CHAPTER 1

 Brian stood there shocked. Disbelief covered his face as he realized what his girlfriend of two years had just said.

"You’re breaking up with me?" he asked hoarsely looking at her for some sort of explanation.

Andrea slowly swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before she replied.

"Yes." She returned. She tried to make her voice firm but it still shook. She hated to see that hurt look in his eyes, but this is what she had to do and she was going to do it.

"Why?" Brian asked her. Just a few days ago, they were laughing and holding each other, so in love with not a care in the world. Now he had absolutely no idea what had brought about this change in his girlfriend.

Andrea tried to look him in the eyes and couldn’t, so focused on his jaw instead as she spoke.

"I think it would be better for both of us if we spent some time apart that’s all." Andrea said, "I’m going back to LA to spend some time with my family for a while."

Brian still couldn’t believe she was doing this.

"Andy," he began calling her by her favourite nickname, "What brought this on? Are you seeing someone else? Is that it?" he asked bitterly.

"NO!" she said quickly, then paused, realizing that if she agreed it would make things easier for her, but she still decided against it, "I’m not seeing anyone else."

"Then why?" Brian asked, his voice raising. Something he rarely did, especially to her.

Andrea could feel the hot tears springing to her eyes but controlled them. She had promised herself that she wasn’t going to cry. Brian spoke again.

"If there was something that I did –"

"Brian don’t! It’s not you." She rushed out. "I just...I just need some space." She said running a shaking hand through her hair.

"You need space?" Brian asked narrowing his eyebrows at her in confusion. Andrea had been the one who had decided that they should move in together so that they could be closer and now she wanted space?

Andrea realized what he was thinking and decided that she should change tactics. She didn’t like what she was about to do, heck, she HATED what she was about to do, but she had no alternative.

"There’s something else." Andrea said then looked down at the ground. This was going to be the hardest thing that she had ever done. "I don’t love you anymore." She blurted out.

In two strides, he was facing her, holding her by the chin and forcing her to look at him. His eyes were blazing blue fire and she knew by the firm set of his jaw that he didn’t believe her.

"I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that." He told her harshly, "Tell me you don’t love me. Tell me that everything there ever was between us was a lie."

She couldn’t hold back the tears now as they spilled over her cheeks. She couldn’t do it and he knew that. He pulled her in his arms.

"No! Don’t!" she said pulling away from him. She knew that if she held him now, she might never let go. She picked up her bag and looked at him one last time. "I’m sorry, Brian." She said softly, "I"m so sorry."

She turned and fled from the room and out the door. She got in her car and headed to her best friend’s house.