"Y/N!! What happened with you and Tra-guy? I went to pick up Bepo and he was crying!!!!!" You looked up to see Luffy coming up to the door just as you were flipping your sign to closed. Barto was cleaning the windows but gave you a look that spoke volumes.
"Luffy can you not yell please? The whole street doesn't need to know." You huffed and walked back inside. Luffy followed you in, along with Bartolemeo.
"Y/N are you okay? Did you and Traffy have a fight?"
You took a deep breath and stared at Barto and Luffy, you'd known Luffy for forever he was practically you're family, and Bartolemeo had been with you since you hired him and you considered him to be an irreplaceable employee and friend.
You guessed if you were going to tell people you might as well start with these two.
"We broke up last night." You waited, for a few seconds neither of them said anything but then they finally reacted.
"EEEEHHHHH????!!!! BUT WHY???!!!" They were shouting now.
"You guys it's complicated."
"That just means you don't want to get into it-dabe."
"Look we just don't have the same feelings for each other anymore. We stopped being able to communicate with each other and neither of us can seem to make the other happy anymore."
"But Y/N...I don't want you guys to break up..." Luffy looked about ready to cry.
"I'm sorry Luffy but this isn't about your feelings it's about ours. And we just don't want to be with each other anymore." You pinched the bridge of your nose, trying to calm down, you didn't want to cry.
"Okay Y/N...should I still walk Bepo?"
"Yes goof that dog loves you, and he needs the exercise. And don't worry I'll still pay you too."
"Okay..." Luffy being Luffy wasn't great with words so your best friend just hugged you. Tightly. And held in for a good long while before turning to leave. By the end of the day everyone would know about you and Law, Luffy didn't know how to keep his mouth shut.
"Alright boss spill it." Barto growled. "Tell me why you two really broke up. I'm not friends with him like Luffy is."
You breathed in and out, trying to calm your emotions down but it wasn't working tears were starting to form and make their way down your cheeks.
"He-he cheated on me...f-for more than a month. An-a-and frequently. I think i-it's been a year of him doing it too. With a woman named Monet. She's a nurse at the hospital where he works." You broke down in a sob. Falling to the floor on your knees.
"I don't understand why...I said I was sorry about keeping the cafe a secret! I tried to make him apart of the process and getting it started. I apologized over and over again. I tried to make up for it, he refused to talk to me. And yet he had the nerve to stand there like he was the victim!!! And that damn slut comes in here to rub it in my face! To hell with them both they deserve each other!!!" Your voice was rising with each sentence spoken.
"Why does it hurt so damn much!!!!"
You continued to cry. Not bothering to think about anything but your pain. You jolted when Barto kneeled down to hug you. He didn't say anything just offered comfort, rubbing his hands over your back you started to relax. You sniffled, it's been a long time since you'd ugly cried.
"Sorry about the water works." You were using napkins to blow your nose.
"I don't mind Y/N. You've never judged me and you even gave me a job after I got out of prison. I'm grateful for that."
You shook your head.
"Not my place to judge. I better get to the bank before they close than I have a business meeting with Crocodile."
"Your old boss?" You nodded your head
"He's agreed to help me keep this place running and figure out how to draw in more people so I can actually turn a profit instead of always breaking even."
You began to pack up everything Barto followed you out.
"Maybe you should reschedule boss. I think you need to talk to some girlfriends, trash talk your ex and eat lots of junk."
You giggled, you didn't have very many girlfriends you could do that with. It just seemed like a headache.
"I'll wallow on Sunday okay? It's Friday today which means I have tomorrow to figure who to call and do everything you just suggested, but I need to think about my business too. As well as maybe getting some extra help."
He smiled and let it go after that.
You had to go home to change clothes. Crocodile had made reservations at Baratie, Sanji was a Sous Chef there but you didn't want to tell him you were coming. They did require a formal dress code though to eat there, and you'd forgotten to grab something on your way out the door today. So now you had to risk the house.
Pulling up to the house Law's car was in the driveway. You felt your heart in your throat and took a few breaths before going inside. If you were lucky he'd be sleeping.
Quietly you put your keys in the door. You noticed Bepo's leash was gone which meant that Luffy took him out again. You went to your room and took down your f/c lace dress with three quarter sleeves, and your f/c pumps. You decided to wear your hair down taking it out from its usual French braid and ran your fingers through it to make it look like a natural curl. You decided on a simple gold eye shadow, with brown eyeliner and mascara. You kept your earrings in. Just as you were about to walk out you heard Law's voice.
"Calm down Bepo-ya. I'm getting you water." He sounded tired, like he hadn't slept in a week. Your heart went out to him, you wanted to go to him and hug him. You still had feelings for him, those unfortunately didn't go away overnight. Breathing in you opened the door. And Bepo went crazy.
