〝   oh   my   god,   you   can't   be   serious!   〞mouth   hangs   open,   hoping   to   convince   herself   that   homme   was   kidding   –––  but   deep   down,   tawni   knew   that   he   meant   every   word   in   the   tone   it   was   uttered   in.〝   don't   say   it   like   that.   don't   act   like   i   studied   his   schedule   to   know   the   days   he's   in,   it's   written   up   in   the   staff   room   and   i   scan   it   briefly   everyday   to   know   who   i'm   on   shift   with   and   i   happen   to   notice   he   only   does   earlies.   〞allows   a   scoff   to   fall   from   her   lips,   tawni   had   no   idea   where   all   this   was   coming   from,   fem   had   done   nothing   to   have   him   not   trust   her.   〝   i   didn't   think   it   was   worthy   of   sharing   because   i   don't   feel   anything   for   him   anymore.   he's   just   a   random   co   -   worker   to   me   now.   no   feelings,   no   love,   no   hatred,   no   friendly   feelings   even.   i   figured   if   i   brought   it   up,   you   might   think   oh,   why   does   she   care?   is   she   still   into   this   dude?   i   just   ignored   it   so   you   didn't   think   he   still   affected   me.   〞

tongue  presses  against  the  inside  of  his  cheek,  taking  a  moment  to  think  about  his  next  words  carefully  before  another  argument  forms  between  them.  ❝  i  never  said  you  studied  his  schedule,  tawni.  ❞  his  voice  lowers,  frustration  sitting  on  the  tip  of  his  tongue.  ❝  that  doesn’t  change  the  fact  that  you  knew  his  schedule,  knew  you’d  be  seeing  him,  and  still  decided  it  was  best  not  to  tell  me.  ❞  he  huffs,  gaze  remaining  fixed  on  her.  not  that  he'd  ever  admit  it  –  but  the  feeling  of  her  ex  lurking  made  him  feel..  unsettled.  ❝  you  don’t  get  to  hide  something  from  me  and  call  it  protection.  telling  me  shouldn’t  have  felt  like  such  a  big  deal,  but  doing  whatever  this  is  only  makes  it  feel  like  there  is  something.  ❞

〝   well,   if   i   saw   him   everyday   i   probably   would   tell   you.   we   work   opposite   shifts,   he   does   the   days.   〞shrugs   casually,   understood   why   he   was   upset   but   he   really   had   nothing   to   worry   about   ––  wasn't   as   if   tawni   cared   much   for   ex   boyfriend   anymore.   〝   i   just   .   .   i   didn't   want   to   worry   you.   i   knew   if   i   told   you,   you'd   obsess   over   it   when   we   only   see   each   other   for   like,   an   hour,   tops   every   other   day.   〞

jaw  tightens  at  her  explanation,  gaze  drifting  off  into  the  distance  for  a  moment  as  if  the  frustration  across  his  face  wasn't  obvious.  ❝  so  not  only  do  you  know  his  work  schedule,  but  you  do  in  fact  see  him.  ❞  there's  no  accusation  in  his  tone,  but  the  raise  of  his  brow  gives  away  how  unconvinced  he  is.  ❝  if  you  didn't  think  that  was  something  worthy  of  sharing,  makes  me  wonder  what  else  you  think  i'm  better  off  not  knowing.  ❞  slow  breath  escapes  him,  hand  dragging  over  his  jaw  before  he  diverts  his  focus  to  her.

〝    i    didn't    tell    you    because    it    wasn't    important.    what    was    i    supposed    to    say,    oh    by    the    way    my    ex    boyfriend    is    my    co    worker?    bringing    it    up    randomly    would    seem    weird    and    suspicious.    〞

❝  y'know,  sometimes  i  wonder  if  you  think  at  all.  that's  exactly  what  you  should  say  to  me.  could  you  imagine  if  i  worked  with  my  ex  and  didn't  tell  you  anything?  i'd  never  hear  the  end  of  it.  ❞

365 Days (2020) dir. Tomasz Mandes & Barbara Białowąs

ring clattered against the marble as she dropped it on the counter , body turning away from him . she heard the water shut off , followed by her name falling from his lip ; yet she did not stop . ❝ yes i'm being like that . you fucking promised me and then you go and straight out lie . ❞ this wasn't the first time he'd done this . this was maybe around time four or five in the last few months . neus had grown tired of the arguments , the waiting up all night for him to come home , the bloody clothes and his cut up face . it was all becoming too much for her to bear . her frame had finally reached the stairs , foot about to step down on the first step when his hand wrapped around her wrist ; holding her from moving . eyes drift down to his large hand , a sigh leaving her lips . ❝ no . i'm not putting it back on until we talk this shit out . if you don't want to do it right now , fine . but i'm not saying i'm going to marry you when you can't even tell me the truth . i'm doing this now or never . your choice . ❞

her words settled in his mind heavier than he would've expected. your choice. jaw clenched as his grip around her wrist loosened, instincts screaming to end the conversation. he'd always tell her tomorrow – tomorrow meant he didn't have to deal with it each night. but, tomorrow became next week, and next week became the last several times. a slow breath escaped him as he met her gaze. ❝ i didn't mean to lie. i just–.. ❞ words trailed off as he dragged a hand over his face, frustation settling in. i don't know neus. i don't know what you want me to say. ❞ his eyes drifted toward the diamond resting on the counter before returning to her. ❝ i fucked up, okay? i know. but i'm trying. ❞

