Abbie tried to ignore the doorbell which was screaming out its awful ring. It was bad enough she was suffering a mild hangover that was attempting to melt her brain, the last thing she wanted was visitors at whatever god awful hour it was on a Sunday morning. She rolled onto her back as the ringing became more persistent and reluctantly dragged herself out of bed. Abbie wrapped herself tightly in her robe before unlocking the door. She was surprised to see Gina standing there with a bag slung over one shoulder.
          "What the hell are you doing here?" Abbie asked, rubbing her eyes behind her glasses.
          "He's fucking engaged," Gina spat, her voice thick with emotion.
          "Sorry, I'm hungover," Abbie muttered. "Who’s what now?"
          "Paul, he's engaged to some harlot named Jo," Gina wailed as she stepped past Abbie and into the house. "He's a bastard and I hate him."
          "Right," Abbie nodded. "Did you miss the bit about me being hungover?"
          "Fuck your hangover," Gina pouted. "I'm having a personal crisis." Abbie looked blearily at her friend who looked like she was about to break into floods of tears and sighed.
          "Ok, look I'm going back to bed before my head explodes. So if you want to talk you have to come," she soothed. "But if I happen to fall asleep don't wake me."
          "You're such a caring friend," Gina muttered as she followed Abbie down the hallway and into her darkened bedroom. Abbie crawled back beneath the sanctity of the covers while Gina lay on top staring blankly at the ceiling.
          "If you're going to share my bed you'd better start talking," Abbie ordered.
          "He's engaged, the whole time we’ve been together he's been the property of another woman," Gina announced.
          "What? She has him microchipped or something?"
          "Abs."
          "Sorry, so how'd you find out?"
          "She returned from wherever she's been and called him. I took the call, she wanted me to tell him that she loved him."
          "And then you confronted Paul?"
          "Yeah, he fessed up and reckons that he thought they'd broken up."
          "Oh god, not one of those things where they've broken up but no one has told her?" Abbie declared, rolling over to look at Gina.
          "Yep, even tried to convince me that once he laid eyes on me he completely forgot about her," Gina sniffed.
          "He probably thought you'd be easy," Abbie giggled.
          "Hey!" Gina huffed and playfully slapped Abbie's arm. "I'm feeling betrayed."
          "I don't blame you," Abbie agreed. "So you've what? Kicked him to the curb?"
          "Well, I kinda did the yelling, crying and shocked thing last night," Gina sighed. "I told him he was shallow and pathetic."
          "That must have went down well?"
          "Oh just fabulously," Gina continued. "He yelled that I had no idea what I was talking about."
          "And what did you do?"
          "I burst into tears and called him a selfish prick."
          "Oh dear and how did he react to that?"
          "He told me he loved me and then left," Gina blubbed, her salty tears escaping and falling down her cheeks onto the pillow.
          "Come here," Abbie breathed, Gina slid over and rested her head on Abbie's shoulder. Her friend gently rubbing her back and trying to comfort her as she poured out her heart.

          Paul woke with a start and then let out a low groan. He's fallen asleep on the couch, a bottle he'd finished the liqueur from had rolled under the coffee table and he was still fully dressed. He ran a hand through his hair and painfully pulled himself to his feet. Paul's entire body ached after sleeping so uncomfortably all night but it was nothing in comparison to the pang of guilt that was sitting in his chest.

          He staggered into the bathroom and wearily unbuttoned his shirt which he dropped on the floor. He bent down and removed his shoes and socks and as he stood up he caught his reflection in the mirror. He was dishevelled and looked like shit. On closer inspection Paul could see the stubble covering his chin, the redness surrounding his eyes from both booze and tears and the lines that not only showed his age but how much the events of the past evening were playing on his mind. He pulled himself away from the mirror, stripped the rest of his clothes off and stepped under the showerhead.

