Unattachment

Chapter 1

Kyle came home from the office late again. It's not like he had anyone waiting; Eric and he hadn't had a proper home dinner in weeks. Neither of them arrived home on time, both not bothering to care about the other's day outside of surface level. They hadn't had sex in months, their romantic vacations fizzed and were left to a faraway memory, their witty banter simply formed to petty jabs and unenthusiastic arguments.

Things weren't okay for the two of them. They both knew that, but they had appearances to uphold. They had shocked everyone when they announced their engagement six years ago, no one thought they'd last a few months let alone marriage. They were right. The two had been married for five years and they couldn't have been any more unhappy. They still loved each other of course; you can't throw all that time away, but their love changed. Fizzled out. Turned bitter. They couldn't just break it off though, Eric works in real estate and his firm has been doing great these past few years. Kyle just had a promotion at work, he didn't spend seven years of his life in college to be a lawyer to have to give his mother the "hey mom, my husband and I are getting a divorce... Is it okay if I stay with you for a week or so".

People at work envied him. On paper, Kyles's marriage was perfect, at work dinners they always got compliments about how well they were together, how others wished their significant others were like them, or about how they're doing so well for themselves for being so young. Eric was a charismatic bastard and that's exactly why Kyle had fallen in love with him. He shed most of the baby weight In high school when he stretched out, he was gorgeous, talented, strong...It felt wrong to call it quits. Kyle still thought their marriage could be salvaged, that all they needed was couples counseling or a well-deserved vacation. But at the moment all the denial and success couldn't cover up the way that Kyle felt, he felt like less of a partner and more of a prize, a fucking trophy.

Kyle entered the kitchen and made dinner for himself. Eyeing the pictures framed on the wall of their wedding day, anniversary photos, all the couple's vacations they went on. It made the red-headed man sick to his stomach with guilt, how could things slip so fast? How did their once wonderful, happy relationship turn to one of convenience and social standing? Considerate enough to leave out a note and some leftovers for whenever Eric would arrive home, Kyle headed off to the living room to eat his dinner and watch a crappy reality show while he reminisced.

'I should call Kenny' Kyle thought 'it's been a while since we talked'. The gang split up after high school, Stan moved away, Cartman and Kyle got together, and Kenny spent most of his time working to care for his younger sister Karen. Kenny and Kyle still hung out every once in a while, usually going out for coffee. He was doing well, he got himself a steady job and even graduated college. Karen lives with him at the moment while she attends Grad school, she wants to be a doctor. The two really had changed the McCormick name.

Stan and Kyle hadn't talked since he and Cartman first started going out. After Stan and Kyle spent all the last years of high school dancing around each other and their sexuality Kyle had had enough of the guessing and decided he wanted someone relatively stable. Kyle knew Stan was jealous, he knew that's why they had their falling out. But he was happy at the time, he had finally found stability in Eric, he no longer had to wonder to himself at night 'Is he really into me? What about Wendy? Is he just toying with me?'

Kyle ate his food and huffed at the thought that he and Eric would yet again not be seeing each other tonight. Eric was at a business meeting, probably wouldn't be home 'til past twelve. Looking at the clock, Kyle decided he had enough time to pick up a book and read a bit. He took his plates to the dishwasher and set his morning alarm.