"Hey." Phoebe said.

"Hey." Clay said surprised.

"Can I come in?" Phoebe asked.

"Sure." Clay replied and opened the door further welcoming her in.

"How are you?" Phoebe asked.

"Ok. You?"

"Ok." Phoebe looked down.

"I didn't expect you to come here." Clay told her and pointed at the couch so she sat down.

"Yeah, I just I wanted to say sorry for leaving like that the other day." Phoebe said.

"Did you regret it?"

"Leaving?" She asked.

"No." He said.

"No, I didn't regret what we did." Phoebe shook her head.

Clay smiled at her hopeful.

"Then why did you leave like that?" He asked her.

"Cause, I felt weird. I hadn't been with someone else other than Cole in a really long time." Phoebe told him truthfully.

"I understand."

"But, I don't know if we should keep doing that..." Phoebe said awkwardly.

"Why not?"

"Cause, Clay, it's you. And it's me."

"What does that mean?"

"You know what that means."

"I can stay faithful to you."

"I don't think we could be together like that again."

"You don't know that."

"I do. It feels different with us. Whenever you were in town we went out and then had sex, but now you're always here. You moved in here."

"Right. So?"

"So, it's different."

"I don't get it, Phoebe. Then, why did you come back?" Clay stood up frustrated.

"Because I needed to give you an apology in person and tell you that I'd like to stay friends with you."

"You know that between me and you, we can't stay just friends." Clay said.

"You don't know that." Phoebe said as she got up, too.

"Oh, that I know." Clay told her gently as he approached her and touched her cheek.

"I still love him." Phoebe whispered.

"I know." Clay said sadly.

"I should go." Phoebe said.

"Don't." Clay said and kissed her gently.

Phoebe closed her eyes and kissed him back.

"Clay, wait." Phoebe said after a minute. She breathed and closed her eyes. "I should go."

"Phoebe, come on. It doesn't have to be awkward. It's just me."

Phoebe chuckled as she remembered Cole saying that to her in the past.

"How about we go out for a cup of coffee?" Clay suggested.

"Clay..." Phoebe said like a warning.

"Just coffee." Clay raised his hands up in defense. "As friends."

"Friends who sleep together occasionally." Phoebe corrected him.

"Is that bad?" Clay asked.

"Just stop talking." Phoebe rolled her eyes and opened the door. She looked back at him and he followed her.

Phoebe stared at the door she saw Cole the last time.

"It's empty." Clay said.

"Huh?" She looked at him.

"I saw that woman again. She is a real estate agent."

"Really?" Phoebe asked relieved.

"Yeap." Clay nodded and Phoebe looked away.

"So, she was just showing him apartments." Phoebe said.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

"Not really." Phoebe shook her head.

"Come on, let's go grab a cup of coffee." Clay said and they left.

Cole's days were passing by slowly. He had found a job at a law office and went boxing. He was staying at a hotel at first till he found a decent apartment. Money was no problem, as he had saved enough money all these years that could last him for a long time.

He was just trying to find a life away from Phoebe. All he knew was her. He tried so hard to remember what his life was before her and he just couldn't. He didn't even know how he survived without her for over a century. She was still in his head and heart. He knew he hurt her, but she hurt him even more. What was the point of being together if she didn't want to marry him? He couldn't comprehend that. He had to go. It had to be done sooner or later and after the other night... Seeing her with another guy. It didn't take her much to get over him.

He kept thinking about her words to him, telling him she loved him. He couldn't understand, if it was all a lie or it was the truth. If it had been the truth, then why did she fuck him up like that so much?

"Patricia? Hi, it's Cole. I decided to go for the third one."

Phoebe and Clay drank coffee and talked a bit. Phoebe realized she forgot her phone at Clay's apartment, so she had to go back with him to get it.

"Cole." Phoebe gasped.

"Lost no time, huh?" Cole commented and got into his apartment with his luggage.

"Cole, wait." Phoebe said, but he slammed the door behind him.

"He moved in here?" Clay asked.

"Looks like it..." Phoebe whispered.

"Great..." Clay said sarcastically.

"I need to talk to him."

"I don't think that's a good idea. He seems..."

"Furious. I know, but... I have to talk to him. Although, I don't know what to tell him." Phoebe said.

"Your phone." Clay said.

"Thanks." Phoebe took it.

