here at 11 at night? Shaking my head, I take a deep breath before heading toward the door, thinking it will be Kris or Max, or maybe they even sent Sid over to try to deal with me tonight. I open the door, and when I see Ty standing there, I don't know what to do.


She's soaking wet from the rain. I look past her for someone else emerge, but can't see anybody so my eyes fall on her again.


"What.. what are you doing here?" I manage to say after a couple of seconds. I move out of the way of the door, allowing her to come inside, but she just stands there.


"I need answers," she replies in an even tone. It's at that point that I can't tell if the pained expression on her face is due to hurt, frustration, or because she's flat out pissed. She moves her way past me, and when I see her teetering on her messed up knee, I reach out and grab her arm to steady her. She cringes away from my touch and it's like an automatic slap to the face, but I don't rescind my arm or let go of her. She looks at where my arm is still clutching her arm and it feels like time stills. Even though I know I'm pushing my luck, I scoop her up in my arms and take her to the couch.



I place her down gently, resting her leg on the couch before sitting down at the opposite end. I look straight forward, not knowing what to do now. This.. this defintely wasn't in my plan. I had figured I would have more time to pull myself together before facing her again. I planned on not having to see her again until she was working at the arena again.



I take a deep breath before glancing up at her, only to find her intense gaze focused on me. We both stare at each other, waiting for the other to look away, but neither of us daring to. She finally chuckles softly while shrugging her shoulders before I start to see the tears welling in her eyes. They start rolling down her cheeks, but she quickly wipes them away even though they continue to fall. Just like old times, I can't take the sight of her crying, so I do the only thing I can think of; I move over to her side of the couch and hold her in my arms, cradling her head against my chest. When the tears finally stop falling from here eyes, I take a deep breath before putting her at arms length again and trying to compose myself.

Ty's POV

It felt right. Being in his arms again, it just felt right. That's the only way I could describe it. And sure, I was crying because of him, but just having him there to comfort me, it's what I wanted; it's what I needed. Just as I seem to be getting my emotions back under control, he gently pushes me away before looking down at his hands again.

"I'm going to call your doctor," he replies in a tone barely above a whisper before starting to get off the couch, but I grab his arm and hold on as tightly as I can, making him sit back down, but he still doesn't look at me.

"I don't want you to call my doctor," I answer, still holding on to him just as tightly, knowing that in seconds he could be farther away than I'd like him to be. "I just want you to listen."

"Going over this again isn't going to do either of us any good," he replies in a monotone voice, much like a robot; keeping his emotions clear from his face and still not making eye contact with me.

"Well, if that's what you think thant too bad," I snap defensively, and automatically wish I would have as he closes his eyes and puts his head in his hands, futher hiding himself from me. "If you think I'm going to be passively accepting while you walk out on me." I wait, watching him go through his internal debate. I know that if I could just make him look at me, look me in the eyes that maybe.. just maybe I've got a shot at making him change his mind. He sighs audibly before speaking up, raising his head a little, but focusing his eyesight on the coffee table in front of us rather than on me.

"Do you think this is what I want?" He asks in an eerily steady tone. "That I don't miss you every second?" he continues louder before finally turning and facing me, and when he does, I almost wish he didn't. The look in his eyes has me more than a little on edge. It's not a scary or frightening look, no. It's pure passion. The only bad part is, that passion isn't working in my favor. "That I don't lie in bed at night, unable to sleep because you aren't next to me?" he presses on, his voice getting even louder with every statement he makes. He takes a deep breath, composing himself again before looking away from me. We sit in silence for a couple of seconds before I dare speak up again.

"Than let me come back," I almost plead. "Let me back into your life. We can be happy again."

"I am trying--"

"To protect me," I interupt. "I know. But I don't need protection. Not from you at least. I'm not afraid of you or your life," I say as the tears start to form in my eyes again. "I took it on as my own a long time ago. Freely. Without reservation. My choice," I press on. "Something that use to mean something to you." I can see that I'm getting to him, that his resolve is becoming weaker. And then his phone rings. He gets up and walks into the other room, and I hear him confirm to Max that I'm here, before he says 'see you soon' at which point I know I'm running out of time. I hear him walk upstairs, only to come back with one of my jackets. He sits down on the couch next to me, putting it on me carefully, almost as if he doesn't want to touch me. When he's done, he slides a couple of inches away from me on the couch, but I'm not letting him get away that easily.

Geno's POV

"You still love me." She doesn't ask it in question form, it's a statement. And she knows it's true. I take a deep breath, knowing that I can't start lying to her now. I've done enough of that lately.

"Of course I do. That's not the point," I answer, trying to be as vague as possibly.

"It's the only point," she replies, shooting closer to me on the couch so that our faces are mere inches apart. "It's the only thing that matters. We are a team, you can't arbitrarily decide that we are over."

