"Hey, Cassian, wait up!" Nesta called out as she exited the café. "What happened? Why didn't you wait for me?"

Cassian and Nesta had met through Feyre, Nesta's youngest sister and Cassian's friend, about two years ago. Although their personalities had clashed at first, they became friends. Then, almost a year ago, Cassian had asked her out to dinner, and thus began the best relationship of Nesta's life.

Cassian was always there for her but was never overbearing. He was able to cheer her up with a joke but was also able to hug her silently as she cried. He could help her procrastinate her work but would also help her brainstorm. He brought her takeout when she needed to work late and left work early when she was free.

Today, however, she had seen him waiting to pick up his coffee while she stood in line to order. He had been too far away for her to talk to, but she knew he had seen her: she'd felt his gaze pass over her. And yet, he had left after getting his drink without saying a word. After her order arrived, less than a minute later, she had rushed out after him, eager to talk.

Cassian turned towards her, a disbelieving look on his face. "...This is the first time you've spoken a single word to me in three weeks. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you broke up with me without telling me."

Nesta blinked in surprise. "No, I- why would I break up with you? Wait… Th-three weeks?"

She knew that she had gotten engrossed in writing her novel and had been busy recently. She tended to shut people out and put her work first, a habit that was formed in early childhood when writing was her preferred method of escapism. It was so much easier to slip away into neat lines of words, the steady rhythm of typing, and magical worlds, rather than have to deal with reality — a reality that consisted of losing money, friends, and her mother.

Still, three weeks of not talking to her boyfriend was excessive, even for her. It was just that she was so excited to finally be able to write for a living…

"Yeah." Cassian replied. His usually bright amber eyes were dull and serious. His face looked strangely smooth, void of his smile that usually creased his face and revealed the dimple on his right cheek. It was his flat tone, so different from the playful or loving one he usually used with her, that made something within her crack.

"Oh…shit." Nesta didn't think she'd ever hated herself as much as she did in this moment. If she lost Cassian, the most important person in her life because of her inability to multitask…she couldn't even imagine life without him. He was her everything: her best friend, her boyfriend, the one she laughed and cried with, the one she talked to and told her secrets to, the one that inspired her and reassured her and encouraged her to try new things. "I'm, I'm really sorry," she pleaded, hoping he'd understand that she meant it. She didn't apologize very often, so he knew she was being sincere. Right? He had to know. "I didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't do it on purpose," Cassian interrupted. The words should have soothed her, but his voice was still so dead. It was dread that pooled in her gut as he continued, "Nesta, I know… I've been thinking, and all things considered… I just don't think you have enough time for a relationship and writing right now."

Her heart stopped.

"What… are you saying?"

"I think…" His eyes darted to the pavement. "I think we should break up."

She wanted to yell, scream, something, but all her energy had drained out of her body at his declaration.

"This relationship is just a distraction for you," he said. "You're writing professionally, right? This is just the start of your journey and you don't need anything else to worry about."

She was a writer. Words were supposed to be her forté, and still she couldn't find any words as tears gathered in her eyes, blurring her vision.

"Cass…?"

The sad smile he gave her shattered her heart into a million pieces and ground it to dust. "It's okay, Nes. This feels like it's what's best for both of us right now."

How could he say that? Wasn't he the same man who had held her hand as she told her sisters the truth about what Tomas had done? Wasn't he the same man who had baked cookies for her and promised to teach her how to make them someday? Wasn't he the same man who had kissed her underneath the moonlight and told her that he loved her? The one who had smiled widely when she'd admitted her love for him and had taken that whole day off just to spend it with her?

"No." She told him, begging him to understand. "No it's-it's really not."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

Cassian shut his eyes. "...Maybe not, but it will be."

"Cass, please-" She didn't even care that her pride had disappeared. She would give anything, everything, just to get him back.

Nesta was not a likeable person. People thought her humor was cruel, that her gaze was haughty, that her voice was cold, that her attitude was frigid. Nesta's mother was dead, her father was in the hospital, and she had a rocky relationship at best with her sisters. She had very few friends, most of whom were closer to acquaintances. She had thought that perhaps no one would ever love her. It had felt like a dream come true when Cassian, a man who was perfect in every single way, had declared his affections for her.

Maybe it had been a dream. How could she have believed that a woman like her could end up with a man like him?

"Oh, I forgot," His voice was gruff with emotion he sought to keep under control. "Congratulations on getting your publisher to approve the whole trilogy, Nesta. I'm so proud of you."

He met her eyes one final time before he turned away. The truth of his words — that despite everything, he was proud of her — hit her like a ton of bricks. He was too good of a person for someone like her.

Maybe it was for the best. He could now be free to find happiness with someone he deserved.