Breaking Point

Chapter 09 // Chantelle

[BEFORE - 1 Year Ago]

I had been there for every breakup between Jesse and Kennedy.

Which was the worst? Was it the first? Or the final breakup? I couldn't tell you. Jesse was heartbroken the first time, but when he realised that ten months later it would be the final breakup between the two, he seemed broken. Not heartbroken, just broken.

He was sat next to me on his sofa so our bodies were angled to face one another, hair a shaggy mess and shoulders slumped. We were inside his apartment and he had called me over, deeming it an "emergency". He wore lounge pants and a random graphic tee-shirt that appeared a size too small so it clung to his biceps.

I had to berate myself mentally every five seconds to not gawk at his bulging biceps.

Okay, "five seconds" was possibly an overstatement.

More like two seconds.

Or every second.

Which made it worse considering he was having a crisis and it was midnight and I was drained.

Luckily, I had since bought a small apartment in Blumont away from my parents and Avery so it only took me a ten minute drive to arrive at his apartment. My parents had assisted with the initial payment of the apartment as I didn't have the amount at the time, having spent extortionate proportions on gas over my stretch of working with Jesse. I was, however, acutely aware that if Jesse decided not to renew his contract in four months, I would be without a job and this apartment would be aimless, but I decided to tell myself to worry about that later.

Jesse, as far as I was aware, seemed intent upon renewing his contract. And that would mean mine would be renewed too.

"I think this is it now," he muttered after a long stretch of uncomfortable silence. "We've agreed not to contact one another unless it's necessary so it won't hinder the process of getting over one another."

I didn't like to point out that Kennedy probably didn't feel the same as Jesse did to her. It was a blunt and horrible thing to say, but I could distinctly see there was a wedge between them and I knew it was from Kennedy, considering I spent a lot of my time around Jesse. Seeing them together made me remember why I failed at the double date Natasha had set me up with a few months back, though she was no longer with the guy either now.

"How do you know?" I asked softly.

I was donning my Disney pyjamas, long-sleeves and the hems dragged on the floor around my ankles. I was even donning matching slippers so I was kitted out for bed. The pyjamas were a Christmas present from Avery one year and I loved her too much to not wear them considering they were pink and pink wasn't quite my style, especially with the notorious Disney princesses adorning the front of my shirt and on the trousers. Jesse hadn't even said anything when he saw my pyjamas, much to my utter relief and astonishment, and concern. He seemed too deep in his funk to notice.