"It wasn't arbitrary," I reply than a harsher tone than I intended on using, making her lean backwards a little bit in shock. "I watched you almost die because of me."

"I have had a tone of close calls," she replies, shrugging her shoulders as if to say it's not a big deal. "When it is my time, I'm going to die whether I am with you or not. I fell in love with you, and when that happened, everything changed. There is no going back," she continues to plead. "I need us. I miss our ease. I miss our trust. And our faith. When... when did you lose faith?" I feel the tears building in my own eyes for the first time tonight as I think back to the exact moment she's talking about.

"The first night I held you're helpless body in the hospital due to some bastard that found you because of me." My reply catches her off guard, and we both stare at each other until I finally look down at my hands again. "I can't go through that again," I say while shaking my head. "Not ever."

"It's not like you to be afraid," she answers.

"Well, I am," I say simply. It's the best way to answer her, because I am afraid. Terribly afraid. "I'm afraid of being part of the reason why you lose your life. If you wouldn't have been in the newspapers, he wouldn't have ever have found you and you wouldn't have been lying in that hospital bed, unconsious for days."

"There's a flaw in your logic," she replies while getting up. "Him finding me at the arena is no different than him finding me in a coffee shop. If it was going to happen, there was no stopping it." I shrug my shoulders in response, not knowing what else to do. "Come on, this is so wrong," she pleads before she starts crying again. I look at her, and I know she's exactly right.

As if on cue, Max walks through the door, and I couldn't be happier at his timing.

Chapter 82: Six Days

Short one.. hopefully there will be a full length follow up posted sometime soon.

Ty's POV

For six days, I've sat in this hospital bed. For six days, Max has been here almost every splitting second my eyes have been open; of course except for the occasions he's at the rink or on a road trip. And for six days, I've ran the same simple question that I can't seem to create a logical explanation for through my mind; Why?


Now that I've had time to think things through, I don't know how I didn't pick up on everything sooner. He knew he was going to leave me all along. It explains so much now... how distant he was, how quiet he was, how he never kissed me like I was dying for him to, how it almost seemed as if he was dismissing himself; and he was. He sat right next to me and deliberately lied to my face for days. For days, his body and actions were screaming the truth his mouth or words couldn't seem to form.

I'm not myself anymore. But how could I be when the biggest portion of what I've become isn't present? I've started thinking and acting like I did in the Pre-Geno days. I don't laugh, I rarely smile, it's uncommon to see my eyes light up in excitement. I don't do anything because I want to, but instead simply because I have to. Speaking has become somewhat unnatural for me, keeping my feelings and thoughts all to myself instead, and I sure as hell don't do anything sporadic or spur of the moment.


Luckily for Max's sake, the crying stopped days ago simply because I didn't even know what I was crying over anymore other than the fact that I knew he was gone and wasn't coming back. During these six days, I've also realized that I have to talk to him, I have to get answers to the questions that are driving me slowly insane while they remain unanswered, and I have to tell him that this is crazy, that what he's doing is crazy and if that doesn't work, I'm going to beg. I'm going to beg and insist and grovel if needed because I can't take this anymore. Six days is long enough, I can't stand to be without him any longer.


I sigh deeply, glancing up at Max who is laying next to me in my bed while flipping through a magazine. He glances down at me, and when he sees me starring back at him, he gives me a faint smile before turning his attention back to the magazine. I hate to do this when he's done so much for me. On the nights I can't sleep, he holds me, letting me know I'm not alone. On the days that my leg hurts like hell, he comforts me, telling me I'm strong enough to get through this. And in the moments I don't feel like I can go on without Geno any longer, he lets me know that I'm not alone, and that he feels the exact same way about Rylie.


We sympathize together, but I feel a little less sorry for him than he does for me because he fucked up, he gave her a reason to leave and no matter how sorry he is, he can't change that it happened. Me on the other hand? I've done nothing wrong. I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, prompting my whole world to come crashing down around me.


And through all this, I'm still going to deceive him. Max and I were never close before. We were acquaintances, but definitely didn't have anything that even bordered the friendship line. But, in these past six days, I've created a bond with him that I didn't even think was imaginable, simply because if it was his fault or not, he was feeling the exact same way that I was. And even with that, I know that I can't help but use him. I feel extremely ashamed of myself, but I know that if he knew I was setting out to see Geno, he'd give me a long list of reasons as to why I can't, all of them not mattering the simplest bit to me. With this in mind, I glance up at him again.


"So, what time is your skate tomorrow?" I ask, prodding for the information I need. I have to find a moment Max is occupied, just so I can sneak out of this hell-hole and find Geno.


"Eleven. My parents are coming into town though, so I won't be back until after the game," he says, still flipping through his magazine and thankfully so; I'm sure my eyes went wide knowing that I had all that time to work with.

