Don't Know What To Do

It started with jealousy. Tiny moments of insecurity, of possessiveness.

Initially it seemed sweet, the idea that neither of them wanted to lose each other.

Conversations normally consisted of promises of love and commitment, how the other had nothing to worry about. How forever was the only way this was going to end.

But after a while, it stopped seeming cute. It went from "I'll tell you how much I love you every day, if that's what you need" to "not this again".

Maeve and Otis had been together for five years now. They had somehow managed to stay together through high school and college, despite going to university on different ends of the country.

Maeve had become a writer who was working on her first book. She'd never admit it but it was kind of her version of an autobiography. The story was about a girl who thought she was broken, irreparable. Someone who had somehow managed to survive, despite every single odd being stacked against her. She wanted to say she'd done it alone but she knew she wouldn't have been able to get through any of it without her best friend and the love of her life.

Maeve swore that was the story of her lead character that somehow had nothing to do with her own story. Everyone chose to play along, not wanting to burst her bubble.

Otis on the other hand, was training to be a therapist. He was in the process of completing his Master's degree in Clinical Psychology. His university was in London and since Maeve could write from anywhere, they decided to move in together.

It was a tiny studio apartment. There was a small kitchen attached to what could barely be called a living room. They had one medium sized couch which just about fit Maeve and Otis comfortably, when they sat down at the end of a long day to watch a movie together. Their bedroom was just big enough to store their stuff and yet it always felt big enough to house their ambitious, their dreams and their fears.

For a long time, they were happy. The size of their apartment, Otis' numerous assignments and Maeve's many rejections never seemed to get them down. It was probably the faith they had in each other, in the power of their relationship to get them through any and everything.

So when the cracks in their relationship became too big to paper over, everything felt like it had come crashing down.

Otis began spending more time at the library, signing up for more research work, more conferences. He'd say it was because he needed all the experience he could get but they both knew he was looking for an escape.

Maeve on the other hand, drowned herself in her writing, looking to the world her words had created for the meaning that she couldn't find in her own life. She had begun working with Sam, the executive assistant of one of the biggest independent publishers in the city. This was around the time when the cracks became deeper.

Otis hated having Sam around, which is what led to more arguments, more jealousy and more nights at the library. It was this vicious cycle they could never get themselves out of.

Everything reached a head the morning when Otis was leaving for a conference in Manchester. He was running around the house trying to look for his socks. He'd looked everywhere, his drawers, the bathroom, the giant load of laundry that Maeve refused to fold but he couldn't find them anywhere.

"How many times do I have to ask you to fold these clothes?!" Otis asked, throwing clothes around the floor, looking for his socks.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'll get to it?" Maeve asked, standing in the doorway of their bedroom.

"Goddamit Maeve, how is it possible that I can do every single chore that I'm responsible for and you can't do the one thing that's your job!" Otis said, raising his voice a little. He was panicking, he couldn't miss his train. He was presenting a paper, this was a huge opportunity for him!

"This has nothing to do with me not doing the laundry, Otis! This is about you thinking nothing I do is enough." Maeve said.

"No this is about you not folding the damn laundry. And can we not do this right now? I'm about to miss my train." Otis said, finding the annoyance he was feeling toward Maeve unbearable. It was amazing how fast adoration could turn to irritation.

"You're always in a hurry, Otis. I just wish you could tell me what you're running from." Maeve said, walking towards Otis who was standing in the middle of their living room.

Otis stopped searching for a second. He just stared at Maeve, who was looking back at him with more pain in her eyes than he wanted to acknowledge. Looking into Maeve's eyes always calmed Otis down and even in the middle of one of their worst fights, her eyes still seemed to have a hold on him. But it was different this time. They were too far away from each other, they'd been drifting apart for a while. But it happened so slowly, so quietly that neither of them really realised what was happening till they were standing in middle of their apartment, wondering why they had ever thought it was a home.

"Here are your socks." Maeve said, throwing them at Otis and grabbing her bag.

"Where are you going?" Otis asked.

"Out, I need some space." Maeve said.

"I'm literally leaving for a whole week, Maeve." Otis said, staring to put on his socks.

"Yeah but I don't know if I can do this anymore." Maeve said.

"What does that mean?" Otis asked, walking toward Maeve who was almost out the door.

"It means I need space. It means we shouldn't talk while you're away. It's clear we both need to think about what we want." Maeve said.

"Maeve.." Otis began.

"Good luck with your presentation, Otis. I know you're gonna be great. I don't really know if I'll be able to say this to you later, so I'm saying it now. I'm really proud of you." Maeve said, gave him a sad smile. What she really wanted to do was scream and shout and hug Otis;asking him how they ended up here, while he held her tight.

But instead Maeve left, leaving Otis alone with the sound of the door closing shut. A sound that was starting to sound more and more like the shattering of his heart.

A/N: Hey guys! This was an idea that popped into my head last night and I couldn't wait to write it out. I'm not sure if this is going to be a two-short, a book of one-shots or a whole story. I'm probably just going to go with the flow. Let me know what you think xx