"Hayden what happened to you? Where have you been? You missed my birthday! We never miss each other's birthdays!" Liam bombarded his girlfriend with questions, which she had expected. What she didn't expect, however, was Mason coming to pick Liam up from his shift.

"What are you doing here, Hayden?" Mason asked with disgust. He was a lot more protective over Liam than Liam was of himself.

"I asked Scott and Stiles when his shift ended. I was hoping we could go somewhere and talk" she looked at Liam with innocence, but Mason knew this was a cheap manipulation. She didn't find what she was looking for when she was out forgetting about her relationship and now that she ran out of patience or money or whatever, she wants Liam to be here waiting.

"You can talk, Hayden. I'm not stopping you" Mason wouldn't go down without a fight and neither would Hayden.

"Mase, let me talk to her. I'm not leaving with her so just give us a few minutes. I'll be back" Liam looked at her making it a point to express how he felt with just his eyes. Hayden looked at Mason with eyes that could kill. She and Mason never got along after she left. They tried for Liam, but it never worked. Mason never trusted her after the first time, and he didn't have a hard time expressing it. Hayden knew he was waiting for the day she was out of the picture so he could finally tell Liam what he really thought of her. He was a bigger influence on Liam than Liam even knew.

"Thank you, Liam, I-"

"No. Hayden, for once, let me talk." She seemed taken aback by this, but she nodded.

"Hayden, you do this too often. Take off, no plan, no reason, no idea where you're gonna go or when you're coming back-" he breathed a heavy sigh. "Hayden, if you need something else, just

tell me that. Don't put me on hold for when you're lonely"

"Liam that's not-"

"Tell me you love me."

Hayden's eyes grew wide and then small, squinting at the ridiculous accusation. "Excuse me? Of course, I do!"

"No, Hayden. You haven't said it in some time now."

"That is ridiculous. I mean but. If it means that much to you-"

"No, Hayden! It just doesn't mean that much to you!" Liam spat out with anger that he hadn't realized had been bubbling under the surface. It felt pretty good to finally face her and feel how he felt without holding back. "I can't do this anymore Hayden. I won't" Liam snapped at her and walked back towards Mason, who was doing an exceptionally horrible job at pretending he wasn't eavesdropping.

She didn't even go after him. She knew what she was doing was wrong. She just never thought he'd leave. She loved him, in her own way, but there was just something she was never going to get out of their relationship. Neither was he, and he needed to realize that too. If she had to make him leave her, then so be it. She was ok being the bad guy. He didn't realize that he didn't love her either. Not in the way he should have.

"Are you ok dude?" Mason may not like Hayden, but Liam was his best friend and he cared about how he felt. Liam loved Hayden for years and she was his high school sweetheart. Mason thought it was the only thing that was keeping them together. Longevity. Being comfortable. Mason never thought Liam and Hayden were right for each other, really.

It wasn't who she was with Liam or even who she was as a person. It was just... who she turned Liam into. He was a great guy, and he was respectful and trusting by nature, but he was so over the top with Hayden. It wasn't just that he would do anything for her, it was that he basically did. It was unhealthy. It looked cute and sweet from the outside. It was different when they were all roommates, though. It was suffocating. That was when Mason actually saw the change, and the real problem.

After that, Mason moved near campus when Scott told him about an apartment that opened, and Hayden got even worse. She started leaving at the drop of a hat and saying she needed space and to visit family. Liam didn't seem to notice, but the time apart got longer and the distance between was further each time. Mason knew she would eventually leave. It was only a matter of time. At least it was Liam who told her to stay gone. That's better. At least he thought it was.

Liam finally looked at Mason "Let's go get drunk".

"Are you sure dude? This is a pretty big deal. Maybe alcohol isn't the best Band-Aid"

"Mase, I'm fine. Honestly, I'm great."

The bar that night was surprisingly crowded for a Monday night, Theo thought. They actually had to call in Corey for backup. 'Independence week' part two was even worse than the first week.

They were still blowing up fireworks in the streets regardless of restrictions in that area and walking around drunk and practically lifeless. It made for great tips though. Some people really didn't have a clue how fucked up they were and handed out hundred-dollar tips to the 'cute bartenders'. Oh well. Not his problem.

Cleaning tables, Theo heard the door open, because let's face it, it was busier than usual for a Monday. It wasn't a big deal compared to the rest of the week. He just needed an extra hand in case they needed a floater. "Good evening! Welcome to Halefire! Sit anywhere you'd like!" Theo said this about a million times at every shift, and no matter how many times he'd rehearsed it, his customer-service voice was seriously lacking, in his mind. However, Liam thought the opposite when he and Mason entered the bar.

Corey had already been there for a little over an hour. Liam blinked at Theo's completely different customer-service persona. How this man can do what he does and pretend to be unaffected by it was beyond Liam.

"Hey guys!" Corey yelled from behind the bar. Liam felt weird with Theo looking at him. Maybe he did think Liam was a moron. Maybe he was waiting until he was around all of his friends to publicly humiliate him. That would certainly be the theme of the day.

"Liam, are you gonna be ok?" Corey asked, already knowing the details of the breakup. At least as much as Mason could text him and what he could read between customers.

"We've been drifting apart long before this. I've accepted it might happen for a while now. Just thought it would feel- I don't know- different?" Liam couldn't describe how he felt. It hurt, but honestly, he felt like a weight was lifted. Like he could breathe. Tell me you love me. She really couldn't do it. Fuck, he still needed a few shots, though.