Walking through the front door I noticed firstly the scent of old pizza and alcohol. It had been the same scent every time I came over the last few days. I had to go to a meeting this morning, and when I left, Max was fast asleep. I had hoped that by the time I came back he would have had a shower, or do something other than drink and mope around his apartment like he had for the last few day.

I followed the sound of the television and walked into the room to see Max on the sofa.

‘You leaving the house today?’ I asked Max, but the man only shook his head and I sat down next to him.

My best friend was wearing sweat pants with no shirt, his hair was a mess and he looked as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. His breakup with Ryan was slowly killing him and it hurt me more than I could say to see him like this.

After I got to his house the other day, he had just cried and told me that Ryan had chosen Claudia. At first I was going to go over to Ryan’s apartment and whoop his ass, but I needed to look after my best friend.

He had spent the last few days on the couch, a drink in his hand and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. The morning after the breakup he told me what Ryan had said, that Claudia had threatened both of their careers and that the baby was some guy named Zach’s. I felt so bad for Ryan, I knew he was trying to save his career and protect Max, but that evil woman can’t control his life like that. I had asked Max if I could call Ryan and talk to him, but Max just told me that Ryan made his choice.

After that day he blocked me out. Whenever I tried to get through to him, the man would just look at his lap and say nothing. Ryan was everything to him, and now he was just missing all his meetings and drinking his life and career away.

‘Come on Max, let’s go to lunch or something?’ I prompted, placing a hand on his arm, but he just moved his arm away from my touch.

‘What do you say? There’s a new place opening in Hollywood today, we could go there?’

He just shook his head again, ‘Why? I have nothing left’

‘You have your career and you have me,’ I tried to reason but he wasn’t listening.

‘I don’t have Ryan, every time I go out, I could run into him and his new happy family’ I watched the tears well up in his big green eyes, ‘I can’t- I just can’t see that.’

I pulled him into my arms and let him cry into my neck.

‘I thought that he would choose me,’ he mumbled out between sobs and it broke my heart.

Max was the strongest person I know, but seeing him like this, vulnerable and broken, it was like the essence of what made him himself was gone and all was left was the empty shell of a man who had loved and lost.

How could Ryan not see that? Not see that by choosing Claudia, he was destroying Max, destroying the future with him that he could have had.

The man pulled away from me, ‘I’m going to have a shower.’

‘That’s a good idea,’ I told him and I watched him walk away.

My phone rang in my pocket and I hoped that it was good news. I could use some of that about now.

‘Hello.’

‘Claudia! How are you?’ I recognised the voice instantly as Colton Jacobs, one of my clients. The blonde was a great model, whose career had been rising over the past year.

‘Colton! I am great’ I lied, but I couldn’t let my personal life and issues with Max interfere with my work. ‘How are you?’

‘I’m good, look, I really need to see you, can you meet me for coffee?’ His voice was not as cheery as usual and I wondered whether there was a problem.

I looked over to the direction of Max, and although I didn’t really want to leave him alone, I can’t just say no to Colton, he may need my advice.

‘Sure Hun, how about that little Café we went to last time?’ I told him, remembering the rustic little café not too far from here.

‘That’s perfect, 1pm?’ I looked at my gold watch, I would have to leave in a few minutes.

‘I’ll see you there Hun.’

I hung up the phone and went to the kitchen to make Max some food, if it was up to him I am sure that the man would have starved to death by now. Maybe I should get him a maid or something.

As I went to open the fridge I saw his phone on the bench, it was unlocked and opened onto his photo album. I did a quick sweep of the room with my eyes to make sure I was alone before picking up the phone. The albums name was ‘The Adventures of Maxxie and Ray’. I smiled at that, realising for the first time that when I had picked up Max’s phone and saw the caller was ‘Ray’ that it must have been Ryan. How could something so important and precious to Max’s life get past me like that?

I focused on the album, the first photo made me laugh. Max must have taken the photo, Ryan was standing in Max’s kitchen, a burnt cake in his hands, and an overly dramatic disappointed look on his young face. The next one was a photo taken in a mirror, Max was holding his phone, a goofy smile on his face while the man next to him kissed his cheek. I scrolled through hundreds of photos, all of the couple, happy and in love. The most recent one however was of Ryan and I, Ryan was holding his belly with one hand and a Chinese take-out box in the other and I was laughing at him. I didn’t even know that Max took that photo.

The next one wasn’t a photo at all, but a video.

I clicked play and the first image to pop up was Ryan’s head, it then zoomed out and it showed Ryan standing some hotel room, a smile on his lips and his bright eyes were wide and happy.

‘Now, this here, is what is known as a ‘Hotel Room’’ he said hotel room in a mysterious voice and I laughed, ‘I know kids, oober scary, anyway, this over here is a man in his natural habitat’

The camera turned and now it showed a big bed, white and gold sheets strewn everywhere, a man in the middle of them, taking up most of the bed with his arms wide. The tanned man’s shirt was missing, and I was silently thank-full that he was wearing boxers, the black fabric standing out against the light sheets. The sunlight was coming in through the window, but the man was fast asleep.

