This is a response to the challenge on the SamFanFic site: 500 words, write the break-up of Sam and Lisa. Consider yourself disclaimed.

All characters belong to Aaron Sorkin and company.

“Come to the party with me.”

“Lisa, I´m just...I just want to take the night off, okay.”

“I told everyone you´d be there. Just a couple of hours, then you can come home.”

“I´ve been on the road for a month. Can´t I just have a night to myself?”

He leans his head back against the couch and closes his eyes so he doesn‘t have to look at her pouting mouth. Still, he can hear the wood crack in indictment as the bedroom door slams.

He´s not sure how long he drifts off, it could have been minutes or hours, he is so exhausted. He opens his eyes at the sharp clack-clack of her heels on the tile entry. She´s dressed for the evening but carries an overnight bag, and later, when he thinks about it, he knows it should have registered much more quickly.

“I´m leaving.”

“Okay, what time do you think you´ll be back?”

“No Sam. I´m leaving.”

He keeps his head back to fight the tears that threaten to fall from relief. He knows he should protest, put up some sort of fight, but he´s too tired for that. He´s too worried that he´d convince her to stay.

“Why?” Because he knows his reasons and sometimes wonders if she thinks the same.

“Because this isn´t what I signed up for Sam. You went and you changed the game on me.”

“This is what I´ve always wanted.”

“I know. But this was supposed to be a partnership.”

“It is.”

“Yeah, then how come you get to make all the decisions, Sam. You walk away from your job, you walk away from me, and I´m supposed to be sitting here when you decide you´re done playing.”

“It´s not playing.”

“Neither am I. I´m good at what I do Sam, I like my job, and I won´t let you change my life like this.”

“You´re leaving me,” it is a statement and he closes his eyes again.

“You left the minute Josh showed up,” he listens as her staccato steps fade into the plush carpet and he is not startled by the body warmed metal she presses into his open palm. “I´m just making it official.”

And the only thing he can think to say is, “it´s not Josh´s fault.”

“I know.”

And she leaves to go to her party and he wonders why her eyes were still dry. Maybe it´s because she´s had a month to get used to the idea. Maybe it´s because she never really loved him. And he thinks that would be okay, that it would be fitting. And a small fraction of him hopes that he is wrong, that she is crying on the stoop. But then he is too tired to consider it and falls into sleep still clutching the platinum band.