Chapter 81: Because Of Me

Okay, I'm keeping this short. College classes have officially started for me. Don't know how often I'll get to update, but I still really enjoy doing this, so I'm not quitting now. Ehh, it's a short one. but it's all I had time for tonight, honestly. I can only hope to be able to post more soon after things die down a little bit.

Geno's POV

I force myself to put one foot in front of the other until I get to the elevator. Luckily, nobody is inside to watch my mini-break down. I lean back against the elevator wall, my head slightly tipped back, my arms completely slack by my side, and I just sit there. I don't press a single button to make the elevator move, I don't pace. The only movement in the small area is the steady rise and fall of my chest, the movement that indicates that my heart is actually still ceasing to beat. Otherwise, I would have been totally convinced that it was obliterated into a thousand pieces.

I continue to stand there, completely motionless, but it's as if my mind is doing enough movement to compensate for my lifeless limbs. The second a memory of Ty finally escapes my every thought, another one comes rushing in, taking its place and making me remain motionless, almost as if making this elevator move is the final straw, the last bit of closure, ensuring that I actually went through with it, and I don't know if I'm ready for that yet.

But then, the memory of Ty lying in that hospital bed, bruised and battered and crying because of me comes into my thoughts, and then my emotions change, and I get angry at myself for all of this. She was at the arena because of me, she was found because of me, and now she's hurt by yet another person; because of me.

I let the first tears fall from my eyes; the ones that took everything to hold in while in front of her, trying to put up a tough front, watching her eyes change from shocked, to panicked, and then to hurt all while telling myself to suck it up. I knew deep down that this would be the hardest part, that after this everything would be smooth sailing, but now I know that that was the most idiotic thing I could have ever convinced myself of. Sure, that was hard as hell, but living every day without her couldn't be better, and it probably wouldn't get any better as time went on either.

A year ago, I would have never imagined it possible to hurt this bad because of another person; at least not at the thought of waking up without them in the morning. Waking up alone is the ideal situation for the classic party boy; it means not having to deal with the person lying next to you, an awkward phase completely avoided because they were just interested in sex just like you were. And before Ty, you probably couldn't have convinced me that sex was any different with a random chick than someone you loved. I probably would have told you that sex was sex, no matter who you were with.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

I never thought I would ever get in this deep, to the point where I actually, sincerely care about what someone else is feeling or wanting. At least not on this level. I would move mountains for Ty if only it was under my power. All of this is what lead me to this conclusion of leaving her; because I had to do what was possible and what was under my power. And yeah, it hurt me to see her sad eyes pointed in my direction, but things have to get better for her. She will forget I even exist eventually.

All this thinking has my head spinning, making me ball my hands into fists in frustration before pounding them against the steel elevator walls, using them as leverage as I push off of them, the pacing finally beginning. I punch the button for the elevator to move, needing to get out of this place before I go running back to her side.

The elevator door opens, and when it does I don't expect to see what I do. Max and Kris are both standing there, looking at me intently. They look from my hands that are still balled into fists by my side and then up to the way I know my jaw is clenched and then realization sinks in for both of them as I see both of them sigh and their shoulders drop, almost in unison.

I walk past them, noticing Kris whipping out his cell phone before they both rush toward the elevator, no doubt going to Ty's aid.

Chapter 80: The Response

**NOTE: Okay, so if you don't read my story Game On.. first of all, shame on you. Haha.. kidding. But anyways, if you don't this is where the two kind of meet... sort of. In that story, Max's lover runs out on him and leaves him alone, and the time frame that he's alone in that story is where we are at now. And also, my Letang story, Tangled Up In You, comes into play here. This is when he's getting really close with his girlfriend, Kailyn. Hope that's not too confusing... I'll also be adding in other peoples point of views to help describe whats going on. For example, if I feel Obama needs to make an appearance, he will. Kidding.. haha but look for Max's Kris's or Sid's coming into play pretty soon.

Also - Check this chick out, here is the link to her profile. http://www.blogger.com/profile/16739288802181388971 As someone that writes a bunch of stories myself, I definitely respect what she does, and she deserves some credit as well. She has 9 to my 7, so she's just slightly crazier than myself. :-) lol

One more thing - Thanks for putting my link up in your sidebar. I truly appreciate it. :-)

Jay - You're just a little writing fool with all your updates! lol I've been trying to get all caught up on your story, but I've been so crazy I've barely had time to even write, much less read anything. I have a couple days before school starts, and I plan on getting all the way through it. So I know I haven't left any comments, but I'm loving what I have read of it, I'm just so far behind.. :-S haha.

Back from vacation, so it's just a short one.

