Summary: She was tired of giving. She'd given all she could, and it never seemed to be enough.
A/N: Written for the Album Challenge at lita_fics on LJ. I picked the album "The Chronicles of Life and Death" by Good Charlotte because they're one of my favorite bands. I plan on making this 6 parts, with each part inspired by a particular song. Also, hoping to keep all of these connected, but it all depends. We'll see. No definitive pairing yet; there might not be one. I'll let you know when I do. Until then, you can choose who you think it would be.
She couldn't understand where they had gone wrong. Was it something she'd said? Something she hadn't said? Lita was confused beyond all belief by the evening's events. It had all happened so suddenly: one moment they had been laughing, reminiscing about old times and awkward, embarrassing moments they'd share together, the next they were yelling and exchanging hurtful, hate-filled insults.
Sometime between dinner and dessert, everything fell apart. She was completely gobsmacked and devastated by the evening's events, and even if she retraced the evening in her mind, she knew that she still wouldn't be able to see where or how they'd gotten to this point. The only thing she was sure of was that he was gone, and chances were pretty good that he wouldn't be coming back. Of course, it had been mutual—as mutual as a breakup can be when one person doesn't want it, and tries desparately to come up with ways to work the problems out—but that gave her very little comfort. She hadn't wanted him to walk out the door; she hadn't meant anything when she'd said that they weren't right for each other. She had just been upset, frustrated, and hadn't been thinking clearly when she said it. Deep down, she did feel like she was the only one giving in the relationship, while he seemed to just take and take, but that hadn't been the best way to express her feelings.
But one thing he had said that Lita couldn't deny was that the two of them were at a crossroads in their relationship. It seemed, from his point of view, that she'd stopped trying and had pulled away from him. In her eyes, he had stopped trying and didn't appreciate her efforts at all. What more could she do to make him happy? She didn't have the answer to that question and now, she probably never would, because he'd walked out.
Lita had made numerous sacrifices in both her personal and professional life just so they could be together, but it apparently wasn't enough. It seemed that, no matter what she did, it wasn't appreciated. It was almost as if he expected more from her, more than any one person to give to another. And she was tired of trying. She was tired of being with someone who didn't care enough to put her first, instead expecting to be put above everything and everyone. She had a life to live, and she couldn't be bothered with shoving it to the side anymore. As much as it hurt, she knew that it was time to let go, time for both of them to move on. It wasn't as if he wasn't wildly successful, either. He didn't need her anymore. She didn't want to give up, but she'd pretty much given all that she could, and it wasn't enough. She didn't want him to stay in a relationship where he wasn't happy, so she had no choice but to let him go. Lita questioned whether or not she should fight for him to stay, but really, what was the point anymore? It wouldn't change things.
And as she settled into her bed and pulled the thick covers over her, Lita tried to convince herself that she didn't need him anymore.
Nothing could be further from the truth, though.