Exhausted by Seven Years of Their Drama

My mafia boyfriend, Finn, is always bickering with his childhood friend, Amanda.

For my birthday, she brought me a bullet vibe. "Here. For round two, just in case. I know his stamina better than anyone."

He tossed a bottle of pale foundation at her. "Slap some more on. Maybe then someone will actually want to touch you."

They shoved each other on their way out, slamming the door behind them. The candles on the cake burned down to nothing while I sat alone at the dining table.

The first time our families sat down for a formal dinner, she smiled and slipped him a small bottle of lube. "Take it. So you don't make the poor girl suffer."

His face darkened. "Better than you crying at night, hugging a body pillow."

This time, Finn had arranged a private island vacation.

A mutual friend quietly gave me a heads-up, telling me he was planning to propose on a cliff at sunset.

After a seven-year marathon, I told myself this was it. The finish line was finally in sight.

I dressed meticulously, putting on my most expensive dress, and walked toward the helipad. I pulled open the helicopter door.

Amanda was already in the co-pilot's seat. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Chloe, you're here? I'm claustrophobic, so you don't mind if I sit up front, right?"

Finn, gripping the controls, turned to look me over.

"Chloe, you sit in the back. I'm worried she'll have a meltdown and start scratching and biting. It'll ruin the mood."

Before I could say a word, Amanda was already arguing with him.

"What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm a burden?"

"It's not the first time I've thought so. Why are you being so dramatic today?"

Their back and forth was so practiced it felt like a script they had rehearsed a thousand times.

In that moment, the exhaustion of the past seven years washed over me.

And for the first time, I realized I didn't want to say yes to his proposal anymore.

My mafia boyfriend, Finn, is always bickering with his childhood friend, Amanda.

For my birthday, she brought me a bullet vibe. "Here. For round two, just in case. I know his stamina better than anyone."

He tossed a bottle of pale foundation at her. "Slap some more on. Maybe then someone will actually want to touch you."

They shoved each other on their way out, slamming the door behind them. The candles on the cake burned down to nothing while I sat alone at the dining table.

The first time our families sat down for a formal dinner, she smiled and slipped him a small bottle of lube. "Take it. So you don't make the poor girl suffer."

His face darkened. "Better than you crying at night, hugging a body pillow."

This time, Finn had arranged a private island vacation.

A mutual friend quietly gave me a heads-up, telling me he was planning to propose on a cliff at sunset.