Magnus had done some serious work on his apartment since I'd last been there.

On the way up the staircase I was expecting the same dusty hole from my first visit. The corridor still had that funny smell and was just as filthy as before. I guess nobody who lived in the building wanted to take responsibility for the public sections. Which wasn't very community spirited, but then again, if I lived there I wouldn't want to clean it either.

Magnus had to put in effort to open the door again because it still stuck, though he had replaced covered the numbers scratched into his door with screw-in chrome ones. And that was the least of the improvements he'd made.

Now I was sat in the middle of the living room, on a black leather couch he'd brought in, observing all the changes. The once dingy floors that had been buffed until they shone and there was no more dust. Whereas before the furniture had all looked like it had been dragged out of a pile somebody planned to throw away, now everything which didn't look presentable when it was cleaned off had been replaced. So while there were quirky tables here and there, the questionable looking rugs had turned into plush, comfortable things.

And I finally got to meet Magnus' cat, who sat himself on my lap and fell asleep the second I sat down.

"If you're going to sit in his napping spot, he's going to sit on you." Magnus laughed and pet the little ball of white fur behind the ears.

He was dressed more plainly than I'd ever seen him; barefoot, in plain jeans and a white t-shirt. A look he claimed was both comfortable to lounge in and never went out of style. He wasn't wearing makeup, which I would always maintain was a good thing. The signs of aging he always tried to cover were a part of him, and not a part that needed concealing, either.

I coughed, uncomfortable with my thoughts drifting that way. I had to remind myself that Magnus' physical attractiveness was established. I was there to learn more about what was under that.

"So, when does Camille come home?" I asked while Magnus replaced the bulb in one of his lamps.

They were all second-hand set lights he got when he first started photography. I remembered him telling me that he'd taken his first pictures against the exposed-brick backdrop of these walls. He was using them like normal lamps, now that they didn't measure up to the studio he worked in.

"Cammie?" He asked, clearly confused. "She doesn't live here with me."

I winced, Magnus burned his fingers on the bulb because he'd forgotten to flip the switch off. He cursed and shook his hand out but seemed to get over it soon enough.

"Are you alright?" I heard myself asking.

"All good." He nodded, giving the lamp a distrustful look, as if it might make itself tip over just to burn him. It was kind of funny, and I might have laughed if my mind wasn't somewhere else entirely.

"So… You're living apart?" I questioned. Even with Camille's barrage of complaints about him, I never got the impression she really wanted him gone. Just that she was willing to let him go. And he'd seemed happy enough to live with her before.

"She comes to visit." Magnus admitted. "To watch old movies and flip through my sketchbook. In a friendly way."

Weird. That was my first thought. Then I felt bad.

It wasn't as if I could turn around and demand he stop speaking to Camille. No matter what happened between them, if he ended up staying with her or not, she was more than a ring on his finger to him. She was a childhood friend, I knew that much.

Did he even know she was making plans to divorce him?

Come to think of it, what was happening on that front? I was so used to her telling me every little detail she could manage over the phone, but she hadn't called me since I last spoke to Magnus. Seems as her mission in contacting me had been to make that happen.

"We aren't seeing each other that way anymore." Magnus began to assure me, seeing how I wasn't saying anything. Oops. Way to drift off. "I know how you feel about that."

My speech suddenly came back. "We aren't-"

"I know." He said, before I could remind him that we weren't actually in a relationship. He could see anybody he wanted. It wasn't really up to me.

But he wasn't seeing anybody. That meant something. He was trying.

I stroked the cat and thought while I looked at the foot trails in the rug and the magazines on the table.

Was it really okay to be happy that Magnus wasn't seeing his life partner for my sake? It seemed like a very 'Anna' thing to do. It wasn't like I wanted to be responsible for splitting a couple up. It just happened to bode in my favour if they did decide to end it.

Camille had seemed pretty keen to end it...

"You know, we aren't an item. You can still see whoever you like." I said, quietly, without being interrupted this time.

To tell the truth, I was feeling a little bit guilty. Jace would have told me I was being stupid. It wasn't me who had to feel guilt, here. But the thing was, while I appreciated that Magnus was trying to make amends, it wasn't enough if he was changing for me. He had to change for him.

When all was said and done we both had to be happy. So how much did being polyamourous really mean to him? How much did his marriage mean to him? Camille didn't seem to value it all that much.

Magnus smiled a little and put a hand through his hair. Unstyled, today. He seemed to do that whenever he was looking for the right words. It was just distracting enough to give him an extra couple of seconds.

"As long as Camille and I are an item, you and I never will be. Correct?"

"Correct." I confirmed. I bit my lip, anticipating his reply.

"Well, then, stop pretending you don't mind." Magnus shook his head and laughed. As if I was completely perplexing. I was just trying not to be pushy. "I want to give you what you want."

"If it was ever going to work again." I said, feeling that stupid guilt bubble up inside me again as I explained my way of thinking. "We'd both have to be happy."

"I will be happy the day you forgive me." Magnus smiled. "Now, let's get me up to date. Has your blonde friend done anything idiotic lately?"

We have an update! The next one won't be for a few days yet, I have a friend staying with me this week so I'm not writing. But I hope you liked the chapter. I've been really excited since the story broke 100 followers. Thank you everybody!