"What do you mean? I-I can't just leave." I laughed breathlessly as if he was joking. But he wasn't. "I still have like- four minutes left of my shift and I need to sign out."

"Go and I'll wait here for you." He said, taking out his phone from his trousers.

I tried not to blush right then and there when I could see how breathtakingly handsome he looked right now. Well, he was like this all the time and I found it hard not to compliment him or stare at him like he was a shrine.

The dim light casted a shadow over half of his face, whereas the other side was lit up, illuminated by the moonlight. His long eyelashes batted and his green eyes were even lighter. Like the colour of mint choc-chip ice cream...but they had more of a green tinge to them.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I don't want to keep you waiting or anything."

He chuckled lightly. "It's cool. It was my idea for you to come anyway." He said and I took a step back, hand pulling open the heavy door. Fuck you to whoever made these type of doors.

"Okay. Cool. Yeah, that's cool." I muttered, feeling my ears tinge red and hot. As I stepped back inside, I could embarrassingly hear Theo chuckling at me.

You're so embarrassing.

I ran into back into the diner and cleared up any mess. My brother and his friends hadn't even finished eating but since it was closing up time, I shoved them and that weird guy out the door.

"Can I have your number?" The guy asked me and my brother slapped his arm on the way out.

"No." I told him and he rolled his eyes.

"I'll get it sometime. Whether that's-"

"Never." I said, finishing his sentence. "See ya!"

I locked up the door and made sure everything was all ready for Clair's shift tomorrow. When that was done, I slipped my arms into my knitted purple sweater and picked up my bag. I grabbed a pen, thats ink was almost gone, and signed myself out of todays shift. My legs had never hurt so much before.

A warm, bubble bath was calling my name.

"I'm heading out now, Nicky." I said to her and all she gave me was a nod of her head. She was busily distracted with something as she had the home phone pressed against her ear.

With one last look around, I made my way back the way I came.

My fingers hesitated at the door, growing nervous as I could imagine a certain someone on the other side. I wonder what he was doing. Or what we was thinking.

"Just open it." I chided to myself, and before I knew it, I was swinging it open. Theo was leaning his arms down on the rails with his phone in his hands. He must've not heard me because he didn't turn around nor did he say anything.

I stood there, thinking whether or not I should make my presence known or just quickly go back inside. I hated when these things happened.

In the silence I swayed on my feet, enjoying too much as I watched Theo swipe through his phone. His large hands, that wore many of his signature rings, tapped and pressed down on many things on his iPhone.

The air was nice. It was times like this that I loved living in LA. It meant every night was nice and warm. Not having to worry about layering up to block out the nippy cold air.

I looked around the dark, dingy, and slightly sketchy alleyway we were in.

This would be the perfect place to murder someone.

Not that I would.

Unless they were trying to murder me first. Then it'd be a reasonable idea.

I looked up at the moon. Then the sky.

Universe, please help me.

Universe. Please send help.

Hello?

Are you there?

I silently huffed to myself as I saw no sign of help and I let my eyes drop back down to Theo. I tilted my head to the side when I saw he wasn't moving. His fingers stopped tapping and even now, he didn't say anything.

It was as if it was all in slow motion and I had no way of getting out of this one. Theo started to move once again, still leant down on the rail, and he pressed onto a certain app. An app I hated most of all.

Camera.

The most magical thing happened.

I was in the back of the camera shot. I could also see him smirking. His eyes were intensely, but hazily watching me in silence.

Fiddle sticks.

I heard a chuckle from the man in front of me, and another one as he pressed on the button.

He took a photo of me and he wasn't particularly secretive about it.

To be honest, I was way more obvious when I took photo's of hallway crushes or hot people I saw out on the streets. My flash would always come on too and I'd have to pretend like I was taking a selfie or pictures of the scenery.

"Seriously?" I asked in a fake, annoyed tone. He stood up and adjusted his shirt, a cocky grin on his face.

"Seriously." He said mockingly.

None the less, Theo started to walk forward and I did the same, but next to him. He shut off his phone and I peered at it.

Why did he have to take a picture of me when I look like I had just gotten ran over twenty times.

I followed on next to Theo and we walked out to the end of the alleyway in complete silence. The air between us still felt awkward, but I knew if I made this awkward, then it'd be awkward. The same went with him but it didn't look like he was going to clear the air or assure me he thought it was all too fast.

I'd understand if he said something but I didn't understand him. He made my mind go crazy.

I had never been so confused over someone before.

I'd never have to worry or stress over a boy because I was never interested in the whole dating and crushing thing. Feelings got too complicated and even with Betty, she got all the boys. I was just the second girl who was just there.

No one batted an eye at me.

Apart from Mike, obviously.

"Where are we going? It's late." I said, staring hopelessly at his side profile. I didn't know why I said it because I wanted to stay out with him. But at the same time, it was kind of weird. He was my brothers best friend, let's not forget to mention the part where he was popular and had every girl on his side.

He was a red flag. Someone I could not complicate myself with. It'd get too messy between us and hell, what would Stephanie...and any other girl would think of him almost kissing me.

"We're grabbing food." He said and slipped himself into his car.

"Food? Where? Every place is closed now." I told him, bewildered. I clipped the seatbelt across myself and shut the door.

Theo turned his head. "Yeah, but not Chick-fil-A."

"Well, I've already eaten. Slightly." I said in response, my stomach grumbling. I curled my lip inwards and looked out the window of the car. In the reflection I could see Theo take a glance at me then back to the road. In seconds, the car sped up making me clutch the sides of the seat.

"You don't like it when I go fast." Theo stated, in the silence. I had to take a quick breather at his words before I could say anything.

