Ken’s POV:
She rolled down the window. “What now?”
“I just… I need you to drop me off somewhere. Please.” I begged. “I’ll explain later.”
She looked at me, hesitated, and then shook her head. “Why would I help you, Ken?”
I said quickly. “Just… please. I’m stuck.”
After a long pause, she sighed and unlocked the door. “Fine. Get in.”
I slid into the passenger seat. This wasn’t how I’d planned for things to go, but it felt like a small victory. Maybe, just maybe, if I kept pursuing her like this, I could get her back.
“You can drop me off at the gas station you passed on your way here,” I said, smiling.
She didn’t respond; she just started the car and drove. I couldn’t help but watch her as she focused on the road.
There was a thick silence between us, but I didn’t dare speak.
“You’d better not try talking to me.” She warned.
I bit my tongue, not wanting to risk upsetting her further. It was a small win, but it was a win.
When we reached the gas station, I saw her drive off without a second glance. Then I pulled out my phone and called for a cab to take me home.
As I sat beside Mirabelle earlier, I couldn’t help but wonder what I was really aiming for. Were all my efforts some kind of desperate attempt to mend what I had broken, or just me trying to hold on to something I should have let go of long ago?
I opened my mouth, thinking of asking her how things were going, or if she was still as angry with me as before, but the words died on my lips. What was the point? She’d shut me out a long time ago.
I remembered the first time I’d seen her, laughing with friends at a party. Back then, I didn’t know how much she would change everything in my life. She wasn’t just the woman who could make an entire room stop and take notice; she was the woman who could make you feel like you were worth something-until, of course, she made you feel like nothing.
Or I made her make me feel like nothing.
I stepped through the front door, grateful to be out of the awkward situation with Mirabelle. But as soon as I entered the house, I noticed her-Mitchelle-pacing back and forth in the living room, her face filled up with rage.
She was always like this when things went wrong, and with everything that had been happening between us for the past few days, I had a feeling it was going to be one of those nights.
She stopped mid-step when she saw me.
“You!” She hissed. “Where the hell have you been?”
I didn’t answer her right away. Instead, I turned to walk away, hoping to escape her madness.
But of course, she wasn’t having any of it.
“The rental company called.” She snapped. “They need their full payment and the car. Where the hell did you leave it? We need to at least find it and fix it.”
I didn’t have the energy for her right now. Or for anything, really. My mind was still filled with anger from the meeting and everything that had gone wrong with Mirabelle.
“I don’t remember,” I replied coldly, without turning around. “Just… let it go, okay?”
I made my way toward the hallway, ready to retreat to the bedroom, but she wasn’t done.
“Excuse me?!” Her voice raised. “You don’t remember? That’s rich, Ken. You don’t remember where you left the car that I fucking rented? What the hell were you doing out there that day, huh?”
Her voice broke through, and I stopped in the hallway, my back facing her.
I couldn’t look at her, couldn’t deal with the anger I could hear in her voice. So, I kept my focus on the door leading to the bedroom, forcing myself to ignore her.
But she was relentless.
“Ken?” She continued, her tone colder now. “The car was rented under my name. And you were my damn guarantor. So if we don’t get this sorted, I’m the one they’ll come after. And if I’m going to jail for some unpaid rental fee, you’ll be right there with me.”
I finally turned. The thought of jail wasn’t really something I feared anymore and it wasn’t something unexpected as well.
She has done it once before and she can definitely do it again.
“You’ll go to jail? Is that what you think?” I asked. “It’s just a car, Mitchelle. We’ll sort it out. You don’t need to…”
“Don’t tell me how I need to feel!” She interrupted. “It’s my name on the fucking contract, Ken, not yours. I’m the one who’s going to be stuck with the bill, and the consequences, if you don’t get your shit together.”
I stared at her for a moment, watching her wring her hands together in the way she did when she was anxious and angry.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
“Mitchelle.” I began, taking a deep breath. “I’ll take care of it. I’ll deal with the rental company. Just give me some time.”
“Time? We don’t have time, Ken.”
“I said I’ll fix it!” I repeated. “One more word from you, and I might just lose myself.”
Probably let my hands slip…