          The hot water instantly woke him up, his senses found the smells that littered his bathroom, and smells that never used to exist, like scented shower gel. Paul reached for the clear bottle of strawberry scented gel and opened the cap. He sniffed it and it sent him through a range of emotions. It represented the happy, sensual times and now what he was on the verge of losing if he didn't deal with things quickly. He miserably clutched the bottle to his chest and sunk to the tiled floor as the hot water continued to beat down on him. The problem was, how do you tell your fiancee she's no longer your fiancee and that you're actually in love with another woman? How do you tell the woman you're in love with that what's happened is not representative of what you want for her? And the biggest question of all, who do you talk to first, the one you love or the one you have loved?

          "So are you going to call him?" Abbie asked as Gina followed her into the garden.
          "No, he's an arsehole," Gina groused. "I don't want to encourage him."
          "You don't think it's worth letting him explain himself now you're calmer?" Abbie continued as she unlocked a large rabbit hutch to feed the sleeping balls of fluff inside.
          "Who said I was calmer?" Gina huffed. "Besides, if he's done this to another woman what's he going to do to me?"
          "Yeah but you can be serious with someone and still fall for someone else," Abbie countered. "We've all done it."
          "I'd never cheat…"
          "Ahem, your last bloke, the one between you getting increasingly screwed over by Chris. Remind me again of his marital status."
          "I never knew he was married until he introduced me to his wife at a function."
          "That's not the point, you're typecast as a mistress."
          "Oh get fucked," Gina scorned and was suddenly distracted by a blur of fur bolting out of the hutch. "THE BLOODY RABBIT'S FREE!"
          "SHIT!" Abbie squealed and the two women took off up the garden after the rogue rabbit which appeared to be trying to recreate The Great Escape. They chased it for ten minutes, dodging washing and tripping over just about everything until Abbie finally managed to corner it behind the rubbish bin. She bundled the panting rabbit into her arms and dumped it back into the hutch, firmly locking the door behind her. "Little bastard," she spat.
          "That's gotta have helped your hangover," Gina breathed as she dropped into a banana chair.
          "About as much as it’s helped you," Abbie sighed. "I'm never feeding that prick again."
          "That goes for two of us," Gina muttered.
          "You know," Abbie declared, wiping a hand across her forehead. "You should be flattered really. I mean, you have a bloody celebrity that's crazy about you, so smitten in fact he forgot he was engaged. That can't be all bad."
          "Oh yeah Abs, he's just Mr Commitment," Gina spat. "You wouldn't believe how special I feel right now."
          "You told me he proposed to you, I think that's pretty fucking committed," Abbie declared frustrated and roughly grabbed a plastic watering can. She held it under the outside tap and turned it on letting the water gush into its belly.
          "He proposed to Jo too, that's just extra committed. I wonder how many other women he's got?" Gina grumbled. "It thought polygyny was illegal in this country?"
          "Oh for pity's sake, " Abbie muttered as she stopped filling the watering can and walked up behind Gina. She bit her lip as she lifted the can and let the water rain down on her friend. Gina leapt out of the chair and glared at Abbie.
          "You bitch!"
          "Well you're so pathetic Gina," Abbie declared. "You do this with every guy you meet. You find a reason to hate him and destroy the relationship. If you want a soulless, loveless romp go to a fucking male prostitute."
          "He's engaged to another woman."
          "But he's in love with you, hasn't he told you that like a billion times? Are you that insecure that you need more reassurance?"
          "If he loves me so much why isn't he here?"
          "Because he doesn't know you're here you stupid blonde!" Abbie snapped and marched back up the garden.
          "Better a stupid blonde than a frigid brunette," Gina retorted.
          "Oh, you're so going to pay for that," Abbie scowled, turned around and started heading back toward Gina.
          "Oh fuck!" Gina peeped and darted into the house with Abbie hot on her heels.

