The silence between the two of them that ensued afterward was nearly deafening. Vanoss didn't know what to say, Moo didn't know what to say. They merely stood, staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact. It was embarrassing to Brock, if he were being honest with himself. He thought that Brian was the one, and now he was all upset and depressed, and his friend had to come and babysit him; check up on him to make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid. "You weren't going to say anything to us?" Evan's voice echoed throughout the quiet house. He moved towards the older man, hoping he would at least look at him. He didn't. "Brock, I've told you tons of times that me and the rest of the guys are always here for you... You can talk to us," The asian trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

Brock shook his head, before walking over to the couch. He grabbed the invitation on the table and sat down with it in his hands. He played with the colored piece of paper, it was smooth under his skin... And he just couldn't believe that this tiny, fucking insignificant piece of paper made everything such a dark reality. Truth be told, he didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to talk to Vanoss, he didn't want to talk to Nogla or Mini. He just wanted to be alone, at least until after the wedding was over. It still hurt; it was a fresh wound, and Brock didn't feel like pouring salt in it. His heart was cut, beat, and battered, and he didn't expect Evan or anybody else except Brian to understand.

"I don't want to talk." His throat was thick, dry, because it seemed as though he hadn't talked in years. "There's nothing to talk about."

Evan came to sit by him, hesitant because of the state his friend was in. "Brock, how can you sit there and say that?" He questioned.

A sigh escaped his lips. The older man was definitely unsure of what to say or do in a situation like this. What could he say? It was so odd, so contorted. But somehow, the wedding invitation said it all. It practically yelled at them, rubbing the wedding in his face as he sat there and fumbled with it in his big hands. "It hurts, Evan." The sentence was short, but held so much emotion beneath it. "And you and the other guys don't deserve to hear me whine and complain about all of it. I should have seen it coming... Fool me once, shame on you... Fool me twice, shame on fucking me I guess." He buried his head in his chest, holding back tears. He didn't want Vanoss to see him like this.

"I'm sure it's not your fault."

"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters because he's getting married now and it's not to me."

"Brock..." Vanoss' voice became softer, and in that moment, his heart really ached for the older man. He had been through so much in so little time, all because of Brian. He couldn't help but to have a feeling that their break up had to do with their visit to Dublin. But just what had happened in that short amount of time for them to separate and have Brock all torn up like this? It was a complete and utter mystery, and Evan wasn't sure if he wanted to figure out what was going on or not. Really, it was none of his business, but he hated seeing Moo like this, especially for the second time.

"It hurts," Brock repeated. "It hurts and I don't want to talk about it. I'll be okay, don't blame Brian... I guess it just wasn't meant to be." He inhaled, taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He wasn't making eye contact with the asian, and he didn't plan on it. He still had brewing tears in his eyes, and he damn sure didn't want Vanoss to see that. "Could you please just go?" His tone of voice was practically begging now, but he couldn't help it. He was on the verge of a break down, and he didn't want Evan sticking around for it. He cried almost everyday, but this? This was going to be far worse than crying. He could feel it bubbling, swelling deep down in his chest, and it was going to creep up his throat any minute now.

Evan didn't say anything else. He stood quietly with a nod, and made his way out of Brock's home. He'd never seen the older man this damaged before, and that's when he knew that Brian had fucked him up bad. He tried to wrap his head around the situation on the cab ride to the hotel he'd be staying at before flying back to LA the next day. But he simply couldn't. What had happened? Why did they break up? Would it always be a mystery to him? He hoped not. But all in all, he knew it was none of his business directly. All Evan could do was cross his fingers and hope for the best. It would all work out in the end, wouldn't it? At least that's what he wanted to keep telling himself. Mindlessly, he sent a group text to the rest of the guys. Brock's in bad shape guys.

And as soon as Vanoss shut the door, Brock couldn't hold it in anymore. A hiccup like sob emerged from his lungs and he felt like he couldn't breathe. It would never get easier. No matter how much he tried to convince himself he would be okay, he knew he wouldn't be. Every time he heard Brian's name, or saw something that reminded him of the Irishman, it would burn a hole through his chest. The fire would sizzle and crack and inhale everything that was Brock, until he had nothing left but dark ash inside him. No love, nothing. And maybe, maybe if he were lucky, after his heart burned, the pain would go away as well. So he cried, he cried until the tears were dry and sticky on his cheeks. He cried until he couldn't cry anymore.

When Vanoss finally arrived to his hotel, the first thing he did when he got to his room was shut the door and dial Brian's number. He had to hear the other man's side of the story. He needed to know that Brock was going to be okay. However, as he listened to the long dial tone, he debated on what he was going to say to Brian when he did finally answer. Would he be angry? Upset? Would he yell at him and blame him? The asian man wracked his head for answers but only found none. He let the sound of the dial tone numb him, until finally, he heard a tired "Hello?" Brian's voice was tired, hoarse, and the Irishman definitely did not sound good either. Had the break up been mutual? Evan could only wonder.

"I got your invitation," Vanoss got out, biting his tongue.

"So I'll see you at the wedding then?" He was void of emotion, shakiness in his tone.

Evan ignored his question, "I was a little surprised that Brock's name wasn't on there."

A pause, a sigh, and a moment of silence. "...Evan, please, don't do that." His heartbeat faltered a bit at the sound of Brock's name. His Brocky... Well, not so much his anymore. He should have known that the guys would be concerned, worried... But he didn't expect this call from Vanoss in even the slightest. He didn't want to talk about it much either, but he knew he had to give the asian man something so that he and the others wouldn't be worried. "I don't expect you to understand, but I had to do what was best. If you need to blame me, then go ahead, but just know that I still love him and I always will. I'm sorry. I know I promised you I wouldn't hurt him again, but obviously I'm not so good at keeping promises." The exhaustion shined through in his voice the longer he spoke, and Evan knew that this wasn't right.

"Brian, I-"

"Look Evan, I gotta go. I don't want to talk about this. What's done is done. And you don't have to come to the wedding if you don't want." He waited a few moments for the other man to respond, but he didn't. Probably because of lack of things to say. So when he didn't answer, Brian bid him a farewell and hung up the phone. This whole situation was entirely fucked. He didn't want anyone else involved, but he should have known that they would be; especially because of the fact that Evan and Brock were so close. In that moment, he wondered just how the older man was holding up, but then wiped his mind of the thought. Brock was worse than himself, and Brian knew that. That's why he didn't want to think of it.

All he wanted to do was see him, hold him, kiss him. Hell, just hearing his voice would soothe his craving for the older man. But the Irishman knew that it wouldn't happen. It would never happen again. His blue eyes welled with fresh tears, and he was thankful that he was home alone at the time. He didn't like to cry in front of other people, but the wedding was in two weeks, and she was moving into his apartment, so he figured maybe he should get used to it.