Warnings: Angst

Word Count: 1619

Author's Note: Chapter two! Just wanted to say thank you for the positive response that I got to the first part of this series! It is very appreciated 💛

You felt your stomach sink. There was no way you were going to be able to afford a new place with Columbus' rent, especially given your current job.

"What?"

"I need you to move out, preferably within the next week."

"Now wait just a minute," you said, holding a hand out. "You know that I can't afford that."

"We're not together anymore, Y/N. There's no reason to live together."

"You can't break up with me and then immediately kick me out!"

"I'm sure there's someplace you can live," he shrugged.

"Back in California, maybe! Matt, you know how expensive rent is here. How in the world am I supposed to afford that? Much less find somewhere in a week!"

"There's plenty of job opportunities, Y/N. You have a college degree, how hard can finding a job be?"

"Really hard, Matt! I have a photography degree, remember?"

He rolled his eyes. You bit down on your cheek to keep from yelling at him.

"Then work in photography. You're good at that and you have experience. Should be easy enough," he shrugged.

You took a moment to compose yourself, "It takes years to build up a reputable photography business and even longer to make a decent living from it. And in case you forgot, I had one back home until you dragged me out here."

"Then move back home!" he said, raising his voice a bit. "That way you can stop acting like this is all my fault."

"That's because it is!" you snapped. "My parents didn't want me to leave, and you can bet that they'll be upset if I come crying back to them after a month after all the convincing I did. You ripped me away from the life that I had and made me start all over. You had a job all lined up. I didn't. You decided to end things when you did. I didn't. You decided I needed to move out in a week. I didn't."

Matthew reached a hand up and ruffled his hair. He seemed annoyed by this conversation, but that was nothing new.

"Fine, you can stay as long as you're actively working towards moving out."

"Gladly," you spat.

Matthew turned and walked back into the bedroom. You walked over and took a seat on the couch as the reality of what had just happened began to hit you. Tears began to rush down your cheeks, so you grabbed a pillow to hide your face. The last thing you wanted was Matthew seeing you sobbing on the couch.

You heard Matthew walk back into the living room and dump what could only be clothes onto your already full suitcases. The door to his bedroom closed so you figured it was safe to get off the couch. If you were going to be living out of your suitcases, you might as well make them as organized as possible.

So much for your movie night.

Getting ready for work the next morning was weird. Every last one of your belongings had been gathered together and put in the living room by Matthew. You ended up getting ready at the kitchen counter, bent over a mirror that you could barely see yourself in. Not to mention that leaning over was made ten times more difficult with your sore back from sleeping on the couch.

Matthew was still asleep when you walked out the front door. You just hoped that the locks wouldn't be changed by the time you got home from work later that afternoon.

"Hey, Y/N!" one of your coworkers called as you walked in. "Ready for a super exciting day?"

"Sure," you laughed as you walked behind the counter.

You hung your bag up and grabbed your apron from its spot on the wall. At least there was still one place in Ohio where you felt welcome.

"You doing alright?" she asked. "You're looking pretty down."

"Matthew broke up with me last night," you explained as you tied the apron around your waist.

Her jaw dropped, "No way! This is the dude that you've been with since college?"

"That's the one."

You walked towards the back of the shop to grab what you would need. Your coworker followed you, the confusion still evident on her face.

"Hold on, I need more details."

"Long story short, he said that he was beginning to doubt the relationship but thought that moving out here might be good for both of us. As it turns out, that wasn't the case and he decided to end things now that I'm hundreds of miles away from everything that I love."

"So, he dragged you out here to dump you, basically?"

"Pretty much," you sighed. You could feel tears beginning to surface, but you quickly pushed the feeling down. "He even tried to give me a week to move out, but I begged him to let me stay longer because there's no way I can afford my own place right now. He eventually gave in and said I could stay as long as I was actively trying to move out."

"What are you going to do?"

You took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "I honestly don't know. All I want to do is move back home, but my parents will be pissed if I come crying back to them. For now, I think I'm just stuck here. Hopefully my photography takes off soon, I really need the money."

Your coworker reached out and rubbed your back soothingly, "You're going to get through this, Y/N. I'll do whatever I can to help. I'd even say you could move in with me, but my apartment is already cramped enough with my two other roommates."

"Thank you so much. It means a lot to know that somebody has my back."

She pulled you into a quick hug before stepping back and smiling widely, "Alright, let's make today productive. The better service we have, the more tips we can get."

"Let's do it."

By the time that you were walking home from work that afternoon, your cheeks hurt from smiling at customers all day. The extra tips were worth it though, at this point any little bit would help you pay for a new place.

The mere thought of trying to find an apartment was enough to cause your stomach to twist. Rent in Columbus was expensive and there was no way you would be able to swing paying for your own apartment and a car with your current job. Not to mention all the other expenses.

You shook your head in a vain attempt to get the thoughts out of your head. Every time you thought about everything you had to do, it just sent you into a panic. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to bite the bullet and call your parents. After all, they might not hate the idea of you coming home as much as you thought they would.

You held your breath as you pulled your keys out of your bag. Although it was unlikely, a small part of you was afraid that Matthew had changed the lock on the door before he left for work. Your shoulders instantly relaxed as the knob turned easily and the door swung open. You set your bag by the door and walked over to the couch, collapsing onto it.

It felt like a lifetime since you had been in California. You missed being there, where your family was only a twenty minute drive away and your career was doing something that you loved. Seeing friends and family every weekend was the norm and everything was familiar. You thought it was the place that you would spend the rest of your life.

Now you were here.

You had wanted to love Ohio, even if it was only for Matthew's sake. He had been so happy over the last month, although now you questioned if that had actually been the case. You had quickly learned that he was a fantastic liar. Now you just hated Ohio even more than you had before. There was nothing here for you.

Your mind began to run over possibilities of how to get out of here. You were pretty sure that you had enough money saved to get a plane ticket back home if it came down to that, then you would just have to work out where to stay. That shouldn't be too difficult; you had plenty of friends back home. Maybe you should start calling them.

You began to get too overwhelmed, so you grabbed your headphones and made yourself comfortable on the couch. A short nap would help you feel better and take your mind off of everything for awhile.

Matthew slammed the door, causing you to sit straight up. You turned to look at him, wondering why he had so aggressively closed the door. He didn't seem upset as he stood by the door taking his work shoes off, meaning that he had most likely done it out of spite.

"How was work?" you asked.

You couldn't care less about his day, but you figured that if you two were going to be living together for an indefinite amount of time, you should at least try to be civil. Matthew evidently didn't have the same idea, as he didn't even glance up from his phone when you talked to him. Instead, he ignored you and walked straight into his room. You leaned back on the couch and groaned. This wasn't going to be as easy as you had hoped.

There was no longer a doubt in your mind: you had to get out of Ohio. Soon.