          Paul looked at his hands and noticed they were shaking slightly, he wasn't sure why. He'd changed his shirt five times before leaving his apartment and still, as he stood there at her door, wasn't sure what he was going to say. How do you explain that you love someone else to someone who still loves you without ending up in intensive care. He'd only fallen into that situation once before, back in his youth and it'd ended with an entire 24 piece crockery set being lobbed at him one daintily painted mug at a time. He looked up as the lock on the door clicked and found himself fighting against turning and running.
          "Paul," Jo smiled, the smile making Paul feel even worse as it was obvious she was excited to see him.
          "Hi," he managed to breathe somewhat nervously.
          "Come in," she perked and moved aside. As he brushed past her he couldn't help but note her skin was much more tanned, her hair blonder and her perfume enough to almost make him reconsider what he had to say. She ushered him into the living room and they sat side by side on the couch. "I can't believe you're here, it's been so long," Jo breathed, running her hand up his arm and onto his shoulder.
          "It has been a long time," Paul swallowed, noting she was still wearing her engagement ring. He looked at her, knowing he no longer loved her and felt her lips edging towards his, her warm breath tingling his cheek. "So, how was it? Did you like Europe? I like Europe, has some great places like the Eiffel Tower. Did you go to that? The view is just spectacular…"
          "Pauly," Jo cooed.
          "Rome, did you go to Rome because it’s an architecturally stunning place and…"
          "Paul," she giggled.
          "Yes," he swallowed.
          "We can talk later," Jo mused, her other hand slipping onto his thigh and she once again leaned forward to kiss him.
          "Wait, wait, please," Paul babbled and move away from her a little. "Jo, there's something I've got to tell you."
          "Oh," she said softly, worried by the tone in his voice.
          "When you left, I missed you like crazy, I did," Paul began twitching nervously. "Then after a while I realised that I wasn't sure if marrying you was the right thing. I mean I proposed to you at a time when I was having a few problems."
          "So you don't want to get married?" Jo shrugged, confused.
          "There's more," Paul winced. "I was going through all sorts of shit and then one day this women walked into my life…"
          "Oh so you've someone else," she spat, getting hurriedly to her feet.
          "You don't understand," Paul wailed jumping to his feet. "When she walked into my life I forgot how life was before her. I can't remember how I managed to get this far without her and it made me realise that if I married you, I'd be fucking up your life."
          "Oh well that makes it all right then," Jo sniffed.
          "I just, I want you to find the person that does that for you. Makes you wonder how you lived without them and don't say that person was me because if you'd really wanted to be with me you wouldn't have gone overseas for six months." Jo broke into tears and Paul stepped forward and wrapped her up in a hug. She let her arms hold him close for what would be the last time. "Your tan looks fantastic by the way," he announced wryly.
          "Bastard," Jo blubbed with a teary smile and buried her face into his shoulder.

          "So, is she seeing his brother or what?" Abbie announced as both women had each parked themselves on a two seater couch and were watching the Sunday night movie.
          "That's the flashback, it's actually his uncle," Gina sighed.
          "That was a flashback?" Abbie groused as the doorbell rang, making them both jump. "Christ, who wants me on a Sunday night?"
          "Maybe someone wants some sugar," Gina suggested.
          "Yes, because that happens in suburban Adelaide all the time," Abbie sarced as she got to her feet and wandered over to the door. She unlocked it cautiously and peered around the solid wooden door before opening it fully. "Hello," she mused reaching to unlock the flyscreen.
          "She's here right?" Paul asked tentatively, not sure if Abbie was going to hurt him in a way that might see him buried in the front garden with one of her deceased pets.
          "She might be," Abbie replied coyly. "Doesn't mean she wants to see you though."
          "Don't do this to me," Paul whined. "I'm tired, emotionally fucked and all want is to talk." Abbie looked over at Gina who had heard every word and was trying desperately to hide the fact her heart had leapt when she'd heard his voice.
          "Do you want to talk to your polygamist boyfriend?" Abbie asked. Gina got to her feet and made her way around the couch. As Abbie moved back to the couch Paul was left leaning against the doorframe looking miserable. Gina stood with her arms crossed and they looked at each other silently.
          "For Christ's sake women," Paul breathed, straightening up and running his fingers through his hair. "I mean there's nothing I can say or do to change what happened," he declared, throwing his arms in the air and turning away from her for a moment. "If you want me to fuck off and never come back, fine, I'll go but don't just stand there and say nothing ok? It's killing me."
          "What do you want me to do?" Gina asked quietly.
          "I was hoping you’d hold me and tell me that you loved me," Paul replied softly.
          "What do you think I'm gonna do?"
          "Tell me what a useless boyfriend I am, scream at me to fuck off and slam the door in my face," Paul swallowed and looked at his feet as he agitatedly kicked the doorstep. "That's the thing right, I said I fuck up all my relationships and I'm keeping true to form." Gina stepped forward and moved a hand onto his cheek making him look up at her. Before she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.
          "I love you," she whispered into his neck as Paul held her as close to him as was humanly possible.
          "You guys are so much better than television," Abbie piped up, trying to ease her uncomfortableness at the scene unfolding before her.
          "But I am on television," Paul mused, not daring to loosen his grip on the woman he loved.
          "Not now you're not," Abbie countered. "Guys, I'm feeling a little in the way and all with you two, well you know? Do you want me to leave?"
          "Nah, it’s ok Abs," Gina sighed, unwrapping herself from Paul. "We kinda need to talk," she added, slipping her hand into Paul's and leading him down the hallway.
          "Well after you've talked you can wash the sheets," Abbie called after them.

