Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)

Bryan was still clutching his jacket, standing in the foyer, changing his shoes.

Jaired caught a glimpse of him and felt a sudden wave of unease.

"Hey, where are you off to?"

If Irene wakes up and finds him gone, she's going to lose it. Given how smitten she's been with him lately, it'll be a while before she's over him. Usually, she's the one doing the dumping. It's rare to see a guy walk away from her.

"I'm leaving," Bryan said, his tone flat as he set down his keys, tossing them into the key dish nearby.

Jaired shot to his feet, his heart clenching.

"Leaving? Why not take Irene with you? You know she's pretty fond of you."

Fond?

Bryan frowned. Sure, he had a good time with her, but that was it.

"I'm not sure where I'm headed, but I won't be staying here."

He opened the door, glancing upstairs.

"She's probably exhausted. Let her rest."

Jaired made a face. Exhausted, indeed. Those two hadn't stopped for days, always at it whenever they got the chance.

Jaired hung his head, feeling a strange emptiness. Despite his complaints about them, the idea of someone leaving felt oddly hollow. He'd never really cared about anything before, not knowing what it felt like. But now, it was as if someone had scooped out his heart. He felt awkward.

"Stay."

Bryan squinted, a light chuckle escaping him.

"I can't figure out what you two are. You don't seem like exes, but there's a closeness. You genuinely care for her, I can see that."

Jaired, stung by Bryan's smile, felt a sudden urge to cry. Not understanding his emotions, he opened his mouth to say more, but Bryan was already stepping out, waving as if he'd never return.

"At least leave a contact?"

Jaired took a few steps after him. After all these nights with Irene, was he really going to leave without a trace?

"I don't have a contact."

Jaired fell silent, realizing Bryan was determined to cut ties with Irene. He stood there, watching the man walk away.

Irene woke up the next day, her voice husky from the recent frenzy. Touching the empty space beside her, she panicked, quickly getting up. But the room was empty.

She didn't even bother with shoes, rushing to the bathroom - not there. She even drew the curtains in the bedroom, but no one was hiding there, nor in the closet.

Rushing out, she checked every room on the second floor, still no sign. "Jaired! Jaired!"

She called out twice, spotting Jaired on the first floor, cleaning his gun, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Where is he?"

Jaired's gaze fell on her bare feet, marks visible on her ankles from their wild times. "He left."

Irene stiffened, feeling as if a hand was squeezing her throat.

Jaired, getting no response, looked up at her Tears were already falling as she stared at him, waiting for the surge of emotions to settle before asking.

"Left, as in?"

Jaired frowned. She used to brag about not caring when her dates left.

"Let them go. The next one will be better trained, and I'm already bored of them anyway."

Jaired grimaced.

"Yesterday, he said he was leaving. I asked for a contact, but he said he didn't have one. Guess he's not coming back." "Oh."

Irene's response was slow as she trudged upstairs. Jaired half-expected her to chase after Bryan immediately.