---

"You got what? To LA? But that's hours away from here....You're leaving tomorrow night? Alright, I'll talk to you later, good luck with Jessica, Luke." Brayden hung up the phone and angrily slammed it against the kitchen counter.

"Are you okay, babe?" I winced, trying to get near Brayden but he swatted my hand away.

"Just leave me alone...I'm not in the mood to talk right now, Y/N..." Brayden sighed, running his hand through his hair and rested his head on the granite countertop.

"Is this about Luke getting traded to Los Angeles, Bray?"

"What do you think it's about, Y/N? God, sometimes you really pester me sometimes..." Brayden's words spat out like acid, causing me to back away.

"Do you really feel like that, Bray?"

Silence filled the air and that was the cue for me to dress in my winter stuff and car keys. "If you want to talk to me, I'll be at my old apartment. I need time to think, Brayden...You've been acting like a jerk these past few minutes and I'm not so sure...."

And just like that, I opened the door and left, slamming it right behind me. I got into my black Range Rover and started the drive to my old apartment where I used to live before moving in with Brayden.

Once I arrived, I parked the car in one of the empty parking lots and immediately, I ran up the stairs and into the empty yet furnished apartment. Immediately, a sense of calmness rushed through my body, as if I was holding it in...

---

"You did what?"

"I accidentally might've said some hurtful things to her...."

"Ooh, she's not going to forgive you, man!"

"I thought you were going to help me with this, Claude!"

"Hey, she's your girlfriend; not mine..."

"What should I do...I'm not even sure if she's going to forgive me, Claude."

"She will, Brayden, trust me. She loves you for you and you love her for her..."

"But, she said she needed time to think about our relationship...."

"She was reactive about the way you were treating her, Bray. Why don't you get a goodnight's worth of sleep, and talk to her tomorrow morning?"

"Oh alright...Thank you, Claude, for helping me...."

"No problem, Brayden. That's what teammates and friends are for."

---

I started to come back into the cold and harsh reality as I heard the doorbell ring. Getting up from the couch, I walked up to the door to find a puffy eyed, bags under his eyes Brayden.

"Brayden, what are you doing here...." I sighed, trying to close the door but he forced his hand to stop.

"I want to talk, Y/N...About last night." Brayden's voice sounded hoarse, as if he was crying...

"There's nothing we can talk about, Brayden. You said some hurtful things to me, I walked out on you...Is there really anything to fix?"

"Y/N, just listen to me...."

Reluctantly, I looked up to Brayden with my arms crossed, urging him to continue.

"First of all, I am such a jerk to treat a beautiful girl like you like that... I didn't mean to do it, I was angry at the time. Second of all, when you left me alone, that's when I started to realize that I can't live without you, Y/N..."

"You're not proposing, are you?"

"Uhh, no?"

"Bottom line, I truly am sorry for the way I treated you last night, Y/N. It was way out of line for me to do something like that."

"I accept your apology, Brayden. But, one more outburst like that and we're through. You hear me?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Good, I missed you so much..."

"I missed you too, Y/N...I missed you too...."