"Ugh that's it, I need a coffee."

Extra strong!

I pushed myself up from my desk and grabbed my handbag, quickly walking towards the nearest coffee shop with a one track mind. I was just out of the building door and cutting through the city park, when I heard someone call out my name.

I turned around searching for a familiar face but everyone around me seemed busily going about their day to day activities.

That's it, you're officially going nuts.

"Tell me something I don't know." I rolled my eyes and turned back around. I really didn't need another voice to join the collection already inside my head.

We should start a club.

"Holy shit." I jumped seeing Jarred standing in front of me.

"Still talking to yourself I see." He observed me and I suddenly felt a little exposed.

I put my hand over my heart to calm myself down. "What is wrong with you, you don't sneak up on people you psycho."

He frowned confused. "I called your name, I thought you saw me and was just ignoring me?"

Taking a deep breath, I answered him. "No I didn't."

"Oh well then, never mind." He slipped his hands into the pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Can I join you for a coffee?"

As long as I get to throw it in your face, you bet!

"No thanks." I side stepped him and kept walking down the park, my eyes on the coffee shop across the path.

"Please Sky." He fell into step beside me.

"How did you ever think I would agree to get a coffee with you?"

"I just want to talk Sky."

I stopped walking and faced him. "What could you possibly want to talk about Jarred?"

He held up his hands as if in a mock surrender. "I just want to talk. I swear."

I took a deep breath and started walking again. "Fine but you're paying."

"Deal."

We walked to the coffee shop in silence, stood in the short line in silence, and sat down in silence. I took another sip of my coffee feeling the hit of the caffeine rush through my blood giving me a nice little buzz. "Great chat Jarred, as always."

He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. "So, um," he seemed unsure of where to start. "Mum said you're engaged?"

I nodded my head slowly, watching his reactions.

"I've got to say Sky, it was a bit of a shock."

"Why? Because you can't believe someone might actually want to marry me?"

His eyes widened ever so slightly. "No, I just, well I mean wasn't it a little fast? I mean how long have you known the guy? You can't have been dating him more than two years and you are already engaged?" He spoke, counting the years since he's seen me last.

"I don't think that's any of your business."

He pushed his lips together as if to hold in his words before reaching for his cup of coffee.

"Is that all you wanted? To tell me you disapprove of the speed in which my current relationship is progressing?" I raised my eyebrows at him. I wouldn't lie, I was having a little fun annoying him.

He shook his head no. "I just wanted to explain."

"Explain what Jarred?"

"I saw how you looked at me last week and I felt terrible." His eyes dropped a little in thought. "I know how I ended things wasn't exactly the best, but, I never meant to hurt you Sky."

Can you believe this mothball? Thinks he can say sorry just like tha?!. I say we run him over.

I crossed my arms over my chest defensively. "So you want to clear your conscience then?"

"No I want you –"

I cut him off. "This has nothing to do with me Jarred. You just said you wanted to explain because you felt bad. That's clearing your conscience."

He gave me a weak look. I knew I had him there. He wanted to make himself feel better about how things ended between us, well, I wasn't going to make it easy.

But then again maybe I needed too? Maybe I was holding on to my past a little too strongly. An image of Anthony flashed in the back of my mind. Maybe I need to let go of my past to focus on my future?

Taking a deep breath and putting all my effort into shutting up all the inner voices screaming inside my head, I answered him. "I forgive you."

What the fu –

Shut up. I can make my own decisions for once.

Shock and surprise flashed through Jarred's eyes as he stared at me. "You do?"

"Yeah. If you hadn't broken up with me then I would never be in the position I'm in now." I spoke honestly. "I'm Happy."

Jarred's expression was a little more careful now, guarded and much harder to read. "Oh," his tone was flat. "That's good."

"You look a little disappointed?" I frowned trying to figure out what on earth was running through his mind.

Maybe he's hungry and thinking about what's for dinner?

To my surprise, he chuckled. "Well yeah. It's a little difficult to know that the girl you love is happy with another guy. But it's good you're happy Sky."

I shook my head and took a sip of my coffee. "You forgot to use pass tense."

"No I didn't. I do love you Sky. I did then and I still do now."

"You broke up with me."