"Clay, I'm so sorry." Phoebe turned to him. "I know this isn't fair to you."

"I knew where I got myself into, Phoebe." Clay told her and caressed her cheek gently.

"Out on the corridor. Great. Need an audience to get you off?" Cole said angrily, as he opened the door holding another bag in his hand.

Phoebe got startled and looked at him.

Cole looked at Clay and gritted his teeth. He dropped the bag on the floor with force and ran towards him.

"Cole, stop!" Phoebe screamed.

He lunged at Clay, punched him and threw him on the floor.

"Cole! What are you doing?" Phoebe yelled again.

Clay punched him back and Cole fell backwards. Phoebe got in the middle.

"Stop it right now." She raised her arms.

Cole breathed hard and got up.

"Cole, you broke up with me." Phoebe said.

Cole looked at her hurt and mad. He went back into his apartment and closed the door.

"You ok?" Phoebe asked Clay.

"Great." Clay said holding his jaw.

"Come on. You need ice." Phoebe said and got into Clay's apartment. She took a glance at Cole's apartment and closed the door.

"I don't understand why he did that." Phoebe said holding the ice on Clay's jaw.

"He wants you back." Clay said.

"No. He doesn't." Phoebe shook her head. "He is pissed off he saw me with you. Twice."

"You wanna go there?" Clay asked her.

"I..." Phoebe shook her head.

"It's ok. You should. He can't keep punching me every time he sees me."

"Ok." Phoebe nodded and handed him the ice.

"If he tries anything..."

"He won't."

"Just be careful."

Phoebe gave him a slight smile and left. She knocked on Cole's door after taking a breath.

Cole opened the door and just stared at her.

"Can I come in?" Phoebe asked.

"Why?"

"We should talk."

"There's nothing left to talk about."

"Yes, there is." Phoebe insisted.

He left the door open and went back to whatever he was doing before Phoebe interrupted him.

"Your apartment is nice." Phoebe commented awkwardly.

"Isn't it the same as your boyfriend's?" He asked bitterly.

"He is not my boyfriend."

Cole laughed. "Whatever, Phoebe."

"Why did you punch him?"

"I wanted to punch him ever since I saw him."

"Fine. Is it out of your system now?"

"Why are you here Phoebe? To protect him?"

"Cole, you broke up with me. You can't attack every guy you see me with."

"So, he is one of your guys?"

"Shut up." Phoebe told him.

"Get out and stop repeating that I broke up with you." Cole said.

"No and why not? It's the truth." Phoebe stood her ground.

Cole approached her threateningly.

"I said, get out."

"And I said, no." Phoebe stared at him and he stared back at her.

"I won't punch him again, unless he provokes me. Are we good now? Go."

"No, we are not 'good'." Phoebe said sadly.

He was so close to her. He hadn't been that close to her for a few weeks now.

"Why did you pick this apartment of all the apartments in San Francisco?" Phoebe asked him.

"This is the one I could afford." Cole lied.

"I don't believe that." Phoebe shook her head.

"Believe whatever you want to believe."

"I miss you." Phoebe whispered.

Cole turned around and closed his eyes.

"I'm hurting all the time. It doesn't... It doesn't stop." Phoebe said feeling her heart break in a million pieces all over again.

"You could have fooled me." Cole said turning around to look at her.

"How could you leave me just like that?" Phoebe asked him.

"Phoebe what would the point be? We would have broken up eventually." Cole said.

"No, we wouldn't have." Phoebe said passionately.

"Then..."

"Don't ask me again about that freaking marriage thing. God. You'll never understand. You never did." Phoebe shook her head.

"You should just go." He told her.

"You don't love me anymore?" Phoebe asked. Her tongue couldn't hold anything in anymore. She didn't care if she looked desperate, crazy or whatever. She felt like her whole world was destroyed. She needed more answers.

"I don't." Cole turned around and closed his eyes.

"Fine." Phoebe said shocked trying to hold back her tears.

She thought she'd pass out. She couldn't take it. She opened the door and left.

Tears fell from Cole's eyes and he sat on the couch holding his head. Phoebe went back to Clay's crying.

"What did he do to you?" Clay asked scared holding her head in his palms.

"Nothing..." Phoebe swallowed hard, sobbing.

"Come on." Clay took her in his apartment and closed the door.

Thank you p. cosima for your review on the previous chapter!