          "I'm always worried when you want to talk," Paul declared as he sat himself on the edge of the bed.
          "Why?" Gina asked as she picked up her discarded boots and tidied them away.
          "Because when people talk it’s never good news," Paul shrugged. "And in my case it usually ends with…'and it's all your fault.'"
          "What did you do after I told you to get out of my apartment last night?" Gina asked as she sat herself close to him on the bed.
          "The usual, went home and drank until I passed out," Paul sighed. "Look before you saying anything else I really am sorry, I know it doesn’t mean much in hindsight but it's all I can do."
          "No it doesn't mean much, not to me or Jo I imagine."
          "I talked to her today," Paul nodded. "Explained everything to her. She was really upset but surprisingly understanding."
          "I'd be upset too."
          "She's just another one in the long line of women's lives I've wrecked because I'm a relationship retard. I find something good and then fuck it up so spectacularly that I'm actually brought up as 'that bastard' in dinner conversations by ex-girlfriends," Paul dropped his head into his hands and Gina gently rubbed his back.
          "I still love you," she soothed.
          "You shouldn't bother. I mean I've already reduced you to tears on several occasions and we've only known each other a couple of months. I'd get out while you still can. Find someone who knows how to treat you with the love and respect you deserve. Instead of some manchild who appears at your door drunk, at 5am and declares he loves you."
          "Oh but I kinda find that sweet," Gina mused. "It proves that even when you're smashed you can still find your way home to me."
          "Gee what an achievement," Paul groused.
          "Paul, do you want to walk back out that door and never see each other again?" Gina asked as Paul lifted his head.
          "Of course I fucking don't," he replied. "I couldn't. I'd get drunk at turn up on your doorstep at 5am."
          Gina giggled and cupped his face in her hands. "Well you have to promise me one thing."
          "I promised the honesty thing."
          "And you've kept to it, but this is something else."
          "So you want me to promise two things?" Gina narrowed her eyes. "Sorry, you're making me nervous."
          "I'd forgive you for a lot of things. Drunkenness, flirting, outright stupidity, hell I'd probably forgive you if you fucked someone else. Not that I'm encouraging you to go out and do it. But, if you ever do to me what you did to Jo, I would never forgive you."
          Paul nodded, his face still in her hands. "Does this mean you might marry me one day?"
          "Stranger things have happened," Gina said coyly and kissed him tenderly. Paul enthusiastically pulled her into his lap and they fell back onto the bed.

