Joe swept through the bathroom throwing random toiletries into his gym bag before he headed to the study, the quietness of the house putting him on edge. He packed away his laptop and paused, there was nothing else he needed to take but it wouldn't be fair on Kat if he was to keep coming and going. She definitely wouldn't want the PlayStation but he'd have to leave it for the time being.

He wandered towards their bedroom feeling every so slightly perturbed. The house felt different somehow. He opened the bedroom room door and at first, he did not see anything amiss. Idly he looked around the room thinking he'd probably have to have it redecorated if Kat moved out as well. He was certain there was something in their contract about keeping the decor neutral, however, the flowered feature wall was anything but. It was then that his eyes honed in on Katherine's dressing table. Normally it was cluttered with her jewellery and makeup but the surface was bare. Maybe she'd been cleaning?

He opened the wardrobe and his eyes widened as he looked at the empty coathangers, half of Katherine's clothes were missing.

She'd left him.

Stunned he sat down on the bed wondering why she had done it now? Of all the times over the past few weeks, months even. He tried to remember how he'd left things on Sunday morning, she must have realised he'd gone to see Shannon, and he'd told her he was staying at his mom's, but still... Worse had happened before now and she'd dug her heels in at any suggestion that they end their relationship.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the front door open, nor the footsteps coming up the stairs. Startled, he spun around when the bedroom door opened.

'Katherine.' He swallowed his mouth going dry.

'Oh my god,' she gasped her face turning scarlet whereas he was sure his had lost a few shades. 'I saw your car, why aren't you at work? What are you doing here?'

He cleared his throat. 'Hi, I just came to get a few things.'

Her eyes flew to the open bag on the bed. 'So you were just going to walk out on me? Without a word?' She folded her arms across her chest and he almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

'It looks like that was your plan.' He gestured to her side of the wardrobe. 'If anything you're one step ahead of me.' He took a few breaths, forcing himself to be serious. 'I was getting a few of my things, I was going to come and see you tonight. I thought you'd be at work today.'

'I took a personal day.' Her eyes narrowed. 'So you didn't come home last night?'

'Neither did you.'

'Only cos you were with Shannon,' she spat. 'What was I supposed to do after you sent that bullshit text claiming you were staying over at your mother's?' It didn't seem possible but her face went even redder. '"Kat, you're dumped" would have sufficed.'

'I wouldn't dump you by text,' he said his voice faltering. 

She scoffed. 'It seems like you've been trying to avoid the conversation altogether.'

'Maybe I have,' he said thinking it would be futile to remind her that every time he'd tried to have that conversation she'd steamrollered him down another path. 'But I told you the truth, I was going to stay at my mom's.'

'But you stayed with her.' She gave him a challenging look as if daring him to deny it.

He looked away for a moment, contemplating how best to reply. 'It wasn't my intention when I texted you to stay with Shannon but you're right, I did stay with her,' he admitted. 'That was only cos I couldn't stay at my mom's and it was too late to come back here.' He smiled slightly. 'Or that's what I thought, I didn't know you'd left. You didn't have to.'

She sat down on the edge of the bed looking deflated. 'I had to do something. I couldn't sit here by myself going crazy.'

'So where are you staying?'

'With Dani and Eva, where else do you think I'd go?' she asked with a bitter edge to her voice. 'It's not like I have family here I can turn to.'

'Neither do I,' he said without thinking.

She frowned slightly, looking taken aback. 'What does that mean?'

He shrugged. 'It doesn't matter.'

'I'd like to know,' she said watching him closely. 'Why didn't you stay at your mom's last night?'

He let out a deep breath. 'Adam made it pretty clear I wasn't welcome. Let's just say he's disappointed we're not together.'

She raised an eyebrow and he couldn't miss her lips twitching as she tried to hide a smile. 'That's down to you, not me.'

'I know,' he said standing up and reaching into the wardrobe, grabbing the first hanger his hand touched. 'I can't stay with my parents. It would cause friction between them to say the least.'

'So your mom would welcome you with open arms?' she asked her voice scathing.

He pulled a face but he didn't rise to the bait. He hadn't expected his mom to be thrilled with his news but he'd hoped that once she'd had her say she would have offered to put him up. He pulled out a shirt, throwing it onto the bed and signalling to Kat the conversation was over. He knew she was itching to have a fight, she had to be, but he wasn't going to row over his parents.

'You're not folding them properly,' Katherine said breaking the silence as he shoved a shirt into his bag. 'They're getting all creased.'

'So I'll iron them again,' he said trying to pack quicker as it crossed his mind that Shannon was waiting outside. It would be just his luck that she'd decide she wanted to come in and see the house after all. 'Look, Katherine, why don't you stay here? It's stupid us both moving out.'

She pulled a face. 'Like I can afford the rent.'

'It's already paid. At least for the next two months, until the contract ends.'

Her eyes widened. 'Oh, I didn't know that.' She looked blankly at him, as if she had been wrongfooted somehow. 'When did you pay that?'

'Last night. I've given our landlord my notice but I didn't want to speak for you.' He grabbed some more clothes out of the wardrobe, not properly looking at what he was taking, as he steeled himself for Katherine to raise some objection.

'I'll put my notice in too,' she said her voice drifting off as she looked around the bedroom.

'In the meantime, you might as well stay here.'

She shook her head. 'No, you should. You've paid the rent. Well, unless you're moving in with Shannon?' He didn't miss the edge that was back in her voice.

'No, I'm not moving in with her.' Katherine should feel better about that at least. 'I'm not sure I'd even say we're together.'

'But you want to be,' Kat said her face expressionless. 'That is what this is all about?'

He turned his attention to the jacket he was holding making a half-hearted attempt to fold it. Nothing he said would make Kat feel better, and the wrong words could only make it worse.

'Well?' she asked looking at him expectantly.

'Yeah, I do,' he murmured. 

Her shoulders sagged. 'I wish you'd told me before now, then we could have ended this charade.'

'I tried to tell you, you wouldn't let me.' Her face flushed with anger and he reminded himself now was not the time for recriminations. He could have been more direct with Kat, he should have been, but she'd been stubborn as well. When she remained silent he resumed packing, assuming she accepted he had a point.

'So where are you going to stay then?' she asked interrupting his thoughts.

'I'll find somewhere to rent.'  

'I've already got a place though.' She paused, hesitating. 'For the time being.'

'Well, you can stay here, that's all I'm staying. I'm definitely moving out.' He gave up on folding the jacket, it would be easier to iron it again.

Katherine stood back up, clearing her throat. 'Maybe we could come to an arrangement. Like I could stay here on weekdays and you get weekends?' She took a deep breath. 'Or maybe we should both stay put until we've made permanent arrangements elsewhere.'

He looked at her sensing it was some sort of trap. On the one hand, it was the practical solution, on the other, he knew it would be a fraught situation.

'I need to make a clean break Kat,' he said trying not to reject her offer outright. 'I think it'll be easier for us both in the long run. You stay here, you need it more than I do.'

She met his eyes, slowly letting out her breath. 'Okay, I think I might do that.'

~~~

As always thank you for reading. Part 2 should be up shortly with the conversation continuing from Katherine's point of view.