Lottie's been extremely busy at the studio lately so Riley's been pretty much on his own. They haven't really talked about hooking up. Hell, they've barely talked in general.

What Riley doesn't know is that Lottie and Morgan have started fucking around again.

No strings attached.

No settling down bullshit.

No relationships to worry about.

Just a meaningless fling.

Lottie's currently walking to the front porch with a cigarette between her lips and her phone in her hands.

"You're gettin' back late." Riley says from the front step. "You're smokin'?"

Lottie jumps, her phone slipping out of her hands and into the dirt. "Shit, Ri. You scared me." She laughs weakly, taking the cigarette away from between her lips.

"Where you been?" He asks, turning his dip can over in his hand.

"Studio. The, uh, guys took me out for drinks to celebrate us finalizin' my first album."

Riley nods, his face dropping. "Oh."

"Don't gimme that look, Ri." She sighs. "I was gonna surprise you tomorrow." She stubs her cigarette out against a brick then flicks the butt away.

"Are we okay?" He asks, his heart thumping in his chest. "Because things feel weird now."

"I'm fine." She shrugs, sitting next to him on the step. "Just a lot on my mind."

"Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Nah, I'm- I'm okay. I don't want to give you more things to worry about." She pats his knee before standing. "I'm gonna shower." She squeezes his shoulder before heading inside.

Riley drops his head in his hands and he lets out an extremely heavy breath. He knew- He fucking knew things were going to get weird between them if they hooked up.

Throughout their entire relationship, Riley kept fighting back these feelings he's had for Lottie but once she talked to him about it, it was okay to go for it.

Hell, she's the one who initiated everything.

Lottie's smoking again and it's probably his fault. She only smokes when she's stressed the fuck out; hence smoking while she's back home.

Something's going on and Riley is going to get to the bottom of it.

+++

"L- Lot, we've gotta talk."

Lottie looks up from the desk in the corner of the living room and her heart drops. "What's up?" She asks, looking over at Riley.

His eyes are dark and tired and his hand is gripping a beer bottle as he leans against the door frame. "Things are weird." He states. "I knew this would happen if we hooked up."

"Are you blamin' me for this?"

He shrugs. "It was your idea."

"Riley..."

"I was afraid that if we hooked up, things would change and things changed."

"You're blamin' me." She scoffs. "Nice."

He feels his stomach twist at her tone. Ever since that night, they've been distant. They haven't really been their usual friendly selves.

They've been acting more like roommates.

"Maybe it's time we take a break from each other." Riley sighs quietly.

"What?"

He can hear her heart break. "Maybe just a couple days, a week. We've been connected at the hip since we were old enough to walk."

"But it's always been Riley and Lottie." Her voice is small and it cracks. "For twenty three years, it's always been Riley and Lottie."

"I know, baby, but-"

"Don't call me that." She whispers. "You don't get to call me that when you're doin' this." She stands and heads to her room, tears spilling over her waterline.

"Lot- Lottie-" He follows her and sighs heavily when he tries to open her locked door. "You know I don't mean to sound like an ass."

"But you're doin' such a good job at it." She spits back.

"Just open the door."

"No. You want a break? We're taking a goddamn break." Lottie says sourly, packing up a duffle bag of some clothes.

"Lot..." He sighs as the door opens. "Where're you goin'?"

"You wanna let me go? Let me go."

He feels a lump in his throat. He just wanted to take a few days to gather his thoughts but now it's like they're breaking up. This isn't what he wanted but this is what he's getting.

Tears slip down her face when she sees his own starting in his eyes. This is breaking her heart, ripping it to shreds and she knows this is her fault.

"I love you, Lot," He says in a shaky voice. "And the best thing I can do is let you go." Lottie borderline whimpers at his words as she picks up her keys. "I'll see you in a couple days, okay?"

We'll see. She thinks as she nods. Lottie gives him a weak hug before heading to her SUV.

Riley lets his tears fall. He covers his face as he lets out a sob, his shoulders shaking. Lottie tears up again at the sight. She's never seen him cry, ever. Never, not once in their twenty some years has he shed tears in front of her.

She hesitates before she slides out of her car.

Lottie runs up to him and gives him a huge, much needed hug, her arms wrapped tight around his shoulders and her tear stained cheek pressed against his neck.

He doesn't hold back his tears but stops his choked sobs as he holds her close. His knees buckle and they sink to the porch. She readjusts herself to straddle his lap and her arms around his neck, holding his face close to her chest.

This hurts him way more than it hurts her.

She just runs her fingers through his curls and across his shoulders. "It's just a couple days, a week." She repeats his words in a calm voice. "We just need to gather our thoughts."

He just nods and sits back, his hands resting on her hips for a split second before he pulls away. "I love you, Lot."

"I love you too, Ri." She whispers back, brushing away some stray tears. "I should get goin."

"Where're you goin'?"

"Don't worry about me." She tells him, not wanting to tell him what she's actually going to do. "I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Sure." He watches her walk back to her still running SUV and drive off.

+++

"What're you doin' here, Lottie?" Michael asks when he sees her curled up on the couch in a lounge at the studio. "You okay?"

Lottie groans as she rolls on her other side away from the back of the couch. She cracks an eye open and looks over at her friend. "What?"

"What're you doin' here?" He repeats, sitting on the leather armchair next to her.

"Yeah." She nods. Her eyes go to the cup in his hand and she snags it from him.

He lets her. Seeing someone who is usually so put together sleeping on the couch of her work is kind of alarming and he's worried about her. "Every- Everything okay?"

"Jesus Christ- I just woke up. Give me a second before you start with this... fuckin interrogation." She snaps.

Michael sighs, running his hand over his hair with his elbows on his knees. He watches her rub her eyes as she criss-crosses her legs on the couch. She looks awful like she hasn't slept for a week or eaten in days.

"Let me- Let me take you out for breakfast."

"No thanks."

He sighs as he looks down. "No, c'mon. Let me take you out for breakfast." He stands and she huffs. "Please." Lottie groans as she stands as well, pulling jacket on and the hood up over her dirty hair then follows him out to his truck.

It's an awkwardly quiet ride to wherever they're going and it's eating her up, Michael too.

He gets them a table then politely pulls the chair out for her before sitting himself across from her. Lottie stares blankly at the laminated menu as she picks at her fingers.

While she's zoned out, Michael orders for her. The waiter was standing there waiting for her to order but she never looked up so he just did it for her.

"Lottie." He says, getting her attention. "What's goin' on with you?"

"It's a long story." She sighs, tears forming in her eyes from the memories of what happened recently.

"I've got all day." He tells her, taking a sip of his coffee. He sends her a calm, friendly smile and she takes in a deep breath. He had told her earlier that she could trust him and he hasn't let her down so she doesn't hold anything back.

By the time she's done sharing, he's quiet. "I love him." She whispers. "But he's right. It is my fault."

"It's not your fault." He says, resting a hand on hers when she starts pulling at a hangnail. "Communication just wasn't there."

"It's my fault." She repeats in a weak voice. "But I- I-" She cuts herself off with a shaky breath. "I think it's time we, y'know, move on from each other."

Wow.

Those words drop like a fucking bombshell.

It's obvious this is just killing her. Her own words twist in her heart like a knife but maybe it's true. After spending twenty some years side by side, maybe they should spend some time as Riley Green and Lottie Cross instead of Riley and Lottie.