Reyona ran all the way home without caring how she might look at that moment to whoever was watching.
Lucky for her, Beverly Hills homes are not closely situated.
She had not even seen any of her neighbours since she moved in, and that was more than fine with her.
Especially at that moment when she couldn't afford to be stopped by anyone.
Before she got towards her place, she remembered something.
Instead of taking the right turn, she just kept on going.
After a while, she stopped at one of the mini-parks that dotted the area.
She sat heavily on one of the benches while trying to catch her breath.
She looked around to be sure that nobody had followed her.
Instead of the relief she expected to feel when she saw that she was alone, her insides were twisting with nasty mixtures of emotions.
As if that wasn't bad enough, she could feel the stirrings of that urge.
"Oh no, please don't." She muttered to herself even as her breathing steadied.
She tried to take her mind off it, hoping that would make it stop.
Yet her mind went straight to the other thought she didn't want to have.
What the heck was he doing here?
How had he found her?
Why is he coming now just after she got rid of one?
What is wrong with all these people?!
He didn't follow her now, but she was not fooled by that one bit!
She knew this was far from over and the thought caused her anxiety again.
She looked down at her subtle bump and wondered if he had felt it when he held her.
Why did she have to stumble right there and then?
She smacked her head with the heel of her hands and wondered what she should do.
She just knew he was going to find out.
She knew it!
She removed her phone from her pouch and called Toria.
Her sister didn't pick up on the first ring, and Reyona was about to disconnect the call when she finally picked up.
"Hey, Rey. Missing me too much?"
"He is here," Reyona said immediately.
"Who is… please, don't tell me your motherfucking ex is in Sydney right now," Toria said anxiously.
Which of them was she referring to?
Reyona suddenly remembered that she had not even told Toria about seeing Thomas, not that there had been much to say anyway.
"What does his cheating ass want? Do you need me to come there right now, cos I can…"
That answered Reyona's question. "No, not him," she said. "Him!"
"Oh, him?!"
"Him"
"How did he find you?" Toria asked in wonder.
"Same question I have, Toria. I was careful. You know I was careful. He caught me unawares while I was out for some exercise. For a moment there, I thought he wasn't going to recognise me. Well, guess what? I was wrong! He called my name even when I pretended not to know him."
"Shit! Well, I hope you gave him a piece of your mind?"
"I started to. Then I ran!"
"You what?"
"I ran, Toria. Like a headless chicken, I ran way farther than my house. And now I am in a park still wondering if he is lurking around somewhere so he could jump out and scare me shirtless again." Reyona admitted in embarrassment.
"But…what do you have to run for? If anyone should run, then it should be his scrawny ass for…what did you say he did again?... Yes, for lying and deceiving you!"
"I know, right?" Reyona said with an exasperated sigh. "It was just a kind of automatic reaction, you know. I can see how silly it must have looked right now."
"Do you think he knows?" Toria asked suddenly.
"I bet he did…how else would he have been able to…oh," she said as she realised what Toria meant. "About that… I don't think there would have been a way for him to know. I don't think so. I made sure of that."
"Hmm. You do know he is not just going to go away, right?"
"Of course, why else do you think I am sitting out here when I should be at home right now?" Reyona answered in exasperation as she rubbed her hands over her face and sighed weakly.
Toria's chuckling sound had her raising her brows in disbelief.
"I am glad this is fun for you, you know."
"No, no. I am sorry. It is just…if you are not in the middle of this right now, you will probably see it how I am seeing it." She chuckled again before she exhaled deeply and said "Okay, there. That is over. What are you going to do, Rey?"
"I am going to make sure he is not lingering around, then I will go home. Then… I don't know" she completed in a low tone as she covered her face with her hand and leaned forward. "I don't know, Toria. He wasn't supposed to find me!"
Toria was silent for a moment before she said "What about you trying to talk to him?"
"What are you…?"
"I am just saying he…maybe…just maybe there was a misunderstanding somewhere. I mean, there has to be a reason why he would go this length to find you, you know. And…"
When she stopped, Reyona furrowed her brows and asked "And? What?"
"I know you don't want to hear anything about him and that is why I didn't say anything to you but… Celia told me how he had gone crazy looking for you too. She said she had never seen him feel this way about anyone before. He was the type of man who avoided women like the plague until you. It just… I saw it too."
"You…what do you mean, you saw it too?" Reyona asked.
"He found out about Dad's address and even went to Copenhagen to see Mum too. Then, just before we left Sydney, he came to see me."
What?!