The next day I spend most of the time at Cupcake Story, hanging out with Sam. We catch up on a lot of things that I missed in the past few weeks as he tells me about the Stanford application process that he went through and their interviews that are going to take place at the beginning of next year. He seems to be very excited as he talks about it. I smile and listen to him. I know how much he adores his dream of being an oncologist.

He then keeps on jumping to other silly and irrelevant topics, making me laugh like a carefree school kid. Listening to Sam's childish babble makes me feel like I am back to my usual old life. The normal life that I was living when I moved in here. Everything seems perfect now, yet it feels like something is missing. Something or it would be more appropriate to say someone is missing. That someone who has become a major part of my life in the last few months. Oh god! Why the hell I have to go through this? Why can't I go on without thinking about him for one day?

I grab a grilled cheese sandwich from the cafe before saying goodbye to Sam. On my way back, I remind myself to pick Frosty from Emily's bookstore. He has been a great responsibility from the moment I found him, but it's a good thing that I enjoy taking care of him. He is such a cutie that I barely think anyone would ever hate him. Emily feels the same about him. She likes him really a lot, and that's why she earlier asked me to leave him at her bookstore so she could keep him with her for some time. She is really getting used to having him around her. And I wouldn't mind that at all because it would be a great help if she could take care of him in her spare time while I work at the clinic.

It's late in the evening when I reach home. Becky isn't home yet, so I walk through the dark hallway and head straight to my room. I have a nice long shower to relax my body. It really feels good. After that, I get ready for bed and when I climb onto it, I already find it to be occupied by frosty. I smile and get into the covers.

I sigh and switch off the lamp, and my eyes fall on my phone kept on the nightstand. I look at it, wondering if I would get a call from Christopher today. He has been trying to call me daily since the day I left his house, but I just keep ignoring them.

But after whatever happened at my clinic yesterday, I highly doubt he would call me. I feel disappointed now as the clock ticks, indicating to me that there isn't any reason to wait for it. What the hell, Nicole? Why do you feel bad? You are the one who refused to have any kind of conversation with him. Now don't be a hypocrite.

I toss and turn over the bed, unable to keep my mind away from thinking about Christopher. Maybe what I did was wrong. Maybe I should've listened to him. What if I've pushed him too much? I feel a knot build in my chest when I realize I've been way too harsh on him. What if he is pissed at me? What if he wouldn't show up at my door from tomorrow? What if he would stop trying? What if he'll forget me and move on?

As I am struggling in the middle of a mini-battle with my mind, I see the screen of my phone flash suddenly. Without wasting a second, I snatch it off the stand and let out a sigh of relief when I see Christopher's name on it. I smile. He hasn't given up. He is still trying.

The thought of instantly picking it hits my head, but then I stop right away. It is weird that I haven't picked his call ever since Sunday. What should I do? What would I say to him? Nicole, you said you didn't want to talk to him, remember?

I stare at the screen for a couple of minutes, conflicted by the thought of whether to pick it up or not. Then I close my eyes and do the only thing that my heart tells me to do. I finally click the green icon.

"Hey Nicole, is that you?" Christopher's deep voice beams immediately as soon as I press the phone to my ear. I purse my lips and don't say anything, and it seems like my silence answers his question.

"Thank god! You picked it up." He sighs in content as I hold the phone close to my ear. He expects me to say something in return, but when I don't, he speaks slowly again. The disappointment is evident in his tone. "I am sorry about what happened at your clinic yesterday."

"I never intended to upset you, Cole." He whispers sadly and waits for a moment. I could hear the honking of vehicles in the background and it tells me that he is in the middle of driving. Suddenly I feel the need to tell him that we could talk later, but I don't do it. I don't know why I have this weird feeling?

"Nicole...." He drawls in pain then, and I recognize the desperation in his tone and whatever that's going to come next from his mouth. I am just tired of all this drama and I don't want to hear his explanation again. What is wrong with me? I don't know why did I even pick his call when I didn't want to listen to him?

"Christopher, please...I don't want to..." I sigh heavily and say. I brush my temple in frustration and ask him when he doesn't respond. "How can I not believe what I saw?"

"Hey, Nicole. I haven't called you to present any explanation or defend myself. Don't hang up, please. Just listen to me...one time.." He says immediately.

I frown but don't try to stop him from speaking.

"I know you believe that I slept with Sophia..." His voice sounds hoarse and I sense him expressing regret over whatever happened that night. I suddenly feel a sharp pang of jealously in my chest when he takes Sophia's name. He takes a long pause after it, and I wonder what he is trying to say. "I am not going to justify what you saw. I would always respect your thoughts. And I would never try to influence your opinions." He says in a defeated tone and I don't know why, but I feel utterly disappointed by his statement.

We both remain quiet for some time and after that he says. "But Nicole, I just want an answer to a single question...that's it. I wouldn't bother you once I get it."

"What is it?" I ask him, a bit hesitantly.

He takes a deep breath and then questions. "If I would have wanted to cheat on you, do you think I would be stupid enough to do it in my house? Where I know you could come in any time and find about it?" I frown when I process his words.

"Why on earth I would sleep with Sophia in my house while you were living with me when I could have easily done it at any other place where you wouldn't even get to have the slightest idea about it?" I don't reply to him, but there is something that strikes in my head after I hear him. I realize that his words actually make sense. Why would he think of doing such a horrible thing in the house where we were living together? Why would he think of sleeping with Sophia when he knew I could be home anytime? He could indeed have done it at any other place unless Sophia wanted it to be specifically at his house. Why did I never let my brain run in that direction?

