Bram led Abby to the apartment. Bram rarely had a guest over that wasn't Garrett, but he still preferred to keep his apartment clean. Most of the main room was tidy except the couch since he slept on it. "He should still be in my room," Bram said.
"Thank you," Abby said. Bram led her to the bedroom. Simon was awake and was sat up in his bed. He looked as if he had only been up for a minute or two. The two friends hadn't said a word, but Bram felt as if he was intruding on something.
"Abby," Simon said.
"Hi, Si," Abby said. Bram got the sense that they might want to be alone. He stepped into the kitchen to fix some breakfast. The bedroom door was still open about three inches. They were either whispering or not talking at all since Bram didn't hear anything.
"I missed you," Simon said. "I would have reached out sooner, but Shawn didn't want me to. He gets angry when I don't do as he says."
"I figured that's why," Abby said. "I missed you as well. So do Nick and Leah."
"They seemed quite mad last time I saw them," Simon sighed.
"They're now more worried than angry," Abby said. Bram had started to make an egg sandwich. "Nick still talks about you. He wants you to be his best man when we get married in July."
"Really?" Simon asked.
"Yeah," Abby said. "I'm glad that you did, but I have to ask. What made you finally pull the plug? What made you leave Shawn?"
"I had been planning on leaving him for a while," Simon said. "Or at least get my place. I was working out of the house, and I was saving up on the side. I couldn't live there anymore. He found it, and he got into our worst argument yet. I thought he was going to kill me. The one thing I thought he would never do. I had to run. I now need to go grab my things from his apartment. I should have enough for a few nights at a motel. He threw most of the money away, but I still have more."
"You don't have to do that," Abby said. "You can stay in me and Nick's guest room."
Bram then walked over to the bedroom. He closed the door and returned to the kitchen.
Later that day, Nick and Leah came by to help Simon back his stuff. Simon had never seen Nick cry before, but he was when he arrived. After he hugged Leah and Nick and reassuring them that he was done with Shawn, they helped him pack.
Simon carried one of the final boxes. His arm was grabbed, and Simon was stopped in his path. He turned around to face Shawn. "Baby, you can't do this to me," Shawn pleaded. "You can't leave me. I need you, and you need me even more."
"This is going to be better for both of us," Simon protested.
"If you do this, I won't be able to move on," Shawn said. He started to twist Simon's arm. "I'll shut down again."
Shawn then noted that Nick was glaring. "You need some serious help," Simon said, freeing his arm. He walked to the car, and Shawn was about to follow. Nick was quick to stop him.
"I've beaten you up before, I can do it again," Nick reminded him. Abby, Nick, and Simon then drove away from the building.