‘This creature is from the distant land known as Australia!’ he spoke while walking around the bed, ‘Although, I have never heard him call someone ‘Mate’ which seems like a waste of a good opportunity if you ask me. Anyway, his favourite food is coffee, I know what you’re thinking, it’s not a food, and I have tried to argue that fact with the vicious creature, but he insists, anyway, he is extremely good looking, but be warned, he is malicious and mischievous when he wants to be’ He winked at the last few words and a laugh left my mouth.

I watched as Max stirred on the bed and he lifted his tired eyes to the phone. ‘What on earth are you doing Ryan?’

‘The creature also talks with a weird accent, which is also quite sexy if you ask me.’

Max looked at him like he had just shot up with cocaine and jumped out of a window.

‘He is quite docile in the mornings, so do not fear.’

Max growled in the bed, ‘Ok, maybe fear a little bit,’ Ryan laughed.

‘I am going to kill you’ Max laughed at Ryan.

‘Oh he’s feeling murderous today, how nice’ Ryan smirked brightly into the camera.

Max slowly sat up and moved towards Ryan before lunging towards him, Ryan turned and ran, ‘The monsters coming! Run for your lives!’ Ryan yelled out as he ran, but then he stopped moving and it was like he was falling backwards. I heard Ryan laugh and the camera turned and Ryan was standing, Max was at his back, hands around his waist as he kissed the man’s neck.

‘It’s ok, call of the search party, he just wanted cuddles not to rip my head off and eat my bones.’

Max chuckled against his neck, ‘Turn that off please Explorer Ryan, no videotaping in this retarded and extremely random and probably illegal Zoo.’

Ryan giggled, ‘you heard him folks, rules are rules, bye for now.’

‘You’re an idiot, you know that?’

‘Yeah, but I’m your idiot,’ Ryan laughed as Max kissed his cheek. The screen went black and I just stared at the blank screen, thinking about them. How could a relationship like there’s just end like this? It didn’t seem right.

‘What are you doing?’ A loud voice with a slight Australian accent pulled me from my thoughts and surprised me. I dropped the phone back on the bench and Max scooped it up.

‘You were going through my photos,’ He accused and he was right. I felt awful, these memories must mean a lot to him and I was snooping through them.

‘Um, it was open, I just had a little look.’

‘Just get out’ he sighed and I was shocked.

‘Max..’

‘No Aria, just please leave.’

‘Max, I didn-’ I started but the look he gave me made me want to shrivel up and die in a hole somewhere, the place where bad friends go to die, so I stopped talking and picked up my handbag. I patted his arm and kissed his cheek when I passed him, but that awful look didn’t leave his handsome face.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

I walked into the Café, and searched the room of small black tables and chairs for Colton, knowing that with his white blonde hair I would be able to find him pretty quickly.

I was looking for him alone so I was surprised when I saw him at a table with two other men. The one to his left was Cameron Hex, a man who I had met a few times, seeing as he was Colton’s boyfriend.

Just seeing the third man’s face sparked hatred and sympathy at the same time to rise up in me. His almost blonde hair was a mess, and the bags under his eyes could be seen from across the room. It was hard to decipher whether I wanted to hug him or hit him. Hitting him seemed like the best option, it might wack some sense into the boy.

I guess its Ass Whoopin Time!

They must have seen my expression as I stormed over to them because Cameron stood up and blocked me from Ryan.

‘Get out of my way, I am going to kick that boys ass’

Cameron looked a bit shocked but covered it quickly, taking another step towards me and blocking me further from my path to Ryan.

‘Aria, we just want to talk.’

‘Let’s just talk, ok?’ Colton said from behind him.

‘Fine.’ I huffed and after a few seconds of warranted hesitation Cameron moved out of my way.

‘You better have one fricken amazing excuse for breaking my best friends heartm’ I told him when I sat down and I expected him to at least say something, have some excuse, but all the boy did was sit there, and I watched as guilt clouded his features and tears welled up in his big blue eyes.

I thought back to all those photos of Ryan, and in each one he was so happy, so full of life, but looking at him now, you wouldn’t even recognise the person in front of me.

‘I just want to fix this,’ He whispered and I leaned over and I watched in the corner of my eye as Cameron sat up straighter, preparing to protect Ryan, but he didn’t have to. I just clasped his hand and squeezed it.

‘I’m in,’ I said strongly.

‘What?’ he whispered, looking at me expectantly.

‘I’m in. Whatever I can do to help, I will. This is your last chance Ryan, there will be no more after this.'

'Understood,' he nodded.

'Good, because Max needs you, I have been with him these last few days and believe me, he is a mess without you, so I will do whatever I can to help fix this.'

‘Thank-you,’ he squeezed my hand.

I looked over to Colton and Cameron, ‘So you guys know each other? I didn’t even think you were friends?’

‘Ryan and I go way back. Colton and I just want to help.’ Cameron said, sipping at his coffee.

‘Do you have a plan?’ I asked, and a small smile formed on Colton’s lips as he shared a glance with Ryan.

‘We’ve got a plan.’