Unhappily ever after

Chapter 22 - "I'm not yours and you're not mine"

"Tell me this isn't happening!" Ella says, staring at her phone.

Becky shakes her head. "This is getting freaking ridiculous. How is A always one step ahead?"

"A's watching us constantly. A's probably watching us right now!" Melody says looking round at the street in front of her, searching for dark lurking shadows.

"Don't say that, I already feel paranoid as it is." Ella says, shivering.

"Let's get out of here!" I tell the girls.

We all hurry back to the car and make our way through town, Becky dropping us all at our houses on the way. We agree to meet at the Brew before school tomorrow.

Becky drops me off last, as I live closest to her.

"Wait!" Becky exclaims, just as I'm taking off my seatbelt.

I turn to her. Her face is pale and looks as if she hasn't slept properly in weeks. I can definitely relate to that...

"What is it bex?" I ask my best friend.

"Do you still talk to Jason?"

"No, why?" I ask her, confused and slightly suspicious at her unusual question.

"No reason." She says shaking her head. She smiles at me but I can tell it isn't genuine. I don't push her to tell me what's wrong though. I know she'll confide in me when she's ready.

I say goodbye and make my way to my house.

I go round the back of the house and latch onto a pipe that leads up to my balcony at the side of the house. I've always used this pipe to sneak in and out of my house. It's pretty easy as I'm the only one who has the keys to my balcony.

I climb over onto my balcony as gracefully as I can. And I unlock the door and open it, only to find a surprise waiting for me in my bedroom...

"What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?!" I say furiously to my ex-boyfriend Dan.

Who is currently lying on my bed, looking way too comfortable for his own good!

I slam the balcony door shut behind me.

He sits up on my bed and smirks, he enjoys making me angry. And that only infuriated me more. This is why we are so toxic for each other...

"You miss me babe?" He says, his voice sexy and deep, although I try to ignore how gorgeous he sounds.

I also try to ignore the fact that there are about a thousand butterflies fluttering in my stomach right now. Since when has he ever called me babe?! And why does it feel so good to hear him call me that?

Shit! This is not happening! I forbade that dangerous four letter word from entering my mind ever again. So instead I dramatically dump my bag violently across the room to make it clear that I'm not happy with his presence.

He rolls his eyes at me and laughs.

"Wow! I really do get you all riled up don't I?"

He stands up and walks towards me. There isn't much space between us and I can hear his breathing getting quicker by the second. And I'm betting he can hear my heartbeat racing like hell.

But I hope he doesn't. I've gotten way too far now to go back to that place in Paris. The place where he broke my heart into a million pieces. Where he broke me.

His face is inches from mine. And time suddenly just stops. Like it always does when I'm around him. But I snap out of it before I regret something and I push him away from me.

"Again. What are you doing here?" I ask him.

"My family's here for dinner, remember?" He says sitting back on the edge of the bed while I lean back on my desk.

Shit! I realise, I completely forgot about the dinner, after everything...

He nods. "I thought you were just avoiding me."

"You should go." I say.

"I'm not going, I know something's wrong."

"Don't act like you care all of a sudden." I tell him, pissed.

"I do care, I care more than I want to admit." He confesses

"Haven't you forgotten? I don't trust you!" I say, snapping loudly at him.

He answers my question with silence.

"I thought we had something special." He says finally.

"Well you were wrong."

We stay in silence for a few moments, staring sadly at each other. Both of us broken inside, silently falling apart without the other.

"Something's been going on, you've been distant lately, you seem ... different." He says gently.

"I have no reason to tell you anything."

I walk towards him, seriously considering kissing him right there and then.

But I decide it's better not to, my life is already complicated enough without him messing with my head.

"I'm not yours and you're not mine. Just like in Paris." I almost whisper to him.

"Oh you had to bring that up didn't you?!" He snaps at me, rising with anger.

"How could I not?! You let me fall in love with you knowing you were leaving anyway!" I hiss at him, feeling the tension in the room swarming around us.

"I waited for days, weeks for you to come back and tell me I was wrong, that I wasn't wasting my time waiting for someone who was never going to show up!" I shout at him, tears streaming down my face.

All of this pain I had been holding inside since I came back to Rosewood can finally be free, and it's been a long time coming.