Green showed up to court; he had been so shocked that Harper just suddenly disappeared on him one day. She left the country and was unreachable. He knew that even though she was around there, she would not have taken up any responsibility. Carter had told him that he was ready to go all out with the court case but thought of the time they had together and just let it be.
“I know you expect me to apologize for my actions, but I am not sorry for them,” Green said to Ophelia after the session. They stood by the doors of the courtroom.
“You caused all of this damage, and yet you aren’t sorry?” She asked shocked. She would not have believed it if she had not experienced it firsthand; if she had been told, she would have sworn on her life that Green was nothing like that.
“Damage? You knew I liked you; your father knew it also, but I was just an errand boy to you both. I did what I could do to make you notice me, and maybe it worked.”
Cade took a step forward, but Ophelia held her hand over his body and shook her head. “He is not worth our breath, so let us let it be,” she said. Cade held her hand and put their hands by his side.
“Why then are you still standing here?” Green asked.
“I wish I had some kind of evidence; then I would have locked you away for the rest of your life,” Ophelia said in a low tone. She did not wait for him to try to respond before she turned, taking Cade with her as they walked away.
When Green had begun this, he did not think that it was going to end up like this; he thought that one day Ophelia would stand beside him and she would even get to understand what he had done and why he did it.
“Are you okay?” Cade asked, opening the car door for Ophelia.
She got into the car and shook her head. “It is hard,” she murmured. Cade bent his knees and looked at her.
“I can only imagine,” he said, pushing back the locks of hair that fell to her face when she bent her head. “What can I do to make it better?” he asked.
“Can I have some cheesecake?” she asked. Whenever she felt sad, Green would always bring a cheesecake to cheer her up and tell her not to have alcohol. She did not know why, but she felt as if she should go back to the days when all she had to worry about was eating cheesecake with him and hoping that their relationship stayed firm as friends.
“Okay then, I am not an expert on cheesecakes; is there any place I can get a good one?” he asked, and she looked at him in shock. “Or do you want me to learn and make it for you?” he continued.
“Are you going to get me cheesecake?”
“Of course, you asked for it.”
“Don’t you want to know why I asked for cheesecake?”
“I am guessing that cheesecake symbolizes something between you and Green?” he asked, straightening his back. He gently closed the door and rounded the car, getting into the driver’s seat.
“It does”
“So why don’t we get you what you want?”
“Are you not bothered by the fact?”
“I am, but making a fuss over it is not going to change anything. The truth is that we both have our past, and to think that it would all magically go away is lying to ourselves. If a cheesecake is going to make you feel okay, then a cheesecake it is.”
“I don’t know if I am okay that you are okay with it like this,” she murmured.
“Well, I am not okay with it. I am not this cool; I am just pretending to be,” he said, and a smile broke out on her face. “But when I look at your face, you look too good to resist what you want, so I guess I am a loser in love,” he said, rubbing his hand over her hand.
She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Uhm,” he said, making a sad sound from the back of his throat.
“What is it?”
“I think you missed; I am guessing you were aiming for here,” he said, pointing to his cheek with his finger. “But you mistakenly got here,” he pointed to his cheek where she had kissed.
“Where did you learn to talk like that?”
“Talk like how?” he asked, acting like he did not understand what she was saying. He had made up his mind to help her get over the sadness she would have felt after the trial today.
“Smooth like that.”
“Shall we get cheesecake?” he asked, pretending as if he did not hear her. He started the engine.
“Instead of cheesecake, let us get something else,” she said suddenly. If he was not okay with it, then why should she do it? He was not the only one who had to adjust to fit her; she could adjust as well.
“Something else?”
“Yes, something else, and you get to choose what we get.”
“I get to choose,” he asked shocked. He held down the car, not moving. “Will you really give me anything I ask?” he asked, leaning into the steering wheel with his head held up by his hands, and he winked at her.
“Any food you choose,” she said, emphasizing the word food.
“Of course,” he said, making it seem like she was the one who had misread the situation. “Why do you have such a dirty mind?” he added, and she shook her head.
“So what is it going to be?”
“Let us go for some cheesecake then,” he said.
“Still cheesecake?”
“It can be our new thing,” he said, putting the car into motion and moving. “Just instead of getting it from where Green got it, we get it from a new place.
“A new place? Do you have a place in mind?”
“Why don’t you get on your phone and get us a new place?”