baby [h.s.]

two

"Thank you," I said, my voice sounding small, once I was settled in the car. He didn't react. His eyes were on the road ahead of us; he was focused. "I, um, I don't know where I am,"

Again, he said nothing. My eyebrows furrowed. I remained silent for a few moments.

"My flat's in Mayfair," I said. We were somewhere in the west end of London now. I could barely tell. Once more, I got no reaction from him. This time, I didn't expect one.

I huffed, confused and still a bit upset. I turned my head to the left and looked out the window.

I studied the building beside us when we stopped at a stoplight. It was Parker's apartment building. I sucked in a breath.

Only seconds later, he stormed into my line of sight. He looked angry, frustrated. He was probably angry that he couldn't find me.

I tried to shrink into my seat, hoping he wouldn't see me, but my efforts were too late. The second our eyes met, all I saw was pure rage. He began to storm towards the car, his pace quick.

"Go," I immediately snapped. The man finally looked at me. "Please, just drive, now," Parker was barely four meters away.

"It's a red light," he said. By then, though, it was too late.

Parker marched around the passenger side and yanked on the door handle. It was locked, fortunately, but that didn't stop him from pounding on the window.

I glanced at the man beside me. He looked bewildered.

"Get out of the fucking car, Tilly," Parker's voice was muffled through the window, but he was screaming.

"Please, go," I said, my voice a bit louder. I could feel tears stinging in my eyes. This time, the man did as I said.

I heard a lot of honking, but the car didn't stop. We sped forward, leaving Parker standing in the middle of the street, glaring at the car. I watched as he disappeared in the mirror.

"I'm so sorry," I said after a minute. We were driving normally again. I squeezed my eyes shut to prevent myself from crying.

When I opened my eyes again, the man was looking at me. His eyes were a rich color and his eyelashes were thick. He had pretty eyes.

"What the hell was that?" he said. I looked away. The man didn't sound mad; he sounded curious.

"My boyfriend," I replied before biting my lip. "Ex-boyfriend,"

"Yeah, I'd surely hope," The man scoffed as he looked back to the road. "Sounded like a demanding piece of shit,"

I decided not to respond.

"Where do you live?" he said. "Your address, I mean,"

I told him, and he nodded.

We rode in silence for five minutes before he spoke again. "What was his name?"

I looked at the man. "Parker,"

"You're alright, yeah?"

I wasn't, but I didn't know this man enough to let him know. Instead of pouring out my feelings, I offered a fake smile. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me,"

His jaw clenched and he nodded.

The rest of the ride was silent. I almost wished he would have turned on the radio; it would've given me something to take my mind off of Parker.