I had destroyed my relationship with Max. I knew it, and the guilt consumed me like a fire, slowly burning away at everything I believed in and all the will I had to keep going without him.

After I left Max’s house that afternoon I went to my apartment and locked myself away, drowning my sorrows and guilt in as much alcohol as possible.

I was lying in bed, a bottle in my hand, staring at the blue sheets and reliving memories which made my heart hurt when my phone rang.

‘There better be a good excuse for why I just turned on the TV and saw a video of you saying that Claudia’s having your baby,’ My brothers voice came from the phone.

‘I’m marrying Claudia, she’s pregnant,’ I told him, rolling around in the sheets, dreaming of happier times filled with sweet kisses and warm embraces.

‘I know, my question is why? You called me last week, you were going to go public with Max, what happened?’

‘Max and I are done, Max doesn’t love me anymore,’ Oh Max. He was so good to me. The room was spinning a little bit, so I tried to keep my head still.

‘Your words are slurred, how much have you had to drink?’

‘Only like three bottles, but who cares right? Max doesn’t care!’ I laughed, a vodka bottle rolling off the edge of the bed and hitting the carpet below.

Naughty bottle!! Oh you silly thing!

‘Ryan, Max is probably just upset. Did you sleep with Claudia? Is that why you’re staying with her? Because the baby is yours?’

The baby wasn’t mine! Oh babies are cute aren’t they?

‘Zach’s baby, I don’t like women! No! I like dic-’

‘Ok, does Max know that?’ he cut me off.

‘Yes, but I have to marry her Benny boy, I have to,’ I told him strongly, because it was true, I had to. For Max. Yes. I had done it to save Max from her wrath.

‘Why?’

Oh it’s a secret. But Ben asked, so I have to tell him! I lowered my voice to a whisper, so no one else could hear.

‘Cause, shhh, don’t tell anyone, she’s a monster, she will make me be alone again, she will kill Max’s career.’

‘Ryan, can I call someone? Do I need to come back to LA?’ My brothers worried voice came from the phone and I wished that he would leave me to wallow in self pity in peace.

Turning over, I buried my head in the soft blue sheets.

These blue sheets are nice. This is a big bed, I wonder if I roll, if I-‘Ommph’

‘Ryan! Ryan are you ok?’

I giggled, ‘I fell of the bed! The bed! HAAHA’

‘Ok, I’m calling Max.’

‘NO! Don’t call Maxxie! He doesn’t love me.’

‘Ok, I’m calling Cameron.’

‘Cameron’s a sweetheart. Oh Cameron, Cameron, Cameron.’

‘Please don’t leave your apartment Ryan.’

‘Why, are there monsters!? Or Dragons!?’ OOhh I could be a monster slayer! I could be the hero and save the whole town! Max would love me then!

‘Don’t wooorry Bennny, I will slay that dragon and save us all!’ I told him, searching the room with my eyes for any weapon that might work on a dragon, but coming up short. Maybe I should go to a dragon armour store. Do they exist? Maybe I should start one!

‘No Ryan, you should not open up a dragon store.’

‘MIND READER!’ I accused ‘You really should get out of my head Benny Boy’

‘Do not leave the apartment Ryan!’

He was so silly, I can’t just sit around and wait for the dragon, I have to go find him!

I hung up the phone jumped up from the ground, only to stumble and fall back onto the bed. Stupid legs! Keep on walking! Do your job please!

I made another attempt to leave the room, and this time was successful. I had to ready myself for combat, so I grabbed a sword, well I couldn’t find a sword, so I ran to the kitchen to grab a spatula. I saw another bottle on the bench.

‘One more sip for luck!’ I picked up the bottle, ‘Death to the Dragons!!’ I screamed before chugging the bottle.

Then the world became dark and I fought the darkness, but the dragon had me, and it wasn’t letting go.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

‘Thank-god, I thought that you were dead’ Someone’s voice pounded through my ear drums and I groaned, my head throbbing.

‘Here’ someone handed me water and I sat up and drunk it eagerly, before opening my eyes.

I was sitting in my bed, Cameron sitting next to me. His dark hair was a mess, and he looked tired, but he somehow still looked attractive.

‘What are you doing here?’

He laughed, but the noise made me clasp my head, so he stopped before continuing, speaking in a hushed voice.

‘Your brother called me, said that you were drunk and alone and about to go slay a dragon?’

‘Oh god. I can remember something about a dragon’ I grimaced, what was I thinking?

‘When I found you, you were lying on the kitchen floor, a spatula in your hand’ I resisted the urge to laugh at my drunken logic.

‘How long ago was that?’

‘About eight hours,’ he said, and true concern stayed in his eyes. It touched me that he cared about me enough to do this, even though we hadn’t been close in a long time.

‘You stayed the whole time?’

‘That’s what friends are for. So, you going to tell me why you’re getting drunk and slaying imaginary dragons?’

‘It’s a long story,’ I told him, looking down at my hands.

‘I’ve got time,’ he said gently and I met his eyes, seeing only genuine concern and curiosity.

I made a bold choice then, ‘Last year, I met a man, his name was Max Stark…’

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

Cameron had listened to my story with open ears and a kind heart. When I would start to cry he would grab my hand or pat my arm. I told him everything and he waited until I was done before commenting.

‘Do you love Max?’ He asked, and I answered as quickly as I could, because I had never doubted the answer, ‘Yes.’

‘Then you made a mistake. Max obviously loves you and you’re letting your fear get the best of you. You can’t let Claudia control your life. You need to take risks.’

‘My career, his career, they will be ruined if she does what she says.’

‘You will have each other. I know you think that you’re doing him a favour but you’re not. What’s more important to you? Max or your career?’

‘Max.’

‘And I bet that if I asked him the same question, his answer would be you. This is a big risk, but you need to take it.’

He made sense, I loved Max, and Max told me that we could be forever, that he didn’t care about the threats, but I had been too scared. I needed him back, but he is sure to hate me. I choose a woman who used me over the man who loved me. Do I even deserve to have him back?

‘He hates me now, how could I ever fix it?’

‘I’ll help you, and we will figure it out, ok?’

I threw myself into his chest and held on tight. He allowed me to see clearly, to have hope.

‘Thank-you Cameron.’

He gently pulled away, ‘When I first met Colton, he was at some party I was at. I was having a horrible time, it was the most boring party that I had ever been to. Then this beautiful guy, with blonde hair walks in and starts talking to me and he made my night. He went and talked to other people and I wanted to ask him out, but I was afraid that he would reject me, so I didn’t say anything. But by the end of the night I still hadn’t stopped thinking about him, so I walked over to him and just went for it. I asked him out and he said yes. To this day, that is the best decision I have ever made. Have hope Ryan, because you just have to take that leap and you never know, it might just be life changing.’

I had made a mistake, but I just hoped that he would forgive me. I didn’t care what Claudia said or did. I loved Max, nothing else mattered.

I needed to win him back, and I was going to do everything I could to do just that.