ASHA BANKS in MY FAULT LONDON (2025)

disappointment was the only feeling she had at the moment . his words were soft as she noticed his gaze fall on her ring . thumb messed with it absentmindedly , a sigh leaving her nose . there was no excuse this time . nothing he could say to make this situation better . ❝ do you ? then why make me lay in that bed alone ? ❞ she asks as he sets is duffel bag down by the door . ❝ well you shouldn't have been there at all . . . ❞ neus mumbles , arms crossed over chest as he turns away from her to head into the kitchen . she hears the water running , a hiss coming from his lips as the icy liquid hits his cuts . she walks up to where she can see his hands in the sink , the water dyed red from the blood . ❝ fine , whatever . you can sleep down here on the couch . and you can take this too . . ❞ femme sets the ring down on the counter next to him , turning to walk back upstairs . ❝ you may be fine , but i'm not . goodnight roman . ❞

this time, it wasn't her words that got to him. it was the ring. his eyes immediately dropped to the counter, hand freezing beneath the running water as the diamond caught the kitchen light. for a second, he just stared at it. no excuse, no smart remark like he usually did. he shut off the faucet, shaking the water from his hands. ❝ neus. ❞ the name left his lips sharper than intended. his eyes flickered between her and the ring. she couldn't be serious... right? ❝ you're really gonna be like that? ❞ the words left him before he could stop them. he knew how stupid they sounded, because it wasn't his first time. ❝ this is a little dramatic, don't you think? ❞ a humorless laugh escaped him, frustration crept in. arguments, he could handle. sleeping on the couch? whatever. but this? this wasn't that. and it scared him. before he could stop himself, his feet carried after her. just as she reached the stairs, hand instinctively wrapped around her wrist. ❝ neus, c'mon.. just put it back on, baby. we'll talk tomorrow. yell at me tomorrow. don't do this tonight. ❞

after ringing the doorbell, she bounces on her toes, trying to stop the soreness in her heels from spreading. the pizza in her hands was lowkey starting to burn her fingertips. when the door opened, she didn't look up right away. instead, she repeated the customer's order and how much it cost. "that's one large pizza, light on the sauce, with half-olives?" ramona finally looked up, gaze under her pizza palace hat. "oh--it's you. i wasn't expecting..." she suddenly felt embarrassed in her grease-stained uniform. "when did you get back?" and why didn't you tell me?

roman barely glanced up as he opened the door, hand reaching for the cash in his wallet. but the second he heard her voice, he froze. fully expecting some random delivery driver – not the girl he'd spent years trying not to think about. caught somewhere between disbelief and amusement, he just stared for a second. ❝ uh.. – wow. ❞ a breathless laugh escaped him. ❝ a week ago – i've just been settling in, really.. ❞ his eyes flickered over her hat, before settling back on her face. somehow, she still looked painfully familiar. ❝ i've been meaning to reach out to you. ❞ half-true. he just didn't know what to say. sorry for ghosting you for a few years, i'm back in town though. let's meet up?

isn't sure what's come over him, why it was suddenly so difficult to see her, talk to her like he hadn't done it a hundred times over the past few months. he had done it before : cut ties, moved on with his life without bothering for a single moment to look in his rear view mirror. and maybe that was why he came here, simply to figure out what the hell was going on. and why he couldn't shake this girl no matter how hard he tried. tilts head in response as he mimics her laugh, watching the movement on an all too familiar couch, just as his feet carry him over and he's sat next to her, “ why'd you let me in? ” turns to look at her, curiosity settling in his frame, “ i mean — half expected you to slam the door in my face. ”  

his  question  caught  her  off  guard,  she  hadn't  really  thought  about  it.  seeing  him  standing  on  the  other  side  of  the  door,  she  instinctively  let  him  in  before  her  brain  had  the  chance  to  process.  a  quiet  sigh  escaped  her  lips  as  she  tucked  a  strand  of  hair  behind  her  ear,  eyes  dropping  to  the  tv  across  from  them.  ❝  i  don't  know.  ❞  she  knew  –  always  knew.  slight  pause  before  her  eyes  shifted  toward  him.  she'd  spent  her  recent  days  wondering  if  she  did  something  wrong.  wondering  why  he  was  always  in  and  out  –  and  why  she'd  let  him  come  back  each  time.  ❝  i'd  be  lying  if  i  said  i  didn't think about  it.  ❞  legs  curled  up  beneath  her,  feeling  much  smaller  with  him  so  close  to  her.  lingered  in  silence  for  a  moment,  debating  whether  she  really  wanted  any  answers  from  him  before  mustering  up  the  courage.  ❝  what  are  you  really  doing  here?  ❞

