Long distance isn't for the weak, you and Patrick learnt that the hard way. He knew it was never going to be easy, none of his relationships ever were on tour. You tried desperately to make things work, even as far as Patrick all but begging you to join him on his travels. But you knew it wasn't right for you, you weren't ready to pack up your life and follow him. So, he left. He wasn't ready to pack up his life to stay.

You watched his life through screens, as he did you. Always looking at your social media updates, catching any glimpse of you he could through your friends' too. It wasn't like you were any better, watching any match of his online that you could.

He wasn't doing well, in his tennis or his mind. The tennis you could see, with his lack of wins. But you'd heard through his friends that he wasn't coping well with the break up, you shouldn't have read them, but you saw it in the messages he sent. Pouring his heart out in the early hours to his boys, about how much he missed you. Missed his life with you.

When Patrick came home from tour for the off season, he spent any minute he wasn't training with you. Absorbing every moment, memorising every tiny detail he could. It was as though nothing had changed, no one looking would ever know you weren't together. You could barely tell that yourself.

With every night he spent in your bed, every time you picked him up from the courts, every date he took you out on. You felt like you had your Patrick back, the boy you knew before all the heartbreak. Thought things were different, but how naive you were.

Too wrapped up in the love that he swept you into again to acknowledge that eventually he'd be leaving again. You were living in your bubble, and somehow convinced yourself that he would stay, or at least things would be different. But seeing the packed bags by the side of your front door made it all too real. He was leaving again, but this time there was no offer to take you with him. Why would there be? You'd broken up months ago.

"Don't look so sad," Patrick murmurs, his thumb caressing your cheek as he stands before you. His eyes are sunken, more sad than your own. Not that you could read why, whether it was the idea of leaving you again, or that he just felt bad for the fact. "Gonna make me never wanna leave if y'keep looking at me like that."