          Paul was roughly awoken the next morning by Gina shaking his arm. He blearily tried to focus and after a few moments was disappointed to find she was dressed.
          "What? Abs hasn't be mauled by her fucking cats has she?" he yawned.
          "Nope, we've gotta get to the airport," Gina declared. "So get up."
          Paul thought she'd gone mad for a moment and then realised that it was in fact Monday and he had to be at work in Sydney in only a few hours. "Where's the bathroom?"
          "No time, just get dressed." Paul let out a groan and dragged himself reluctantly out from under the covers. Gina had obviously been up for hours and looked wonderful and smelt gorgeous. He on the other hand was stinky, scruffy and looked like shit. After quickly pulling on his discarded clothes and borrowing some of Abbie's deodorant he stumbled over a cat and into the kitchen.
          "My god," Abbie giggled looking immaculate in her work clothes. "You look like a wino."
          "Better than looking like an accountant," Paul teased.
          "And I'm happy you're both accurate portrayals of your chosen careers, now let’s go," Gina ordered and escorted Paul out of the door.
          "Bye Abs!" Paul called, steadying himself as he nearly toppled down the steps. Gina unlocked Abbie's car and they piled in. Paul thought it odd that Gina would take Abbie's car to the airport but shrugged it off as she pulled out of the driveway.
          An hour later Gina parked the car in the airport car park and they headed toward the terminal.
          "Where's your stuff?" Paul asked, noticing Gina seemed to be lacking any sort of bag or case which just wasn't normal for any woman.
          "At Abbie's," Gina replied as they stepped through the doors.
          "Why?" he asked stopping suddenly.
          "Because I'm not going back, not just yet anyway," Gina winced.
          "Oh," Paul swallowed. "I just thought that…" his voice trailed off and he dug his hands into his pockets.
          "I need to think about few things," Gina said softly as she reached out to squeeze the top of his arms.
          "What kinda things?" Paul asked sheepishly.
          "You'll find out," she cooed and pulled him close for a quick hug.
          "I don't want to find out and I don't want to go home without you," Paul huffed moving his arms around her waist and making sure he was in the right position to hang on and stop her from leaving.
          "You're a celebrity you kinda have to."
          "I thought we were cool, that we'd sorted everything out?"
          "We did, but there's some things I need to deal with," Gina soothed.
          "So when will you come home?" Paul asked his eyes wide and pleading.
          "Soon enough," Gina breathed as Paul's flight was called. They held each other for a brief, yet intense kiss and then parted. Paul reluctantly sidled up to the check in desk. He turned to look over at Gina and give her his most pathetic look but she'd already gone.
          "Sir?" the young girl at the check in desk called. He jolted back to reality and limply handed his ticket to her smiling face.

          Abbie dropped the phone in her office back into its cradle after her third argument with the taxation office that morning. "Useless bastards," she groused.
          "Who is?" Gina asked sauntering into the room.
          "What the hell are you doing here?" Abbie gasped, giving a quick glance out of the door and just waiting for her boss to berate her for having an uninvited guest.
          "I'm miserable," Gina replied, getting herself comfortable in a swivel chair.
          "I did tell you to go with him," Abbie sighed, focussing her attention back on her monitor.
          "He looked so crushed when I said I was staying."
          "I'm not surprised, you told him you loved him not 24 hours ago."
          "And I do Abs," Gina sighed. "But what if I'm making a huge mistake? I mean we've not had a rocky start to our relationship. We've had bloody gigantic boulders. I mean, I know he wants us to get married one day and while it’s such a great thought, could you really see it happening? How can you spend you life with someone when your relationship revolves around nothing more than a mutual dependence on each other?"
          "You are so blonde," Abbie groaned. "Isn't that why you marry someone, because you just can't live without them, or am I going insane?"
          "I don't want to depend on someone. I like being independent," Gina groused. "Believe me, I've tried."
          "Coleman why are you trying to sabotage your relationship huh? If a guy flew half way across the country for me I'd be grateful someone like that walked into my life."
          "It's all happened so quickly. I mean a couple of months ago I was happily single and now I'm very nearly shacked up with a celebrity and talking marriage. I'm absolutely terrified Abs," Gina breathed looking despondently at her friend.