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Tonight Martin was round Zack’s apartment for dinner. They hadn't really seen each other over the past week, both of them working too hard, so they’d decided to make time for each tonight. They needed to make time for each other tonight. Seeing at it was a Saturday, Zack didn’t even have to deal with Martin waking up stupidly early to primp himself for work.

Zack wasn’t much of a chef (and ‘much of’ means ‘not even slightly’), so they’d just ordered take-out, retiring to the sofa afterwards with some meaningless TV playing in the background. Martin was currently yammering away about something someone had said at work, leaving Zack to drift into his thoughts, just nodding and humming his agreement to make it look like he was listening. What? He had no idea what Martin was talking about, nor did he care to learn all the ‘bitches’ names that worked with him. It was too much effort for people that Martin liked one week and despised the next. Absolutely exhausting.

Zack found himself drifting into dangerous territory though. He found himself thinking about Jack. Well, about Rian talking about Jack yesterday.

~

“Are you still pissed off about that?” Rian sighed.

“Alex shouldn’t have been talking about them. It was completely unprofessional and you know it,” Zack retorted.

Rian rolled his eyes. “I agree, Alex shouldn’t have been talking about Jack’s sex life, but that’s not why you’re pissed off, is it?”

“You’re crossing a line, Rian,” Zack growled.

“Am I? Because it seems that you’re getting angry at everything to do with Jack’s boyfriend without a decent reason! You can’t get jealous or pissy or anything like that, because not only have you never shown Jack that you fancy the pants off him, but you both have boyfriends!” Rian said firmly.

Zack gritted his teeth. This wasn’t fair. “You know it’s not like that,”

“Isn’t it? Because I’m not the only one that’s started to notice. You need to be more careful, Zack,” Rian frowned.

~

“Oh my God Zack, seriously?!”

Zack broke out of his thoughts, glancing over at Martin who looked pissed. Absolutely pissed at him. Whoops.

“What?”

“You haven’t been listening to me for the past 20 minutes!”

“Yeah I have,” Zack shot back.

Lie.

“Really? Because I just said that I’d be up for a threesome with Rian and you just nodded,” Martin scowled.

“Woah, what?” Zack said, confused.

Martin rolled his eyes, scowling even more. “I was testing to see if you were actually listening and obviously you weren’t. What is wrong with you?”

Like he could actually tell the truth here.

“Nothing,” Zack muttered.

“Don’t bullshit me. Ever since that skinny bitch PA started you’ve barely even noticed me, let alone paid attention,” Martin spat.

Oh for fuck’s sake.

“Don’t start Martin,” Zack warned.

“Or what? You’ll break up with me and go back to fucking him?” Martin said angrily.

This was too far.

“I’m not fucking him,” Zack growled.

“But you want to,” Martin retorted.

“Shut up…”

“No I’m sick of this!” Martin interrupted, “We’ve been together for years and years, and every time something new and shiny comes along I get kicked to the curb until you beg me back! I’m not a toy, Zack!”

Now Zack was just getting mad too.

“Maybe I break up with you because you’re a little bitch, ever think of that? All you do is whine and moan and bitch and, oh, cheat on me with your colleague Paul, and I still take you back!”

Dark anger flashed across Martin’s eyes. Good, he’d touched a nerve. And yeah, Martin may have been right about Zack’s eyes wandering occasionally, but it wasn't like he actually cheated. Not like Martin had with that smooth-talking asshole Paul.

“I will not be spoken to like this,” Martin spat.

“You know where the door is. Don’t bother coming back,” Zack growled.

Martin’s breath hitched in his throat, fists clenching as he stood up. Zack fought the lump rising in his throat. What was happening? Why and how had this escalated so quickly?!

“You’re an asshole. I hate you,” Martin choked.

“Good, remember that. Maybe we’re not right for each other Martin. Maybe it’s about time you realised that,” Zack scowled.

