“Tara, tell me the truth.” Marren says. She’s frustrated. Maybe frustrated isn’t the word. Defeated may be a better description of what she feels. “Is it enough to leave him? Is it enough that he just doesn’t care?”

Marren is pacing through Tara’s kitchen. It won’t be long before she wears a hole in the floor. Tara worries about her best friend. She hasn’t seen her this upset in a very long time.

Tara sighs. “Mare, you can leave a relationship for any reason. There isn’t a threshold on something being ‘enough’ to break up with him. If you’re unhappy then you end it.”

“But how shallow will I look for breaking up with him after 4 years just because he forgot my birthday? 4 whole years. And I leave just because he forgot my birthday.” Marren stops pacing and puts her elbows on the kitchen island. She puts her head in her hands and shakes it.

“Not to add fuel to the fire, but he did also forget your anniversary last year. And Valentine’s Day the year before.” Tara says with a grimace. Elias really is a nice guy. He’s never cheated or lied. He’s never raised his voice or his hand. He’s also never bought flowers just because.

Tara places a hand on her friends, “You know that I’ll support any decision you make. But I would ask, does he love you?”

A tear falls onto the marble countertop. Marren sniffs, “Of course he loves me. He tells me every day, without fail.”

“Then I ask a different question, does he cherish you? Does he love you the way that you need to be loved?” Tara says as she grips Marren’s hand tighter. A sob breaks from Marren’s lips. All she can do is shake her head. “Okay, then I think that you know what you need to do.”

Another sob makes it’s way out of Marren’s mouth. Tara walks around the island and wraps her best friend in a hug. They stay like that until the sobs stop and Marren is left feeling wrung out but firm in her decision.

“I can’t believe she’s pissed at me over one day.” Elias laughs a little. “Isn’t that ridiculous?”

“I don’t know, man. It was her birthday.” Leo almost always takes his best friends side but this time he’s making it very difficult. “It’s also not the first time you’ve forgotten something like that.”

Elias scoffs, “Who’s side are you on here?” Leo rolls his eyes. Elias is defensive because he’s in the wrong and he knows it.

“If you wanted smoke blown up your ass instead of the truth then you should have went to someone else.” Leo stands from his chair and makes his way kitchen. There’s no point in continuing this conversation.

Elias follows his friend into the kitchen. “Your right. My bad.” Elias sighs. “I just didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I still got her a gift.”

“Yeah, a gift that was almost a week late because you ordered it after her birthday.” Leo reminds him. “And I don’t think she’s upset about the gift. To her, you forgetting her birthday means that you don’t care.”

Elias scoffs again, “Of course I care. We’ve been dating for years. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t still be with her.”

Leo wonders how he ended with such a dumb best friend. “Question, have you ever gotten her a little gift just because?” Elias shakes his head. “How about flowers?”

“Yeah, for our anniversary and Valentine’s Day a couple times.” Elias says. Of course he’s gotten Marren flowers. He’s not an asshole.

“But never just because you thought she would like them?” Leo asks, trying to clarify.

“No, I guess not.” Elias shrugs. He doesn’t see the point of the question. Leo sighs at his response. Elias doesn’t understand that either.

Leo then makes the decision to give his best friend the hard truth. “Marren’s going to break up with you, E.”

Elias lets out a bemused chuckle. “There’s no way. She’s not going to break up with me over one day, man. I know her. She’ll get over it.”

“God, you are such an idiot.” Leo lets out a frustrated laugh. “You don’t get it do you? You say that you care about her but you don’t do anything to show it.”

“You don’t know her like I do. She’s not going to leave.” Elias can’t believe his friend would even suggest it.

“Okay, whatever you say. I have no idea what I’m talking about.” Leo says, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

The conversation ends there because Elias brings up the football game that is happening later that night. A few days later, Marren breaks up with Elias. Elias is shocked and tells all of his friends that it came out of nowhere. Marren finds solace in the fact that being single doesn’t mean being alone.

*This was inspired by the song Tolerate It by Taylor Swift. Hence, the title haha.”