Chapter 1

"Just how long do you plan on waiting on to him, bub?"

James stayed silent as Kelly Martin, his best friend, flipped the patties on the grill. She's known James for six years now. They first met during their first day of university, when the freshmen were busy picking out clubs to join. Kelly was a year ahead, but they never lost contact after she graduated. The Hotel Management graduate began a small diner just a block away from the university, and it's where James spends most of his time.

"I don't know," he whispered, fiddling with the salt and pepper shakers that rested on the counter, facing the diner's kitchen. "You can't wait for him forever, Jay. You know that don't you?"

James could only sigh. What more should he say? What more can he say?

He knows he can't wait forever, but it's only been six months. Six months isn't a long time to move on. There's nearly not enough time for him to move on.

Kelly finished the orders and called one of the few waiters her diner had to take the food to the customer's table. She put down her spatula and walks out of the kitchen to sit next to her best friend. "I know it's not that easy, Jay. I've been there, I know," she put a hand on James' shoulder, the other refusing to look. "But you can't mope and brood every single day. You have to get out there and live your life, get a move on with your career."

"I can't," James frowned. "I can't...because the life I wanted to live was with him in it. And now, he's gone. He left me alone, and ran away to God knows where. It's been six months in that God-awful apartment, alone, with no one to greet me home. And I," he stopped, planting his face onto his palms as tears pooled his eyes. "It's been so hard, just thinking and wallowing in that...that place. Thinking about what went wrong, what threw him off. And I want to forget. I swear, I do. I want to move on and get on with my life and leave him the way he left me. But I can't."

James sobbed quietly as Kelly stroked his hair with a sigh. "If you really wanted to move on, you would have," she said. James frowned and stared at Kelly in confusion. Of course he wants to move on. He wants the pain to end. He wants the heartache to disappear. "You don't want to move on. Don't deny that, hun. You want to hold on to him because you want to believe there's still a chance for him to come back. You wanted him to stay and that's not changing anytime soon."

He could only duck his head. No matter how much he denies it, what Kelly said was true. "So what should I do?"

"Well... I can't tell you what you should do. But I will tell you what you can do," Kelly leaned on the counter, resting her elbows on it. "You can move out of the apartment. Sign off your lease. Pack up your things, leave his stuff on the curb, find a new place."

James sniffled and blankly stared ahead. Kelly had a point...again. He could move out. He could get a move on with his life and grow. It made sense to leave that place. There's no one there but him anymore. And at this point, there's really no telling when Liam will be coming back. Probably never, he thought to himself.

"I'm not saying that you have to do it now," Kelly interrupts his train of thought, his internal turmoil. "But it is a good start."

James stared up at his best friend before nodding. It is a good start. He wanted to say he'd think about it, but what is there to think about? The place drives him mad—always so quiet without the jokes, the laughs, the chaotic movie nights, and small bickering over popcorn flavors. He knew he didn't want to stay in that place a moment longer. He just wanted to stay because of all the false hope in his heart that the love of his life would return home. Now, six months later, will the man really come back? Even if it was for the things he left behind, would he really? James knew the answer to that. He knew it since the day Liam walked out the door.

"No, you're right. I've just been holding on to nothing, and now here I am, acting the fool," he mumbled. There isn't much he could argue now. "Can you," he paused, scratching the back of his neck. "Can you help me find a place?"

Kelly smiled, giving her best friend's shoulder a squeeze. "Of course, hun. I'd be happy to help," she said before giving him a short, but sweet, hug. "I have to get back to prepping. Lunch is getting close and this place is gonna get packed very, very soon."

James bids his best friend goodbye as he picks up his satchel and heads out.

Arriving home was agonizing. It was dark and empty--lifeless almost. Sighing, he enters the key and opens the door, turning on the lights in every hall, every room he passed. He hated the darkness that greeted him whenever he stepped into the apartment.

He takes a quick shower and enters their--well, his bedroom. Sitting alone on the bed, he stares blankly ahead at the closet. Some of Liam's things were still in there. He could only glare at the inanimate objects. It's all he ever did whenever he came home from work.

'Not tonight,' he thought to himself. You know that sudden impulse you get in your veins--the sudden rush to do something life-changing? That's what he felt. He stood up and hurriedly leaves the bedroom.

He walks down the stairs and into the laundry room. He searches in the cabinets and finds a big moving box. He assembles it quickly and takes it back upstairs with him. Harshly opening the closet doors, James takes every single item of clothing that Liam owns, and throwing it into the box, not caring enough to fold them.

He moves on to Liam's other items; his cologne, his shoes, toys--anything and everything that wasn't James'. Once he's boxed it all up, he labeled it with his ex's name.

Yes, ex. It's hard to accept, but that is what he is now. There's no denying it anymore. Liam's not coming back for him. The man's probably moved on with his life with his side-chick. James doesn't care. If that's what Liam wants to do with his life, then he'll have to accept it and move on with his own.

James rushes back down and grabs a few more boxes, filling them with his own things. He knows he isn't moving yet, but he wants to be ready when the time comes that he finds himself a new apartment. He's done with living his life like this.

It's time he took control of his life again.