"I guess." I shrugged, acting casual like it was the most normal thing in the world, though my insides were going absolutely crazy.

"Why?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

I swallowed thickly and shuffled on the seat. "I'm not quite sure." I leant my head on the seat and looked at him.

Theo had one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the side. His eyes still hadn't left from the road.

"Well, I guess it's because I almost died." I said casually and watched as Theo coughed several times.

"That would be something you'd do. You're pretty clumsy." Theo said and I gasped, then sustained my shock.

"Let's just forget the clumsy part." I mumbled and Theo let out a rushed breath of air.

Silence filled the air and it started to feel claustrophobic and hard to breath. I tried to busy myself with playing in my hands or staring out at the night sky and passing city lights. But I couldn't take it anymore.

Theo looked reserved. Like he had some sort of wall up, separating us. I just wanted him to relax but I knew after what happened, that there would be no way of that happening any time soon. Or at all, perhaps.

I cleared my throat, but I felt like couldn't speak.

It was weird for me to break the stuffy silence.

"Theo."

He hummed which encouraged me to continue.

I just didn't know how to word this.

It was a situation I had never been in before.

I cleared my throat again. "Erm- so you know about that time when you know, you came over to my house. The day when it was stormy, and, all that." I pinched my skin. "You know when you were about to kiss me-"

"Yeah, I didn't mean to do that." Theo said in a hurry, like he wanted to say that for a while now.

"Y-you didn't?" I asked, my voice wobbling.

"Yes. I didn't mean to. I felt sorry for you so I thought it would cheer you up."

His words cut me like a knife in a haystack.

He didn't mean to "almost" kiss me because he felt sorry for me?

Why did he feel sorry for me?

"So I was, like, a joke, kind of?" I asked him and my voice was considerable quieter than before.

"What? No-"

"But you just said you felt sorry for me which makes it kind of a joke because you didn't actually want to do it." I said, looking down at my hands.

"No-"

"Yeah, actually." I chuckled quietly. I was just a joke to him. This whole time where I actually thought maybe we had something. That was a lie.

Okay, then.

Fine.

"What I said came out wrong. I didn't mean it like that." Theo tried to explain but he was selling himself out more and more.

"Then what did you mean?" I asked him and Theo stayed quiet. He looked as if he was biting back the words. I watched as his mouth opened then again slammed shut. No. Nope. He had nothing else to say. "You know, I'm not particularly hungry anymore. Can you take me back to the diner, please. My car's there."

I leant back in the seat and stared out the window.

My insides were bursting for a good cry but I couldn't allow that to happen right now.

I was so stupid for actually thinking of the ideas of us and of him.

I thought he was nice.

But really, it just showed how stuck in his own ways of being a rich ass snobby, self-centred play boy he really was.

I could Theo's stare on the side of my face but I paid him no look, to which he spun around the car and drove back the way we came. Acceleration a little of the faster side.

Theo drove back inside the parking lot and I took off my seat belt. As I opened the door, I was stopped by a firm grip on my wrist.

I stopped and looked down at Theo, who looked frantic almost surprised that he did that.

As he remained to say nothing, though his eyes were saying different, I pulled my wrist out from his grip. "I think it's better if you keep your distance. Being my brothers friend and all." I stepped out and shut the door, leaving no time for him to say anything more. But if he wanted to say something, he would of.

I took a deep breath, but could feel the overwhelming feel of panic and distraught wash over me. I opened the car door and sat myself in.

Theo's car had swiftly driven out of the parking lot as I looked out the window. He didn't waste a second to leave.

I let the tears flood my eyes and trickle down my cheeks. The tears felt hot and like acid on my skin.

I actually trusted Theo, even though all of the rumours about him being a play boy and breaking girls' hearts. I trusted him because I genuinely thought we had something. Some sort of connection between us. I didn't know what we had, but it felt stronger than any bond I've had with a guy who wasn't my brother.

I slid the cover off the mirror in the car and looked at myself. I looked like a total mess. Dark bags were under my eyes and now my eyes were puffy. Overwhelming feelings were pouring through me like an electric shock.

My bottom lip wobbled and I bit down harshly as I covered my eyes with my hands. Tears dropped through the cracks of my hands, down onto my work dress. My feet were sour and achy, and so were my insides.

What did I do to deserve this?

I didn't want to be known as some joke or even as some sort of sympathetic fool.

I just wanted him to like me.

But of course he couldn't like me. Because I was me!

I wasn't anyone special nor did I have a lot to offer.

Fuck, how could I be so delusional?

I leant my arms on the steering wheel and rested my head against them. Uncontrollable tears couldn't stop from cascading down my puffy cheeks and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

I hate men.

But he wasn't even a guy. He was a little, small dick, high egotistical boy. He was no gentleman.

He probably thought he was doing me a favour too.

I wiped my hands down on my legs and wiped my eyes dry with my sleeves. A few hiccups left my mouth as I started up the car.

I drove back home in complete silence, with nothing but a gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach.

As soon as I parked in the drive, I pocketed out my phone from my bag. I dragged my fingers and pressed onto my messages. My fingers felt like they were made of stone.

My eyes became glassy as I saw Theo's contact. My finger hesitated on his contact. But before I knew it, I was pressing on the 'block contact' button.

I slammed my phone to my chest and rested my head against the seat. I couldn't help but scrunch my eyes shut and allow more tears to drop.

You're so stupid.

I cupped my mouth and took a deep, but ragged breath inwards.

Then my phone pinged.

I gulped and looked down at my phone.

Paybacks a bitch, isn't it?

But don't cry over it, he's just some guy everyone's obsessed with.

A/N: