The apartment was quiet, nothing was out of place or destroyed. Brayden breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure what to do, did he seek James out for the inevitable confrontation, or did he let James come to him? Better to let James find him, so he feels in control and not like Brayden was waving his victory in his face. Brayden took efforts to make noise so James might hear of his arrival. He flipped the TV on in the main space and turned one of Lillian’s shows on. He waited patiently for some kind of noise to come from James’ room.

James finally made an appearance, a couple hours later. Not from his room, but through the front door. He drunkenly threw his keys on the counter and stared furiously at Brayden.

“Did you drive?” Brayden asked in concern.

James was clearly past the point of driving. Brayden began to wonder how long he had been doing that.

“It doesn’t matter.” James slurred. “You turned her against me.”

“What is this, Star Wars? You have done that yourself.” Brayden sarcastically rolled back.

“She loved me, for years she loved me. You don’t even know her!” James’ voiced raised in anger.

“I learned her, I got to know her. While you were ignoring her, drinking or working, or being anywhere but with her. She was here, alone, waiting for you, so often she was waiting for you to come back to her James. Every day she fought to keep loving you. I just wanted her to keep loving herself.

You were going to strip her of the confidence she’d found without you. Of the love she found in herself, that she had to find because she didn’t have you anymore. She rediscovered who she was, as an adult. It’s like she was single, James, she found the things she loves again without you. How was she supposed to stay with you when you didn’t stay with her?”

“I love her.” James spewed.

“You loved her when she was 20 and naïve and you didn’t have to think about the future yet.” Brayden snapped. “I’ve heard the arguments of her begging you to think about your future together; to tell her you wanted the whole rest of your life with her. You never did. She was settling James. I just reminded her she didn’t have to.”

“You’ll never measure up, I know her family and her friends, they love me. Do you know how important that is to her?”

Brayden heaved a deep breath and looked at James with pity.

“You’ve been checked out so long you didn’t even realize. Do you know where I am, if I’m not here or working? I’m at her house, talking to her brothers and her parents, her mother made me a silly little soap dish for fucks sakes! Just cuz!

I play hockey with Luke and Joe when they need someone to fill a spot on the team. Liam and I went to a concert last weekend. Alex and I send each other memes all day. James, I know how important these things are to her, so I made a point of showing her I could do it without any guarantee she’d pick me. Her dad pats me on the back and says I’m “a good kid”, and you’re so blind you didn’t even notice.” Brayden was shouting.

“You did all that, for her?” James asked quietly.

“James, I did all that and more. I helped Naz and Jasmine move last month when you didn’t show up. I picked her mom up from the hospital after she had some tests done in September. I have been doing your job for months.” Brayden looked at him sadly.

“Why didn’t she say anything?”

“She did! Every day she asked you what was wrong, how she could help, she fucked you even after you stopped caring about her in bed, she was here so you wouldn’t have to come to her, leaving her home, where we know she prefers to be.

Lillian ignored me and my advances for weeks, she would cold shoulder me when I’d show up at her house. She made a game of seeing how much shit she could throw at me until I would fuck off! She basically held me back with big stick and wacked me with it when I crossed over into a space she reserved for you, just in case you decided to show up. If anything, she probably feels like she failed you, instead of the truth, where you failed her.” Maybe Brayden was having a row with James and not the other way around.

His breath was ragged from the anger pouring out of him, at this idiot that couldn’t even see how far gone he was. Brayden’s thoughts scathed.

“Can you, just give her the gift I got her for Christmas at least.” James added pathetically.

“What is it?” Brayden waited.

“The new air pods, she mentioned them a while ago, so I grabbed her some.”

Brayden scoffed.

“She bought herself the new air pods before her birthday. In October.” Brayden snapped, and stalked into his room, slamming the door behind him.

The greatest moron to ever fucking exist Brayden raged, pacing in his room back forth. James didn’t even remember Lillian telling him she really wanted the new Harry Potter charms that came back for her bracelet this year, and she had mentioned it several times just in this apartment.

Brayden had stupidly left the charms up to James, considering Lillian had asked him for nothing else this Christmas. Brayden had found a few more books for her but had caved and bought a single charm for her as well. The 3 books sat in a stack similar to her birthday stack but tied in a more festive string, with each book wrapped in a Christmas paper, mistletoe tucked in the front, and the charm threaded onto the ribbon placed right in the center. He scowled at his door and promptly sat at his desk.

He found one shop that still had a few of the charms she wanted in stock, still open tomorrow. He glared in the direction of James’ bedroom and reserved them for himself. He’d pick them up in the morning. Stupid fucking oaf couldn’t even do that for her, Brayden continued to rage. She had only asked James for the damn charms, and she was lined up to get just one. Brayden’s fury had hardly abated by the time he threw himself into bed.