5. Broken

Genre: Paranormal romance, drama
Type: Series
Characters: Devon, Tamsyn
Prompt: 003. Broken
Word Count: 1100+
Warning: Wow, none
Rating:  PG-13
Summary: it's the end of the road for Devon and Tamsyn...
003. Broken

__________

Bridgeport, present day

Devon paced his kitchen, trying to decide how to break the news. Knowing her she’d scream anyway, whether he approached the matter delicately or not.

He was about to pour himself some coffee when he changed his mind. Caffeine would send his heart racing, and he had to be calm for this. He was glad Leigh was out, and wouldn’t witness this too.

At exactly 17:30 pm Tamsyn walked through the front door, dumped her briefcase on the desk in their make-shift study, in the corner of the room, before pecking him quickly on the cheek. He wondered again how long it’s been since they kissed…like really kissed, and made love? Don’t even go there! He shook himself mentally.

“How was your day?” He asked softly as he watched her kick off her high heels and reach for the TV remote in one fluid movement.

“It was lovely,” she replied absently and flicked through the channels.

“Tam, we need to talk!” He got straight to the point. The alarmed look on her face told him the conversation wouldn’t end well. He knew that of course, breaking up with someone hardly ever ended well.  He’d been through so many breakups in the past, been on both ends too, so he knew…

“I’m listening.” Her voice was clipped and tight, a sign that her day had gone from lovely to bad, and he’d pay for it later if they both survived their ‘talk’.

“I’ve been thinking, about us. It’s not working,” he began, but she quickly pounced on him, ready to defend her position.

“What’s not working? Nonsense! We’re happy. Your sister took the job, we’ll be fine. It was just the financial pressure between us that’s all.” She laughed, an unsure, nervous laugh, trying to convince him to stay, but they both knew she was reaching, prolonging the inevitable.

It was more than just financial pressure. The break in their relationship was so profound, fixing it would demand more time, more energy, and he highly doubted they both had enough of that left over to start again. He was exhausted, drained emotionally and mentally.

But God, he did love her. He loved her so much, and things between them were great once, the sex was phenomenal, and there was a time when they could talk endlessly, learning, discovering, listening. But somewhere along the way, fewer words were needed to keep them afloat, so they both stopped listening.

The truth was it wasn’t entirely her fault. He was just as responsible. He knew from the start how she felt about Leigh moving in. Despite her protests he’d let his sister move in anyway.

Family meant everything to him, and that’s why he couldn’t abandon his sister when they had an extra room. But for Tamsyn, with her keen gift of predicting the future, bringing Leigh on board had spelled trouble.

It was simple mathematics. That’s how she’d explained it. Add a third person to any sexual relationship, whether it's a friend, parent, child, sibling, and the relationship dynamics are bound to change. It’s how people adjust to these new dynamics that determines the end result. And Tamsyn was honest from the start. She couldn’t adjust, she wasn’t good with sharing her space, but for him she’d tried, for as long as she could, until her selfish inner child couldn’t be appeased any longer.

Maybe that was the first crack in the break, when he blatantly ignored her wishes, refusing to hear her.  It’s the little things, they always pile up in the end! He thought forlornly.

“See, I knew you’d come to your senses,” she smiled, and his heart flipped a little. That’s what had gotten him, her smile…the ray of sunshine in his stressful world.

He shook his head sadly, realizing his mistake. She’d thought silence meant they were okay. They weren’t okay, hadn’t been for a long time.

“We can’t Tam. We can’t go through with the wedding. I think some time apart will do us good.” His words were like stones and they fell hard on them, leaving wounds and bruises he wasn’t sure would ever heal. If it was so painful for him, surely Tamsyn was in agony!

 “I’m so sorry!” Tamsyn fell apart then, her broken sobs slicing the few remaining pieces of his heart. He made the mistake of looking at her. He saw her cry silently in her hands, her tears snaking through her fingers.

 

His first instinct was to reach for her, tuck her in his arms. Lie to her and tell her they’d be fine. Go through with the wedding anyway, and hope they’d make it. But then he remembered his own parents’ sham marriage, how horrible it must have been from the start, and how well they’d hid it for his and Ashleigh’s sake. No…They both deserved a clean break. It would hurt a whole lot more if he gave in to the lie.

"It’s not your fault.” In the end, he couldn't stand her pain. He hugged her tightly to him, fighting off his own tears. He’d miss her terribly. Their beginning was beautiful, and that’s what he’d hang on to, and he hoped she’d do the same.

“I’ve been such a bitch, taking it all out on you. I just didn’t know how to deal with things anymore. This is not the life I wanted. I wanted financial security and freedom, not to live from hand to mouth like we are. God I love you, yes I do. And I thought it would be enough, but…This isn’t me, Dev…This life, chasing after dreams and fame. It isn’t me. I want more. I want a family, money and a stable income.”

He'd known that too...More cracks in the break. For a while they’d covered them up very well, put a temporary seal, and dressed them up in a new coat of paint. They shouldn’t have!

But music was his life, as unstable as it was.

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ve both made mistakes…”

“And Ashleigh was just the catalyst," she added softly. "I’ll leave her a note. But please explain to her…Let her know. She’d a good person, and we used to be friends. I can’t believe how badly I’ve treated her. And you, Dev, you’re a good man.” She pulled away from him then, and entered their bedroom for the last time. He could hear her cry amidst the rustling of her clothes as she forced them into her expensive suitcases.

He went for a walk then; he couldn’t bear to watch her leave. He was surprised at how well she’d handled things, she didn’t scream and insult him like he’d thought she would. Maybe that was a good sign…maybe things wouldn’t be so bad when his heart started beating again.