Tears filled Martin’s eyes, and within 10 seconds he had stormed out of Zack’s apartment, the door slamming hard behind him. In an instant, the entire atmosphere in the room changed. Zack suddenly felt like everything was pressing down on him, like a huge weight was crushing him, like he’d done something incredibly stupid. But it wasn’t stupid, was it? This may have been the biggest fight they’d had in a while, but it was made up of all the little fights they had all the time. Zack couldn’t deal with Martin’s attitude anymore. Maybe Zack hadn’t acted completely impulsively. Maybe they weren’t right for each other after all.

With a growl, Zack stood up from the sofa himself. How was this fair? How did Martin manage to make him feel like the bad guy? He hadn’t done anything wrong! He hadn’t acted on his desires for Jack at all! Martin was the one in the wrong here, not him.

“FUCK!” Zack yelled.

He slammed his foot into the coffee table in front of him, venting his anger, only to have it fly across the room and crack right down the middle, one of the legs breaking off entirely. Fuck. Fuck. What was this evening turning into? He’d broken up with his long-term boyfriend and he’d broken his favourite coffee table. Fuck.

Wherever and however tonight had happened, Zack just knew that he didn’t want to see Martin for a while. A long while. No calls, no texts, no face-to-face meetings. Maybe they just needed some time apart to clear their heads.

Either way, he needed to tell people. Even if it was just to prevent himself from breaking anything else.

To: Rian
From: Zack

Martin and I broke up. I think it’s serious this time.

His best friend always knew what to do and what to say. Rian was always so good like that. He didn’t have to wait long for a reply.

To: Zack
From: Rian

Sorry to hear that. What happened?

Zack smiled sadly. He wasn’t sure if Rian actually was sorry, or just sorry that he was upset. Either way, it was nice to hear.

To: Rian
From: Zack

We had a huge fight. To summarise, I apparently didn’t pay him the attention he deserved and told him to leave because we aren’t right for each other. He said he hated me and left. I just need a break from him right now. Can’t be around him or talking to him.

It was true. All this built up anger needed to simmer down, and Zack didn’t know how long it would take him.

To: Zack
From: Rian

That sucks. I think you’re probably right, that the two of you need a decent time apart if you ever want to work things out. If you don’t want to talk to him for a while, then you’re going to need to get Jack to block his calls.

Zack hadn’t even thought of that. Could he talk to Jack? After this argument was involving him? No, wait, that wasn’t fair on his PA. The poor guy was so innocent in nature and had no idea he even affected Zack this way, so he couldn’t take it out on him. And Rian was right – if Jack didn’t know why, he didn’t have just reason to block Martin’s calls.

To: Rian
From: Zack

Yeah, I just don’t know if we’ll be able to work it out, not this time. But I will get Jack to block his calls, even just for now. See you on Monday.

Zack put his phone down on the sofa briefly, running his hand over his head as he tried to think of how to tell Jack. Should he just tell him not to let Martin’s calls come through without an explanation? No, because Jack would probably ask Alex and Alex would tell him a gossiped version of what happened. No, it was best that it came from him.

To: Jack
From: Zack

Good evening Jack. Sorry that this is out of the blue and not on a work night, but I needed to inform you now that Martin will no longer be welcome in the office, so if he calls block him and if he arrives call security. We are no longer together.

There. That was blunt enough, right? Jack didn’t need the details, just the facts. And it meant he didn’t have to blurt out his feelings (who ever wants to do that?) because Jack wouldn’t question him, not about this.

While he waited for Jack to reply, Zack moved the broken table to stand upright by his front door. He’d have to get rid of that tomorrow morning before work. And it was such a nice table.

To: Zack
From: Jack

Hey, it’s okay, I don’t mind you texting. I’m sorry to hear about your break-up. Are you okay?

Wow. Zack was really touched by the concern. Jack didn’t need to ask how he was. No other PA had cared during a break-up before. Jack really was so sweet.

Wait. Fuck. He couldn’t be thinking about Jack like that right now. Not now.

To: Jack
From: Zack

I’ll be fine. I will need you to look for a new coffee table for me though.

Seriously. Zack liked having a coffee table.

To: Zack
From: Jack

I’m not even going to ask why – I’ll get on it on Monday.