He shouldn't have left. The thought had kept him up for four nights straight. Rachel had been shutting him out, wouldn't let him in, and instead of fighting harder, he'd taken the easy way out. Said he needed space. Walked away.
What kind of person walks away from someone they love when they're hurting?
Jamie appeared beside him. "You okay?"
"Sophie says Rachel's in therapy. Every day."
"That's good, right?"
"I guess." Mac sat on the bench, suddenly exhausted. "I shouldn't have left, Jamie. She was pushing me away and I just... let her. Told myself I was respecting her boundaries when really I was just scared."
"Scared of what?"
"That if I pushed, she'd break. Or that she'd tell me it was over." Mac dropped his head into his hands. "So I ran. Called it 'space.' And now she's doing the work and I'm—"
"Hiding at Cole's eating terrible eggs?"
Mac looked up. "Yeah."
"What if it's not enough? What if she works on herself and we still can't make it work?"
Jamie sat beside him, quiet for a moment. "Then at least you'll know. But Mac, do you want it to work?"
"More than anything."
"Then stop hiding. You think space is what she needs? Maybe she's sitting in that apartment thinking you gave up. That when she needed you to fight, you walked away."
Mac's stomach dropped. "I texted her last night—"
"Texts aren't showing up. They're not fighting." Jamie stood. "The Mac I know doesn't give up on people he loves. He shows up. He fights. Even when it's hard."
Mac managed a weak smile. "Yeah. Besides Cole’s eggs were pretty bad."
"His eggs are always bad. The man can't cook." Jamie clapped Mac's shoulder. "So go home. Figure out what you want to say. And then go fight for her."
Mac stared at his phone, at Sophie's text.
Doing the work. Was he doing the work as well?
No. He was hiding. Calling it space. Waiting for permission that wasn't coming.
Rachel was facing her demons. Fighting through her trauma.
And he'd walked away the moment it got hard.
Mac stood up, determination settling in his chest. "I need to win her back. Something with a lot of flowers."
"Practice isn't over—"
"I need to go plan this properly!"
Jamie grinned. "There he is."
He'd asked for space. That was the mistake.
Time to stop running. Time to fight.
Day Five - Rachel
