Page 12 of Yearn

“No, I yell but it’s still good advice.”

We all laughed and I felt better. There was nothing like being around girlfriends who understood the dynamics of your relationship. I gave them both a big hug. “Thanks. Love you.”

“Love you,” they both sang back, squishing tight against me in the booth.

After, I headed home and to bed. Max didn’t stumble through the door until 6am, obviously hung over and regretful. He sat on the edge of the mattress while I regarded him with banked anger and pain. There was nothing I hated more than feeling out of control with my emotions, or played by someone I loved.

God knows, that had happened to me before and I swore I’d never deal with the feelings again.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he said, voice strained from the club. “I fucked up. I shouldn’t have hung with her.”

I sat up in bed and leaned against the headboard. Even disheveled and drunk, Max gave off an air of confidence, as if he believed we could work out anything. Thick blonde hair was mussed, his button-down shirt was wrinkled, but he still looked sexy enough to want to tumble. He wasn’t above pleading or begging forgiveness. Once, we’d had a big fight and for a week, he brought me flowers and gifts every day, showering me with love and affection and apologies, until I truly believed things would be different. He was a master of the game but I didn’t know how much more I could take.

“Why do you keep doing this?” I finally asked, hugging my body tight. “Every time we’re in a good place, you do something that makes me question us all over again.”

“Baby, what was I supposed to do? Gabby came up to me at the bar, asking about work, talking about her new puppy. Am I supposed to throw up my hands, back away, and say Landon won’t let me talk to you?”

I blew out a breath. “No! Just be respectful to my feelings. You could’ve said hello, and that you needed to get back to yourgirlfriend.You bought her a drink, Max.”

He rubbed his head. “Yeah, I know. I’d ordered shots for me and Adam and it seemed rude not to offer. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Your hand was on her body. Your face was practically smashed into her tits while you pretended to look at her phone. I saw you.”

His voice was full of denial. “It was nothing like that. Don’t twist things around.”

“Did you cheat on me at the Jersey shore?”

He jerked back, then his blue eyes snapped with heat. “Fuck, this again? How many times do I need to tell you no? I passed out drunk and woke up on the floor. Alone.”

My insides felt torn up. “What about before? At the bar? Is there a video? Did you make out with her?”

“No.” I searched his gaze for the truth. He tilted his head up and held my stare, as if trying to prove he wasn’t afraid for me to look deep. And damned if he didn’t look innocent.

But my gut still screamed he was a liar.

What was I going to do? I couldn’t prove anything. But if I sensed something off, I couldn’t trust him, and we had nothing left to fight for.

“Why do you keep torturing both of us?” he asked. “You need to let it go, Landon. Right now, you’re the one creating the problem between us. I love you, and I’m not cheating. I’m getting tired of defending myself when I did nothing wrong.”

His words hurt. I felt as if I should be deliriously happy in this relationship but I was still holding back. Something had to change, and it was up to me, because Max kept doing the same things over and over.

He flirted with women at the bar all the time. I doubted it would stop.

He ignored my pleas to be distant with Gabriella.

He looked me in the eye and swore the truth, but I still didn’t believe him.

“You’re right.” He froze, staring at me in surprise at my words. “I can’t do this anymore, Max.”

“Baby—”

I shook my head hard. Frustrated tears burned my eyes. “I’ve made a decision. About us.”

Then I took a deep breath and told him.

Chapter Six

Landon