“I can’t believe you, Brian. This is the last time I’m falling for your shit. We’re through,” Marissa yelled, disappointed in herself for believing her boyfriend’s lies yet again. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t handle you cheating anymore. I can’t handle you spending more time working on that damn machine than talking to me. I just can’t do it anymore,” she added in a whispered sigh, refusing the let her tears escape their locked prison.

She picked up the last of her things, carrying them to the awaiting taxi ready to take her home, where she belonged. Tampa. With one last lingering look at her stone-faced boyfriend, she closed the door and drove off into the sunset alone, no prince charming on a white horse to save her from her misery.

###

“Mom, I’m home!” she called into the house, waiting anxiously for a response. When she heard the familiar call of “Marissa, is that you, honey?” she immediately let the tears loose from their captive state. “Oh mom, why did I have to be such a fool? Why did I believe him when he said he’d never do it again?” she cried, holding onto her mother with every ounce of strength she had left in her soul.

“That’s love, baby. I did the same thing when your father cheated on me. I took him back more times than I care to admit, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I got my most precious gift from that man. I got you,” her mother soothed, holding her daughter back with as much strength as she could muster in her aging body.

“I thought I heard your loud voice hollerin’ through the house,” Nick Carter announced, making his presence known as he walked over to the two embracing women. “Hey Short-Stuff, what are you doing home? I thought for sure you’d be spending time with that Brad guy you’ve been dating.”

“It’s Brian, and we’re over. He cheated, again, and I just couldn’t handle it anymore,” she admitted to her childhood friend and partner in crime. The tears began flowing with renewed strength at the sight of the only man in her life who had yet to hurt her. They had grown up together, their mothers having been best friends at work, but had lost touch when Brian had demanded she stop talking to him, accusing her of cheating. Ironic, huh?

“Well it’s about damn time, woman! How many times have I told you that guy was an asshole?” Nick exclaimed, excited by the prospect of having his best friend back. However, no one said Nick had class or was very good at reading emotions when Marissa’s tearful cries increased at his harsh words. “Oh shit, Mari, I didn’t mean to make you cry. Damn it, I always do this,” Nick vented, angry at himself for making her even more upset.

Despite herself, Marissa burst into laughter at Nick’s rambling mess of words. “It’s okay Nick. I’m tired of crying over someone who wasn’t worth my time. I missed you, you big dufus,” she kidded, trying to whap him over the head, but missing by over an inch due to his towering height.

“I missed you too, Short-Stuff,” he responded, seriously, pulling her into his comforting embrace. “More than you can imagine. I worried about you, y’know.”

“I thought for sure you wouldn’t even know I was gone. The way you go through women, I thought you wouldn’t even have time to miss me, let alone worry about me,” she kidded.

“A lot can happen in six month, Mar. I haven’t dated anyone since you left. It just didn’t feel right without you here,” Nick admitted, staring down into the still glistening eyes of the woman he’d fallen in love with so many years prior. He gently tucked a loose strand of her long, brown hair behind her ear, sending a shiver through her body.

She couldn’t believe the thoughts running through her mind. Here she was, standing in a lover’s embrace with her best friend, waiting anxiously for him to lean down and kiss her. And yet, she had just broken up with her boyfriend less than 12 hours before. “Kids, lunch is ready!” Marissa’s mom called, breaking the two friends from their thoughts and causing them to jump apart with projectile force.

“Uhmm…” Nick coughed, trying to clear the knot in his throat. “I guess we should go eat. I bet you’re hungry after all that crying.”

“Yeah, I am pretty hungry,” she admitted. “Tell ma I’ll be there in a second. I just want to wash my face real quick,” she covered, rushing off before he could refuse.

As soon as the door to the bathroom was closed behind her, she sunk down onto the toilet with a heavy heart. She had been so close to kissing her best friend that had her mom not interfered, she probably would have succeeded. “He’s my BEST friend. The same runt who picked on me all throughout my childhood. The same kid who used to throw me into the pool fully clothed, just to get a rise out of me. The same punk whose house I spent more time at growing up than my own. I shouldn’t be feeling this way toward my best friend. And what about Brian? I just broke up with him a few hours ago. What is wrong with me?”

Her phone chose that moment to ring, the last name she expected to see on her caller ID making its presence known. “What do you want Brian? I thought I made myself clear,” she answered in the most monotone voice she could muster.

“I know, and I respect that. But as soon as I went back into the house and saw your stuff missing, I knew I’d made a mistake. It doesn’t feel like home anymore. It feels so empty. My whole body feels empty. I love you, Rissa. You know I always have. I need you. You’re everything to me,” Brian pleaded through the line, hoping that his words would have their desired impact.

“I’m sorry, Brian, but you hurt too many times. You cheated on me, Brian. Do you know what that means? That means that even though you vowed to love only me, you let yourself be intimate with someone else. Can you imagine what that felt like? Knowing my soon-to-be-fiancé was sleeping with another woman, three days before he was going to propose?”

“How did you…” he began, only to be cut off by an angry Marissa.

“How did I know? I’ll tell you how I knew. Kristin, your cousin’s wife, told me that you and Kevin went ring shopping last week, and that you told Kevin that you planned on proposing tonight, on our 1-year anniversary. That’s how I knew. And yet, you still cheated on me with your new secretary. Funny how that works,” she sneered, not caring if she sounded like a bitch.

“Rissa, it’s not what you think. She doesn’t mean anything to me. She came onto me. I tried to deny her, but she wouldn’t let me leave the room,” Brian lied, looking at the woman to his right who was currently sleeping contentedly while he tried desperately to win back the only woman he had ever loved.

“Then tell me, honestly, that she’s not there right now, sleeping next to you,” Marissa demanded, knowing he couldn’t honestly deny her allegations.

“I…” he began, but closed his mouth, refusing to lie to her yet again.

“That’s what I thought,” she half-smiled, disappointed in the man she had given so much of her life and heart to. “We’re over, Brian. There’s no going back. I can’t go back to where we used to be. I can’t keep playing these games with you. I’m sorry, but we’re done. For good. I’ll always love you, but we’ll never be together again. Not in that way. You should get some sleep. I’ve got to go.”

Brian finally gave into his tears, letting one tiny drop fall from his eye. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“Goodbye, Rissa.”

“Goodbye, Brian.”

She sat there, looking at her tear-stained face in the mirror, wondering where this newfound strength had come from. But deep down, she knew the answer. Nick had always encouraged her to be strong and to stand up for herself. It was no wonder that just being around him had given her the strength she needed to finally end things with Brian.

“Mari, are you okay?” Nick called through the door, worrying about her.

“Not yet, but I will be,” she responded, opening the door on her new life. A life without Brian. A life with the people who loved her. A life with Nick.