Before You(40)

A forced laugh escaped Cam’s throat. “I guess not. Babe, don’t be mad. I’m sorry. The meeting this weekend is important and I need rent money. I wouldn’t miss your big day if I could avoid it.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe,” Bre said, sucking in a deep breath so she could hold back the tears threatening to fall. She refused to cry. Not now. “It’s a believable excuse to use once or twice, not every time you cancel.”

“I don’t cancel every time. You’re the one who left LA early and cancelled our plans.”

“Oh, please. Don’t pretend as if you cared. You hardly could be bothered to hang out with me when I was at your house.”

“That’s not true,” Cam responded softly. “We were working things out when you decided to run home to fix your mom’s problems. I don’t know why you let her push you around.”

“Leaving had nothing to do with my mom. My grandmother was dying. I would have left whether my mom was around or not. Don’t try to change the subject. You’ve bailed twice now for two major things in my life.”

“Don’t be selfish, Bre. Not everything is about you. So what, I’m going to miss your little party. It’s not a big deal. I need to support my band. It’s my future and I need to pay rent. I can’t suspend reality to suit your needs.”

“It’s not just any party. It’s the grand opening for my art gallery, but that isn’t the only thing you missed. You missed my grandmother’s funeral, too. Those are two really big things. They don’t get much bigger than that. If those two things aren’t important, then tell me what is?”

“Succeeding as a music artist has been my dream since I was a kid, and I’m not going to walk away from an opportunity so I can go to some little party for your shop. Getting signed by a label is way more important than opening a little shop in a ski town.”

Bre’s mouth opened, but no words came out. She couldn’t believe that Cam would be so demeaning of her dream. What happened to the Cam she knew? He’d never belittled her before. “Opening an art gallery is my dream. Just because it doesn’t rank as high as being signed by a record label in your opinion doesn’t mean it’s not important, not worthy of your attention.”

“Oh, come on. Everything I’m doing is for us, so we can be together. Can’t you see that? We both have to make sacrifices if we’re going to make our relationship work.”

“I didn’t realize that meant sacrificing my support system. I don’t feel as though you’re there for me when I need you.”

“I’m there for you. I listen to you go on and on about your shop every week, and frankly, it’s starting to bore me. Do you think I want to hear about every artist you meet, the lighting bid, or the color of stain on the hardwoods? I don’t give a fuck. Nobody does, but I listen because I love you.”

Now that was like a slap across her face. “I didn’t realize I was something you felt you had to put up with. I thought you wanted to hear what was happening in my life, but now that I know you think my life is boring, I’ll save you the pain of hearing about it. Don’t worry, I won’t inconvenience you with the details of my small, pathetic life again,” she said sarcastically.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that we’re over,” Bre responded, biting on her lip so she didn’t cry. “This relationship isn’t working for either of us right now.”

“Seriously? You’re dumping me on the phone because I can’t go to your party?” Cam asked incredulously.

“It’s better than by text,” Bre spat out.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You think it’s okay to cancel a weekend visit by text a few hours before your plane is supposed to land, so I don’t have any problems breaking up with you by phone. It seems generous.”

“I thought you’d be busy getting ready. I would have called if I knew you’d react like this.”

“When did you know you weren’t coming this weekend?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me.”

“Fine, I knew a couple days ago.”

Bre let out a bitter laugh. “So you think it’s perfectly acceptable to withhold that information for days, and then send some weak text cancelling a few hours before you’re supposed to be here?”

“It’s not a big deal. Get over it. You’re being overly dramatic.”

“No, I’m not.” Bre walked over to the door to her office and kicked it closed. “Listen, Cam. I can’t do this anymore. I want someone to support me and be there for me, and right now you can’t be that person.”