Bottom line was riding with him in the same vehicle wasn't going to work out. We had to repair his motorcycle. Fast. I could deal with him at work. I just had to make sure I had other people around us all the time and I would treat him the way I treated other people I worked with. That was a good plan. "Hey, listen," I said. I felt calmer now. Considerably. He studied my face and must have seen the storm had passed. He moved closer so he could hear me properly. "So if I believe that you really did lose your phone—" "I did." "—that meant you didn't get my text. Dylan ordered the wrong part, but I fixed that already. I'm sorry," I said, nearly gagging at the word sorry. "It will take three weeks again. Unfortunately." "I guess you're going to have to keep driving me around." My eye twitched. "No, I don't." "Yes, you do." "That deal was broken when you left!" I said. "Nothing was broken." Nothing was broken? Did he really believe that? "You have a vehicle. I'm not driving you." The lack of response from him infuriated me. As if my argument was nil. Which technically it was. Our deal was that I drive him around until his motorcycle was done, but I had no idea he had another vehicle back then. If you knew, would that have changed anything? I stopped in my tracks again, faced him. "How long do you think you're going to use this excuse?" I blurted out. "I'm already getting tired of it." He didn't answer. "How long?" I repeated. He threw me a look. "As long as it takes." "As long as it takes?" "For you to like me again." I curled a fist against my stomach when I felt a flutter there. "That's never going to happen. Ever." "Yeah," he said quietly. "Because I'm just like everyone else." There was a bitterness in his tone I'd never heard before. But I noticed the pain in it too. You're just like everyone else. I said that to him the night before he left. I realized now how hurtful it was, but it was my truth back then. He'd hurt me too. Worse, he left without saying a word. "Are you mad at me? Are you fucking kidding me?" I shouted. I walked away, fast, and then I was running. I looked back and saw Cameron a few feet away from me. He was giving me space, but that wasn't enough. I needed to not see him. I needed another world to live without him. Suddenly my eyes spotted a car slowing down close to me. I ran near to the road, waved my hand. The car stopped and I got in. In my peripheral I saw Cameron run towards me, heard him shout my name. I closed the door of the car and forgot about him. "Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Chung." "Oh, you're welcome, Kara dear. Are you sure you didn't know who that guy was? He was following you." "Maybe he wants to sell me something." "Fruit, maybe?" she suggested. "He sure looked handsome, didn't he?" I waved goodbye and watched my ride drive away. I was about to turn and walk to my house when I saw my car barrelling down the street. Cameron's death stare was on me as he pulled up my car in the lot. He slammed the door closed and headed over to me purposely. His eyes burning with temper. "Tell me what the fuck you're trying to prove to me," he said quietly. Dangerously. "I don't need to prove anything to you. You on the other hand have a lot to prove." "He could've been a murderer!" "Could have. But obviously wasn't because I'm still alive." "And you asked him to drop you off at your place. At your place! Now he knows where the hell you live. Don't you have any fucking self preservation?" He was pacing back and forth in front of me. His deep blue eyes looked wild, bright with anger. There was a sick kind of satisfaction inside me to see him lose control. For once. "First of all," I shot back, "you're one to lecture me about self-preservation when you were the one who jumped in front of my car! I could've ran you over and then I would've gone to jail!" He shot me glare. "Second of all, I'm not stupid to get into just anyone's car. I know who the driver is. Third of all, you have no right to tell me what to do." Now he stopped, looked at me. "You left without a fucking word," I said. Finally. He was breathing hard. His eyes had darkened. His walls were up. "Tell me why the hell you left, Cameron." He took a deep breath. His deep blue gaze was clear as he fixed it on my face. "Kara," he said softly. He sounded so vulnerable, so open, so needy when he was like this. I felt my resolve weakening. He moved closer. Then held my face in his large hands, his thumb stroking my cheek, sliding down to my bottom lip in a caress filled with longing that tightened my throat. "Kara." No. But I closed my eyes, my body fighting so hard not to lean against him, not to give in. "There is no other woman in this world that could drive me to my fucking knees but you." I felt his lips touch mine so softly, so fleetingly, my heart yearned. And when I opened my eyes, he was gone.