No More Tomorrows

Chapter 1: Forgotten

"I understand."

"Thanks babe. I knew you'd get it. This deal is the biggest I've been involved in and if you can carry the load for just a little longer I'll come out on top. Gotta run, the others are waiting on me."

I definitely heard female laughter in the background. Strange when he was supposed to be with his colleagues and I couldn't think of a single female staff member that should have been included in this supposed brainstorming session, let alone giggling. The swirling feeling I'd had in my stomach for months reared it's ugly head.

Looking around our apartment I felt nothing but sadness. He'd forgotten his promise. 

Again. 

Forgotten me. 

Again. 

The life we shared seemed to be slipping through my fingers. We had only recently reconnected after countless weekends of him being MIA networking and busy at the office. I wasn't sure exactly when we'd lost our connection but I knew it had happened. No way the Grant of even twelve months ago would have chosen to spend so much time away from me and he'd have never forgotten any plans we'd made. I'd never felt so disconnected from the one person I should feel tethered to.

When Grant took the job with Kent and Brookman I'd been thrilled for him. All his hard work was finally paying off. All the extra shifts I'd pulled to cover our expenses while he studied for his double degree seemed to be worth it. We were a team. We were building a better future for ourselves. 

Then things changed. 

Around a month into that new role his behaviour started to shift. He stopped messaging or calling me during the day any more. When I brought it up he explained he was incredibly busy proving himself. I didn't think thirty seconds for a message was too much to ask but as usual I didn't rock the boat.

Then came the after work socialising. A part of the job he told me. Dinners with clients. Drinks with colleagues. Sporadic at first with him coming home incredibly late, long after I'd given up and gone to bed. Then it became every Thursday and Friday. Sometimes he'd even stay in the company apartment overnight if he had too much to drink. Again I told him I didn't like it, but he explained he had to build relationships, had to fit in. I was upset but as usual I didn't rock the boat.

When Thursday and Fridays spread into Saturdays with golf and team bonding dinners and eventually whole weekends without even seeing my boyfriend I finally lost my temper and we had one of the only fights of our almost seven year relationship. 

I think he was thrown at how upset I was and when I pointed out that we weren't really in a relationship any more, that I was more his roommate that he very occasionally fucked and who did his laundry he seemed shocked. I never spoke like that. I rarely even cursed. Being a paediatric nurse I had to watch my word choice and didn't use bad language. I could see his immediate remorse and when he explained he was close to his goal of Level One Clients so he'd be bringing in more money. That it would give us the stability he wanted for us to move forward with our lives I relented. He promised we would spend more time together. As usual. I didn't rock the boat.

Things settled down for a little while and we actually spent some quality weekends together doing what we loved. Searching out hole in the wall restaurants and telling the staff to bring us their personal favourites. Lounging together watching new release movies and spent hours exploring each others bodies. I felt we'd reconnected and that this job blip was in the past. 

Until this last week. Something in me was telling me that things were not right and tonight's phone call was the last straw. Him forgetting our anniversary was my breaking point. 

I decided it was time to rock the boat.