Hey. Me again. Sorry, I haven't been on here for ages. I can assure you I am alive. I've been rather busy with graduating with a degree and looking for work etc which totally sucks. I feel so guilty because I kinda made loads of promises on here that I never kept. The first fanfic I wrote is totally done with and the second one I've given up on because I just can't remember what was going on. This is a new one. It's going to be quite short, two or three chapters at most but I thought I may as well write it whilst I have a bit of free time. It's just a little idea I had. So yeah...

Zoe took the final sip of her drink. Being down The Vine with Ash wasn't her idea of a perfect night. They'd been sort of seeing each other for a few months now even though the both of them knew it wasn't really love. This was her and Nick's place and she didn't like the thought of being there with Ash.

"Another?" Ash asked.

"No, I really must be going home." Zoe replied grabbing her handbag and getting up.

"Really Zoe?" Ash said placing his hand on Zoe's. She quickly pulled her hand away. "Since when did you give up after one glass of wine?"

"I've got work in the morning and I don't want a hangover."

"Come on Zoe… Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Yeah. I'm fine." Zoe said sitting back down in defeat. "Go on then, one more." She passed her empty glass to Ash who got up and walked off to the bar.

Who was she trying to kid? She wasn't fine. She hadn't been fine since that night almost a year ago when Nick declared out of the blue that he was moving to Michigan. That night had played in her mind so many times. Mostly when she was laying alone in bed at night. That final kiss. Those final words. "You'll be great without me." What did that even mean? He was wrong, whatever. She hadn't been great at all…

"One glass of red wine." Ash said putting the glasses of wine down on the table and sitting back down. He looked at Zoe who was clearly deep in thought. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

"Not really." Zoe replied absent-mindedly.

"What's up then?" Ash asked genuinely concerned for Zoe.

"I've just been thinking…"

"About what?"

"Nick." Zoe looked Ash in the eye. She could see as soon as she mentioned Nick's name that Ash felt uncomfortable.

"Nick? Your ex Nick?" Ash asked. "Surely that's all in the past?"

"I thought it was." Zoe said prepared to confide in Ash. "But I just can't help it. I think about him all the time. I feel like we're soul mates. I've been in love with him for the past five years. I can't let that go…" Zoe was talking so fast it was hard for Ash to take it all in. "Look, Ash. This was a bad idea. Doing this, coming here. I just can't. Sorry."

Zoe grabbed her stuff and walked out leaving Ash in shock. She knew it was a mistake and that she'd have to face the consequences at work the next day. She just couldn't do it anymore. It was killing her pretending.