an idiot.”

“I’m sure everyone will just say ‘Duh!”

“Probably. Take care, Ian. Talk to you soon?”

“Sure thing. Night.”

“Hey, Ian? “

“Yeah?”

“This may sound kinda faggy, but I sort of miss you, dude.”

“Yeah, I sort of miss you, too.”

“Night”

Ian closed the phone. He couldn’t believe Clair. Actually, yes he could and he was positive that she’d just show up at the office one day in the next few weeks, bags in hand and expect that nothing ever changed. He shook his head is mock disbelief.

“Clair, Clair, Clair…” he said out loud. “What a stupid bitch.” He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, roughing it up and flopping back on the bed. Of course, she didn’t believe it was over. She had always done the breaking up before, and he’d always pleaded he would change and she would consent to take him back. Hell, he had ‘changed’ so many times he didn’t even know who he was.

But he had told her he couldn’t take it anymore and it was over. She had just looked him straight in the eye and said, “Right, you’ll be back.” He had thrown a few clothes in his gym bag and headed toward the door, telling her he’d be back for the rest of his stuff as soon as he had some new digs. She laughed and snorted, “No one breaks up with me.”

He shouted, “I just did” over his shoulder as he slammed the door behind him. She even had the balls to call Billy and tell him he was probably on the way and to tell him that she’d have breakfast ready in the morning. So Bill was expecting him when he showed up at his apartment door. He’d had time to tell Renee to take a hike for a few hours and put a case of beer in the fridge. Ian even noticed an unopened bottle of Scotch and two glasses on the coffee table when he walked in the door. Yeah, they’d both obviously been through this before.

They had been college roommates. They had pretty much seen it all and done it all together. They were so much alike, but different enough to keep each other endlessly entertained through ten years of friendship, but that night was oh so much different.

Ian knew it was definitely over between him and Clair. It was the only way he could save himself. He felt like this huge black hole sucking in and destroying everything around him. He knew Clair wasn’t the vortex, but definitely the apex, and in order to think straight she had to go.

So that night the scotch had flowed freely, and the beer backs slammed incessantly. They were two thirds of the way through the bottle when the tears began to flow. But it wasn’t the tears that Billy was talking about that Ian didn’t want to discuss.

Ian poured himself a scotch, popped open the glass doors and stepped out onto his balcony to drink in the fresh evening air, hoping it would keep him from going further in his mind. He stared down into the water of the pool below and thought of how he’d stared into the almost empty scotch glass on the table that night.

He couldn’t