hated that he could read her like a book, with nowhere near enough time between them for him to be able to do that. was she that easy to figure out? needed to decipher that at a later time : decided to continue her portrayal of carelessness, and hopelessly in love before it gets caught between the lines, “ clearly, you don't know me very well. ”  finally speaks out, her persona pushed down to the deepest depths, the way she preferred it. looks over at him, a soft chuckle pressed from her chest as eyes widen, was he being serious right now? “ you have a lot of nerve, you know that? ” jaw ticks, head turning away from him, “ i already answered that question. and i'm not interested in elaborating to you. ” takes another drink as she hopes the liquor fuels in her system quicker than ever now, “ and if you're just jealous, you need to come out and say it, instead of prying into my life and my boyfriend. ”   

his  expression  remained  unchanged,  though  her  comment  landed  harder  than  he'd  care  to  admit  aloud.  jealousy.  easier  to  ignore  the  feeling  than  face  the  truth  on  why  hearing  her  brag  about  her  new  boyfriend  had  messed  up  his  mood.  tongue  pressed  against  the  inside  of  his  cheek  as  he  looked  away  briefly,  gaze  settling  on  the  man  who  stood  not  too  far  away  from  them.  ❝  right,  hailee.  that's  obviously  what  this  is  –  jealousy.  ❞  head  shook  once  again,  short  laugh  that  held  no  humor  escaping  his  lips.  ❝  for  someone  who's  uninterested  in  elaborating,  you  seem  like  you're  trying  to  convince  me  he's  perfect.  ❞  shoulders  lifted  in  a  casual  shrug  as  he  attempted  to  appear  unbothered.  ❝  i  think  we  both  know  that  i  know  you  very  well.  but,  hey.  if  that  makes  you  feel  better,  h.  ❞

he'd not come home at his promised time . . . again . some lame excuse about working late but neus was not stupid . she knew perfectly well where he was . the same damn place he always goes . the underground fight club . she's sat on the couch , covered in a blanket ; engagement ring sparkling on her finger in the dim light of the tv . she was almost asleep , head propped up on her shoulder as the soap opera played anonymously in the background . she'd heard his car in the driveway , followed by the sound of him opening and shutting the door . femme didn't speak as she heard him cuss under his breath , but she could feel his gaze on her . his joke went without a laugh , head turning a bit so her chin faced him . ❝ you know i can't sleep without you . . .  ❞ neus says slightly above the volume of the tv . brunette didn't want to see him in pain . she couldn't handle it . ❝ you promised , roman . ❞ was all she said , a sigh leaving lips .

truthfully, he'd been expecting anger. he'd almost preferred it over the look on her face. disappointment was different – it sat heavy in his chest. ❝ i know. ❞ words came quietly, his gaze flickered toward the ring on her finger. he knew there wasn't an excuse good enough. not one believable, anyway. tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek as he set his duffel bag down by the door. ❝ i didn't mean for it to go that long. ❞ stupid thing to say. they both knew he didn't accidentally end up there. with a sigh, roman turned away from her and made his way toward the kitchen sink. the cold water stung against the cuts, shoulders tense. ❝ can we not do this tonight? i'm tired, you're tired. i'm really not in the mood for another lecture. ❞ back remained to her as the red-tinted water disappeared down the drain, guilt creeping up his spine. ❝ i'm home.. i'm fine. ❞

romeo laughed, shaking his head as he reached for kaia's abandoned phone and moved it to the table. "dating apps officially aren't allowed within a ten-foot radius of you anymore. doctor's orders." he took a sip of his drink before glancing over at her, unable to hide the grin tugging on his lips. "going out sounds way better anyway. besides, if we're meetin' the loves of our lives tonight, we better show up together." romeo bumped her shoulder gently. "c'mon, then. let's go let fate work overtime."

her eyes narrowed as the phone moved farther away from her, though the smile on her lips ruined any attempt at looking annoyed. ❝ doctor and relationship expert? gee, how are you single? ❞ she teased, shaking her head. her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she pushed herself off the couch, setting her wine glass down on the coffee table. ❝ what if i end up stuck in a terrible conversation with some frat boy? ❞ she asked, reaching for her purse. ❝ will you save me or is that fate? ❞ the thought alone made her laugh as she grabbed her keys from the counter. ❝ you're held responsible if anything goes wrong tonight. ❞