The next few days I spent with my family and close friends. The funeral was beautiful, and with everyone who needed to be there. Max hadn't gotten back to me yet, but I tried to keep my mind off of him and focus on being in the moment as we all were back at my parents' house, sharing our stories and memories of them. Oscar had been my rock these days, never left my side for a second, and I loved him for it. His parents even took the time to travel from Australia to come and be at the funeral. Our parents had only met a few times, but they always got along, and his parents were like a second pair of parents to me, and vice versa. It meant a lot to me that they were there, and I could tell that Oscar had missed them too.
"You guys are on break now, aren't you?" Oscar's mom spoke up quietly, as we were sat in a small group at the gathering. "You know we are, mom. I told you I'm coming to see you next week," Oscar smiled, causing me to smile as well. "What are your plans for the break, dear?" She then asked me, and my mind went blank. I was supposed to spend most of my break in Monaco with Max, but now I had no idea if that was happening after all. "I'm not sure... I might just stay here in London all break," I explain and see as both his dad and mom look at each other with an expression I didn't understand. They exchanged a smile and a nod, before looking back at me. "How would you like to come to Australia with Oscar? You can stay at our place as well, and we can show you around and have a good time!" His mom spoke up, "Yeah, Yn, it's about time. We've invited you many times at this point, when will we get a yes?" His dad chimed in, and I couldn't help but smile at their genuine desire to have me there.
"Mom, Dad... You're pressuring her, she probably wants to stay here with her family," Oscar tried, probably in an attempt to give me an out if I needed one. "Actually, my siblings are both back to their busy lives next week, so I won't have much to do here anyway... I might have other plans, but if not, I would love to join you all in Australia. Thank you so much for the offer," I gave them both a genuine smile, which seemed appreciated. I then looked at Oscar, who looked at me in shock and then leaned in to have a private conversation. "What about Max?" He asked, making me look down at my phone, which still had no messages or missed calls. "I'm going to try calling him again tonight, but if he doesn't answer, then I'm not going to Monaco," I explain, having already thought about that part a lot.
"Don't feel pressured to come with me if you don't want to, Con... Maybe you should go and see him. Face to face, and get it all sorted out. Going to Australia with me is only going to make this a bigger issue." I frown at his words. I know he means well, but a part of me feels almost as if he doesn't want me to come to Australia with him. But I knew he was right. About everything he said. Part of me just wish he hadn't said it for some reason - the same part of me that just wanted to spend all my time with him.
"I'm gonna go and try calling him now," I reply, getting up before he could say anything else. I step inside the house from the backyard and dial his number. This time he picked up after the second ring but he didn't say anything. "Hello? Max?" I ask carefully and hear a sigh on the other end. "Hi, Sunshine..." My heart starts racing at the sound of his voice. "Hey... How are you?" I ask, just wanting to hear more from him, but it takes him a while to reply. I then heard a sob on his end, and my heart dropped. "Maxie... Don't cry baby, it's okay..." I mutter out while I tear up as well. "I'm so sorry, Yn... I fucked up..." I frown at his words, "It's okay Maxie, I understand... We can all get insecure at times, I know you didn't mean those things..." I look out into the garden and my eyes link with Oscar's, who's seemingly keeping a close eye on me.
"No, Yn, you don't understand... I really fucked up..." I hear his voice crack as he begins to cry on the other side, and I feel as if it's a good idea to sit down, so that's what I did. "What happened?.." I ask hesitantly. His breath is fast and shaky, and then he whispers a sentence that I never thought I would hear from his lips. "I cheated on you..."
I was completely speechless like the words couldn't physically come out of my mouth. The tears that had built up in my eyes began to fall down, and for the second time within a week, I felt my heart break. The physical pain in my chest became unbearable and I started losing my breath. How could he do that? Why?
"I'm so sorry Schat! The moment it happened, I realised I had made a terrible mistake! And then I heard that voicemail you left, and I've been crying, alone in my room ever since. Please, forgive me... Please..." The questions were running wild inside my head, but one of them stuck the most, and I had to ask, "Did you sleep with her?" I could barely get the words out before he answered me, "No! No, I stopped it before it got to that, I swear..." That made me feel a bit better, but I still felt like the trust I had in him was lost. "Who was it...?" I ask after a moment of silence. This time he didn't answer as quickly. "...Kelly..." Of course, it was his ex-girlfriend. "I can't deal with this right now, Max. My parents just died." I say, wiping the tears from my face. "I know, Schat, I'm so sorry-"
"Don't call me that." Silence. "Yn... Please..." He begs, but I can't bring myself to care any more for his feelings than I already have ever since they died. "No... I'll come to Monaco on Sunday, then we can talk this all over... Until then, I need you to give me space. Understand?" I say, trying to seem stronger than I felt. In reality, I never felt weaker than at that point. It was like my life had hit an all-time low, and I had no idea how to deal with anything... "I understand... Text me when you'll land, and I'll pick you up, okay?" He suggests, but I don't reply before I hang up the phone.
"What did he say?" Oscar asks quietly when I go back out into the garden. "Um, nothing much," I try to walk past him, but he grabs my wrist and holds me back. "You're lying to me. What happened? Did you fight again?" I look down for a minute, then look back up at him. Looking into his worried eyes, I couldn't bring myself to tell him what happened, but I also knew I couldn't lie to him. "I don't want to talk about it, please..." I whisper, on the verge of breaking down again. Oscar can clearly tell, as he pulls me into a tight hug and stroke my back slowly. I just cling onto his shirt while crying silently into his shoulder. "Did you break up?" He whispers to me, and I shake my head. He becomes quiet for a second, then speaks up again. "Did you make up?" He asks, and I shake my head again. He becomes quiet. "What did he do...?" He then asks and I tighten my grip on him. "Con. What did he do?" His voice becomes more stern, as he probably figured out that the situation had gotten worse between us, but I still can't bring myself to tell him, so I shake my head once again.
This time, Oscar pulls away and cups my face in his hands. His face is serious, I can tell he's holding back some anger for my sake, but his touch is still soft and delicate. "Why won't you tell me?.." He asks carefully, but I then receive a message from Max. I open it and read it out. It was just him apologising again, saying that he'd give me space and that he'd be there at the airport. "You're going to Monaco after all then?" Oscar asks, having read my messages as well. I nod my head but add, "I'm not going to stay there. I just need to talk with him, and then I'll probably go to Switzerland and have a talk with Horner," I open up my messages with Horner while saying so, and send him a message, asking if he's available for a talk anytime next week at the Head Quarters. "Horner? Why?"
"We'll have to come up with some sort of a solution. Things are going to change, and I don't want it to affect the team," I clear my throat, trying to be rational about it all, "Wait, you guys are breaking up?" He then asks, obviously surprised. I don't respond. I just walk past him and go back to join my family. I couldn't waste any time here. I needed this to be okay before moving on to the next big issue.
"Can you please tell me what happened between you and Max?" Oscar asked as he was driving us back to my apartment. "I don't want to talk about it, Oscar," I say, looking out the window. "Look, whatever it is, don't make any rash decisions, okay? I'm sure you guys can work it out," His words usually calmed me, but this time around, I just got upset. Annoyed. "It won't work out this time," I just reply and he sighs. "What could he have said on the phone that could break you guys apart? You love each other, Con," His voice had become more desperate, almost like he didn't want to believe them himself, and was trying to find a reason not to. "If that's love, then I don't want it," I mumble, and at this point, Oscar stops the car, pulling over in the middle of the road.
I turn to look at him, confused, and all I see is him with an even more puzzled look. "What did he do?" He asked, and I could tell he was reaching his limit of patience. I don't even know why I didn't tell him in the first place. Maybe it was to protect Max? Because even if he didn't deserve it, I still cared for him. I still loved him. "He cheated on me..." I say out loud, and it almost doesn't feel real. Oh, how I wish it wasn't real. "He cheated on me, Oscar, and I can't forgive him for that," I say again, but this time with less confidence than the first time. "Bastard..." I look up, and I can tell that Oscar is fuming. I reach over and place my hand on his, but he looks at me with a disappointed look.
"Why would you not tell me? Why would you protect him? I've already told that guy so many times, that he should treat you right, that he should be patient and trust you, and what does he do?! This is exactly what I didn't want!" He bursts out, and I knit my eyebrows together. "What?" I ask, "This! You getting your heart broken!" At this point, he was completely out of it, almost yelling, but I still felt a smile creep on my face. I pull him by his arm and wrap my arms around him tightly. His arms wrap around me as well, and we stay there for a while silently, in each other's embrace.
"My heart will never completely break, as long as I have you here, Oscar..." I say, then let go of him. "I haven't always been though..." He looks down and I grab his hand again. "But you are right now. And I don't even wanna think about what I would be doing right now if you weren't..." I admit, knowing my mental health was never strong when it came to tough times like these. Oscar squeezed my hand, then looked back up at me. "I won't ever leave again. That time apart was more than enough," I caress the back of his hand with my thumb as he speaks, and then nod my head. "I agree," I smile at him a little, and he smiles back.
"So, when are we leaving for Monaco?" He asks, breaking the short silence between us, and I roll my eyes at him, a chuckle escaping my lips. "You're going to Australia, remember?" I raise an eyebrow when I see him shake his head. "No way, you'll need me-" He tries, but I place my hand on top of his mouth, now shaking my head. "Shhhh. You've already done so much for me, Osc. I'll handle this one myself, okay? You need time with your family," He frowns and then licks my hand, making me yank it away before wiping it off on his shirt, exclaiming an "Ew! Oscar!" He laughs and sticks out his tongue at me. "Fine, I won't come to Monaco, on the condition. That you call me every day of the break okay? And if you have more time, you come to Australia," I roll my eyes, but he knows just as well as me, that I can't decline his offer, so I nod my head, and then we continue to drive back to my apartment.