If heart ache was a physical pain, I could face it.

Part Forty Three

Part Forty Four

Anne’s POV

“I can’t believe that’s everything finally sorted and planned for the wedding now!” I say with a huge smile on my face- a mixture of relief and excitement as I put the phone down on the lady who’s going to make the cake. She is unbelievably talented and I can’t wait to see what she creates for us.

“Everything’s finally come together.” Tom replies, smiling back at me. “Just the hen and stag dos tomorrow and then the big day!” I can hear the nerves in his voice that he’s trying so hard to hide, and I’m feeling exactly the same. So much could go wrong...

“Yeah; I can’t wait to hear about what you’ve gotten up to.” I mutter sarcastically.

“Who says you’re going to find out babe? He winks at me laughing, and I can’t help but join in. If I know my girls, he won’t be the only one getting an eyeful tomorrow night.

“I’d say it would be a good idea to keep it that way.” I smirk in agreement.

Charly’s POV

“How are you feeling?” I ask sympathetically. Taking a seat on Max’s bed, where I find him fiddling absent-mindedly with his phone.

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” He asks, smiling up at me.

“Max. Stop putting a brave face on this. I know you’re not.”

“Charly, trust me, I am. Anne’s not marrying Tom tomorrow. I know it. I’m not going to let it happen.”

“How can you be so certain about it? What if it backfires?”

“I won’t.” He almost snaps at me.

“Please, just slow down a second.” I beg, trying my hardest to finally talk some sense into him. “If. If, it does backfire, and they do all see straight through whatever mad plan you’ve cooked up, you could stand to lose everything.

Again.

And is it worth it? At least you have Tom and Anne back as friends again now. Back in your life. Do you really want to put all of that on the line?”

Max’s POV

“I don’t give a shit about Tom!” Friend? He doesn’t know the meaning of the word!” I shout, standing up. Finally losing control of my carefully faked composure. “You can’t tell me that you believed all that crap about me forgiving him? It was all to gain his trust. I will never be able to forgive him for he has done to me and I’m going to make sure he pays for it.

As for Anne, is it worth it? Seriously she’s all I’ve ever wanted. But being friends isn’t enough. I want more than that. I need more that that. I was able to forgive her because I’m completely head over heals in love with her, and always have been.

But, Char, don’t act stupid again. I know you know just how it feels to watch the person you love more than anything in the world with someone else. I know you know just how much it hurts, kills even. If this mad plan as you call it does backfire, then it won’t matter if everyone hates me, because I won’t be hanging around to see how they feel about it; and maybe. Just maybe, having Anne hate me would make it easier to walk away from everything that I’ve always wanted for one last time. Because I wouldn’t be coming back. I just can’t take it anymore.”

My voice finally breaks as my short lived anger fades away, and I notice the tears falling as I collapse backwards on the bed, my head hanging in my hands.

“I’m only trying to help you Max.” Charly says calmly, despite my outburst. “Just remember you will always have me.” Leaving the room, she leaves me alone with my thoughts, and to say it’s not pretty is an understatement.

She’s wrong. She won’t always be there for me. One day she will realise that it’s hopeless, that she will never get the one thing that she would give everything for. Just like I’m starting to painfully realise now. And when that day does come she will walk away, because it just hurts way too much to stay.

But for me. Until that day does come, I will fight for what I want, even if I do only have thirty six hours left.