"Hey buddy no jumping okay? I got somewhere I need to go."
"Where?" Law stepped in. He still was so handsome. Simple white Tshirt, blue jeans and black sneakers and his spotted hat that he'd had since you first met him.
"Im meeting with Mr. Crocodile about some business proposals. He wanted to meet at Baratie." You could've been a bitch and just told him that it was none of his business but you didn't have the energy for it.
"You're cafe in trouble?" Oh so now you care? Now that we're no longer together?
"Nope." You weren't going to go into detail with him.
"Oh okay..." And now it was awkward.
"Well I gotta go in running late. By Bepo baby I'll be back tonight." You spared Law a look nodded and walked out the door.
-Time skip-
"Ah Y/N you made it and right on time." Crocodile looked impeccable as ever. He chose to sit in the smoking section. His brown suit, slicked back hair, overcoat he'd been wearing the same kind of thing since you'd known him.
"Sorry I know I'm a little late but I got stuck behind a school bus. It took forever for the kids to get off."
He nodded his head then gave you a look and his stare changed.
"Are you alright?" Damn his insight.
"Yessir I'm good just a little tired is all." You put your satchel over your chair and sat down. You were poured a glass of wine and handed a menu.
"Young lady I know you're lying to me, what's going on?" You smiled.
"I promise nothing important," lie #1. "How've you been sir? Still seeing that one woman, what was her name?"
"Nico Robin and no we are no longer seeing each other." Whoops.
"My bad."
"No worries it wasn't anything serious. If it is alright I would like to talk business after our meal. I haven't just talked to you to talk, in a long time."
Crap, he's going to ask about Law.
"That's alright. How's your aquarium for the alligators going?" He smiled if you were lucky he'd spend the whole time talking about that and he wouldn't ask about Law.
Crocodile was like an uncle. You'd grown up in foster care, and had been placed with Newgate at some point in your life. His real estate office had been your first job at 17, he didn't think much of you when you first met, but a shared love of history helped bridge the gap.
"Y/N-Chan!" Sanji was coming up to your table a worried look on his face. Oh please God no!
"I heard you and Trafalgar broke up! What happened?"
Dammit Luffy! You just had to go and tell everyone didn't you?
"Uh Sanji I'll talk to you um, after my business meeting." He apologized than excuses himself. Turning back to Crocodile he had a scowl on his face.
"You want to tell me again how you're doing Y/N?"
It was going to be a long night.
-Timeskip-
You ended up not talking about business at all. Instead you'd told Crocodile and Sanji what had been going on the past year. You'd eaten and had a few more glasses of wine. Crocodile said he'd visit the cafe and talk about business then. Luckily you didn't break down crying like with Barto. Sanji looked like he could kill Law.
Walking into the house you were surprised to find Law sitting in front of the TV, watching some kind of medical drama. Bepo came up to you for love which he got, the trotted back to his dog bed.
"You're home early. I would've thought you'd been gone longer."
"Mmm. Yep me too. Night." You went to go to your room, but before you could shut the door Law rammed his way in. "Hey!"
"You want to know why I cheated? You want to know why I didn't talk to you? Why I didn't want to be involved in your damn business?" He was yelling anything you were going to say died in your throat.
"I don't know dammit! I felt like you were going to leave me behind! When you didn't tell me about your plans I felt as if you didn't consider me a partner the same way I considered you. That made me mad! By the time I wanted to apologize Monet came into the picture. She was sexy, nice, supportive and listened to me. Things I felt you no longer were doing. By then it was my pride that told me you needed to beg me to forgive you. When you didn't that's when I started to get physical with her. Your birthday last year, that's the first time we were physical."
You wanted to throw up. You wanted him to be quiet! You didn't want to hear any of this, but at the same time you needed this, otherwise neither of you would get the closure you needed.
"After that, I just couldn't be intimate with you...and I knew you felt it, cause you also stopped trying to include me in anything. By then it was too late..."
You were crying again. This time he pulled you close and squeezed, you let him and hugged back. You were saying goodbye after all.
"I know what I did was stupid and downright a dick move...but Y/N please...please give me another chance. I promise to do right by you from now on."
You let go and took a step back.
"I'm sorry Law but no. I can't. You were cheating on me for a year, I know you feel bad and I am willing to work on forgiving you and be your friend again eventually, but...I can never be with you as a lover again."
You were both quiet, and stayed that way. He placed a hand on your cheek, and put his forehead to yours.
"I love you Y/N...please..."
You cried some more, but shook your head.
"I love you too Law but from now on it's going to be as friends not lovers."