He shook his head at me like I was misunderstanding something. "I didn't know how to handle you sometimes. I did love you but I was just too naive to understand what I had. Every guy craves someone different. A girl who is unique and won't bore them in a month. You were anything but boring and predictable. I guess it's true when they say you don't know what you have until its gone."

My mouth opened and shut like a goldfish as I tried to think about what to say.

He loves me.

It was strange how much hearing those words still made my heart flutter when he said them.

"You're not the kind of girl someone just dates, you're the kind of girl who they never stop thinking about, the girl they wish they still had. That guy you're going marry must have seen that, he knows what he's got and his smart enough not to let you go."

I was speechless. What was I supposed to say to that?

Jarred took a deep breath and gave me a small smile. "I'll see you around Skylar Martin." And with that he took his cup of coffee and left me struggling with my thoughts. My mind was a whirl wind.

I finished my coffee and went back to work, letting the rest of the day pass by in a haze. My doubts and concerns hung in the back of my mind along with Jarred's words. Was I that girl for Anthony?

I pushed the thoughts from my mind trying not to dwell. I knew it wasn't a good thing to dwell on past relationships and I didn't want to ruin the good thing Anthony and I had going at the moment.

Five-pm came around and I headed out of the building. Anthony was waiting there for me with a car – and to my surprise, no driver. "I'm not sure if I actually trust you to drive."

"I said I didn't like driving in the city, I can drive though." He shook his head and opened the door for me.

I waited for him to walk around the car and slid into the front seat before I responded. "So why are you driving?"

"We're going to my parents for dinner, remember?"

"No." When did we discuss this?

You probably weren't listening, knowing your attention span.

You are my attention span.

Do you smell chips?

I shook my head trying to stop myself from sniffing for chips. I was a classy girl, I could stop myself from sniffing out food like a hungry dog.

"Did you get food?"

"Maybe." I hit Anthony's shoulder as he started up the car. "What's that for?"

"Next time, get me food too."

We started driving out of the city heading for the Eastern Suburbs. I watched the building change as we drove from tall modern skyscrapers and apartment buildings to classic styled homes.

As we got closer to the Renner's house I decided to bring up a touchy subject. "Hey you know how I was talking about that new idea they are wanting to promote at my work?"

"Yeah vaguely. Why?" He turned down a street.

"Well I was thinking you could maybe throw some support behind it? Maybe a little investment?"

"No." He responded without a second thought.

"What? Why? You didn't even think about it!"

"I don't need too."

"Anthony please." I crossed my left leg over my right and shifted slightly to face Anthony. "Why won't you?" I was begging him now.

"Sky Babe, I'm not going to let the fact that I am marrying you interfere with my business." He rationalized with me. "My reasoning's are plain and simple, it's too risky.

"Risky?! Taking over my father's company was risky!"

"True but not as risky as this. There the company was already built up, the main problem was your father, when we removed him from the equation, everything ran smoothly and I have already been blown away by how quickly everything fell into place." The car came to a stop in the driveway of a beautifully designed grey brick house with a vibrant garden.

"Are you against this because it's a startup company or because I'm responsible for it?"

He turned off the car and moved closer, grabbing my hands and looking deeply into my eyes with a fierce sincerity. "Trust me when I say: This has nothing to do with you, It is all just too much of a gamble."

"All investments are gambles."

"Yes, but the reason I am good at this is because I can tell the difference between a bad gamble and sure thing."

"There is no such thing as a sure thing!" I raised my voice just a little.

"What happens if you branch out and realize that you are being squashed by all of the big named companies? What if the business takes off too quickly and you can't cope?"

"What if you trust that I can do this?"

He took a deep breath. I could see his eyes, flickering from side to side, the colour switching from dark to light and small golden flecks almost spinning as he debated with the ideas.

Crossing my arms over my chest I slouched in my seat with a glare. I wanted this, and I was going to show him that I can do this with or without him.

He shook his head and opened his door. "You're psychotic."

I quickly exited the car. "Psychotic is just a three syllable word for ideas that are too big for small little minds." I tilted my head as I spoke and poked out my hip.

Anthony stared into my eyes, his lips really struggling to hold in his smile.

"We will discuss this later." I tilted my chin up in a superior manner and headed for the front door.

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