Ty's POV

I sit, completely dazed by the surrounds of the room. I know I'm crying, but only because I had to raise my hand up to my face and feel the wet tears emanating there to truly believe that water is emerging from my eyes. Strangely, right now I don't feel anything. My body is completely numb. I don't know how long I sat there, looking at the wall in front of me before Kris found me, shortly followed by Max.


Kris stands in the doorway timidly. He sighs before taking his hat off, which is on backwards of course, and running his hands through his hair and then scratching the back of his head thoughtfully, just like he always does when he's put into tight situations. It's his 'tell' so to say, making it clear that he's just as shocked about all of this as I am.


After Max finally makes it all the way down the hallway, he comes skidding to a halt from the dead sprint he had been in, making him crash into Kris as they both try to squeeze through the door frame at the same time, making quite the entrance just like he always does. I sniffle, and they both turn their attention back to me. Max gives Kris a look as if to say 'What the hell, man..?' and then rushes over to my side.

I don't know if they were expecting hysterical crying or if they are just completely taken back by my almost calm looking demeanor, but Max scoops me up in his arms and I instinctively rest my head on his shoulder, getting his shirt all wet as the tears continue to escape from my eyes while Kris grabs for my hand and absentmindedly runs his thumb over the back of it in a soothing manner. Neither of them say anything, so I feel as if I have to break the silence.

"Please tell me Ashton is camping out in the elevator, just waiting to emerge," I sob while adding the faintest existence of a smirk, which makes both of them smile weakly at us.

"Sorry babe," Max says quietly while giving me a little squeeze. "It's just us."

And with that, we all sit in silence as I continue to cry softly. I know that neither of them know what to say or do to make any of this better. But hell, I don't know what to even think about any of it so I definitely won't patronize either of them. Even with the both of them surrounding me, I have never felt so alone in my life, and I've been left behind very frequently. After sitting there or what feels like an eternity, I can't help but do what I normally do in situations like these; talk it through out loud, no matter if it's to myself or with close friends.

"I don't know why he's doing this to me," I whisper as I almost automatically start to feel the gap in my heart expand. "I let him in completely. I trusted him," I sigh, and it's at that point that I realize how frail and emotionless my voice sounds. I know I should be worried about that, but I can't seem to find any reason to care at this point as the whole situation exposes it's ugly head at me. Suddenly, I'm back to my old, slightly emotionally abusive way of thinking.

This is my fault.

I should have known I could never be enough for someone.

I always knew that I couldn't keep him interested long enough.

"He.. he can't just," I stutter. "I can't make it without him," I say while squeezing my eyes tightly shut, not wanting to look around this room any longer and find it vacant of the man I love one more time because every time I do it breaks me heart all over again. At this point, the hysterics start taking over, and I'm completely unable to stop them as they gush through all my defences. My crying gets much more intense, and I feel like a complete outsider to this whole scene as I watch as Kris and Max exchange glances from each other.

After what seems like hours of them whispering soothing and reassuring things to me, I finally find it within my inner strength to pull it together. Tears are still sliding down my face, but at a much slower pace and I'm once again eerily calm as lay within Kris's arms, starring at the ceiling and playing with the ends of my hair, wrapping it around my finger and then unwrapping it as Max looks at me through worried eyes from the chair right next to my bed that has been filled all along, just with a much taller and swift body form.

I hear someone approach the door to my room, and even though I know they are standing in the door frame, I don't bother looking up to see who it is because I know it's not who I'm hoping it will be, and I don't want to even add to the disappointment that I'm feeling right now; if that is at all possible. I feel lower than low right now, which is strange since I was at a ultimate high not even a full month ago. Everything was going my way, and now things have taking an abrupt turn of events. The figure lurking in the doorway finally enters the room, but it's not until she's standing over my face that I recognize Kailyn. She leans down and whispers something to Kris that I can't quite make out before squeezing the hand I have resting on his chest. I hear him respond with something along the lines of seeing her at home later. After she's gotten out of the room, I sit up, a motion that has Kris looking at me curiously.

"Go home with her," I say quietly while wiping the remaining tears off of my face and willing for no more to fall.

"I'm not going to leave you here like this," he says defiantly, not bothering to move at all. I grab his hand and squeeze it just like everybody has been mine, but I have a completely different meaning; it's my way of telling him that I'm going to be okay, but he still looks skeptical.

"Go home while you have someone to go home to," I continue while nodding my head to the direction of the door. He starts to sit up, and then finally stands up by the side of my bed but doesn't move toward the door any. "Go," I reiterate, trying to get him to leave, but I can see him still questioning whether or not he should listen to me. I know that the only reason he moved at all was just to try to accommodate me, and even though that would normally drive me crazy, I'll take what I can get and use it at this point.

"Go man," Max adds while pushing him toward the door. "I'll stay with her," he adds. Kris looks at him, and I'm assuming the look on Max's face tells it all because Kris leaves without further fight, leaving me alone with Max.