Breaking Point

Chapter 1

Men are so often shown as the offender that we forget that they can be the victim. I am writing this simply to shed light on the matter.

"Hey Sweetcheeks," Jacob pushed open the door to Connie's office, smiling at her.
"Mrs Beauchamp, and what do you want?" She replied, not looking up from the mountains of paperwork piled around her.
Jacob smiled and swung himself further into the room, sitting on the sofa. Connie was tempted to ask who invited him to sit, but couldn't bring herself to, so said nothing.
"So, some of us are going the the pub after our shifts-"
"I don't do pubs Jacob." She cut him off, finally lifting her gaze to look at him.
"Well if you change your mind you're invited." He grinned at her before pushing himself back up off the sofa and backing out of the door smiling all the way.
He closed the door behind him and she looked to the side, her smile uncontrollable. She couldn't deny it, she liked him and his cheeky grin.
An hour or so later as her shift ended Connie was contemplating going to the Hope and Anchor with them. She draped her coat over her shoulders and picked up her handbag, switching off the lights and locking her office door behind her.
Jacob, Cal, Robyn and Louise were just leaving the building as Connie passed reception. They were laughing amongst themselves, evidently comfortable in each others company.
She waited a few seconds before following a good distance behind, heading straight to her car. Jacob might have wanted her there but she imagined the others would find it incredibly awkward and she didn't want to ruin their night and anyway, Grace would be waiting at home with her childminder.
Opening the door to her silver Mercedes, she set her bag down on the passenger seat, rested her coat beside it and pulled the door shut. She clicked her seatbelt and inserted the keys, driving out of the carpark towards her home.
Jacob watched her car go from the doorway of the pub. It seemed obvious to him that she didn't have feelings like he did, so what was the point in trying.
A few hours later he was sat at the bar alone with his fifth pint. The others had gone home long ago, having work the next morning, be he was intent on drowning his feelings for a certain brunette.
As he ordered his next beer a tall, skinny blonde caught his attention. She was drinking alone, and he gathered from the three empty bottles of wine on the table, had been for a while.
Once he had got his pint from the bartender he made his way over to her table, sliding onto the chair opposite her.
"Drinking alone?" He smiled at her, "I'm Jacob by the way."
The girl glanced up at him, showing her pretty features.
"Lucy, and not anymore it seems."