"Isn't it absurd?" Christopher asks, drawing me back from my thoughts. "Doesn't it look more like a setup? A setup made especially for you to witness?"

"Don't you think Sophia's vicious brain could plan something like that?" Christopher breathes raggedly and I could feel how desperate he is to know my answer. He is right. It would be even known to him that I don't have a valid point to argue with him on this. Why am I being so foolish?

"I just need your answer for this. Do you think I'll do that to you?" His voice appears completely exhausted as he asks me. "And if you still think I am the guilty one, I would promise to never bother you again.." He lets it trail off in a sad tone.

"Christopher..." I bite my lip and begin to reason.

"Cole, please answer my...." He speaks cutting me off. Before he could finish the sentence, I hear a sudden disturbance, along with Christopher muttering a curse under his breath. I frown, and then a loud bang from the other side hits my ear. It sounds like a crash. The thud seems to be so powerful that my phone fells off my hand from the blow. I gasp in horror and grab my phone back, unable to process what the hell exactly happened?

The call is already disconnected when I look at it. What the fuck happened? Oh god! No!!! It shouldn't be what I think it is. My fingers tremble as I dial Christopher's number. The ring goes on, but I don't get any response from Christopher. Fuck! For the next 20 minutes I pace around in the room trying to call him, but he doesn't pick it up. A sense of panic instantly fills my body. Is Christopher alright? What happened? Why is he not picking up his phone? What the hell am I supposed to do? Before I could think of anything, my phone rings in my hand again. I hurriedly look at it to see if it's from Christopher. My mood instantly sinks when I see Colby's name on it. I pick it up with my lips almost quivering.

"Where is Christopher, Colby?" I ask him, gulping harshly.

"Hello, Nicole." He waits for a moment, and I clearly hear the hesitation in his tone. "Where are you?"

"Cut the crap, Colby. Where is Christopher?" I let out exasperatedly. I hope he is fine.

"I...Nicole..." He stammers, and I could feel something bad coming in the way. He then exhales slowly, and I dread the last thing I expected him to say at this moment. "Christopher met with an accident. His car crashed into a pole."

---------------------

It's Tuesday evening as I drive back home after an exhausting day. I wouldn't call it home now because Nicole's grinning face wouldn't be waiting there to welcome me like every night. I miss Nicole so much. I miss her bright smile. I miss her smooth body. I miss her sweet smell. I miss her soft lips. Fuck! I miss every fucking little thing about her.

How weird it is that a lot of things have changed since Sunday night when she left. To sum up it in a sentence I can say that I am totally miserable without her.

I am still unable to comprehend the fact that Sophia did that to me. I am fucking angry with myself for letting her in. I am fucking angry with myself for believing her words and thinking about giving her a chance. For god's sake, Christopher! She is Sophia! The woman that fucking cheated on you! You should have known better than to trust her. How could I be so stupid to let her ruin everything for me?

I regret my decision so much now, but I know it's of no use. Whatever happened that night should never have happened. Nicole doesn't deserve to get hurt like this after whatever she went through with her father. I would have never dreamt about something like this happen between us. Now she probably thinks I am a cheater and a liar, just like her father.

I sigh in frustration and speed up on the accelerator. For a moment it feels like the universe is trying its best to pull us apart, and a weird sensation in the pit of my stomach makes me doubt that maybe we aren't meant to be together.

No, what the hell are you saying, Christopher? How can you think of that? You can't give up on her so easily. You have to fight for her. Isn't it the real hardship of being in love? Where you have to fight every moment to prove your love. It's not a one-time thing. It's a lifetime undertaking. You need to keep fighting to prove your worth to deserve their love. Now I realize why Nicole is so afraid to fall in love. Being in love is a high-maintenance thing. It's something that requires a lot of effort and dedication. You have to go through the suffering of making the other person believe you until you gain their trust completely. It's the true key to bond together two souls forever. The trust that would strengthen the love more. A level of trust that would keep us together for the rest of our lives. It's not impossible but seems nearly as difficult as unachievable.

I keep an eye on the road, and glance towards my phone that's kept on the passenger seat. It's because I don't want to miss any chance of getting a call from Nicole. I know I shouldn't expect a call from her because she is still mad at me. Christopher, what are you waiting for? You said you won't give up, then what are you doing? You can't just sit and wait for some magic to happen. You need to keep trying. Yeah, no matter what, I am not going to give up. I stop at the signal and with that thought in my mind; I take the phone and dial Nicole's number.

The ring goes on for a minute, making me anxious. She hasn't picked any of my calls since before Sunday and there are high chances that she is not going to pick up now. I tap on the steering wheel nervously as I wait on the signal.

The green light shows up as if it's being a positive signal and with that Nicole picks up the call. "Hey Nicole, is that you?" I say instantly.

She doesn't say anything, and it just confirms more that it's her. I could surely recognize her uneven breathing. "Thank god! You picked it up." I let out a deep sigh of relief. I don't know why, but I wait for her to speak something. But when she doesn't respond, I slowly begin to talk again in a regretful tone. "I am sorry about what happened at your clinic yesterday."

"I never intended to upset you, Cole," I whisper sadly and take a long pause. I don't know what to say. I am so lost in thinking about what to say next to Nicole that I forgot about the traffic that is kept held behind me. The honking of the vehicles pulls me back to reality as I get my attention back to driving. I need to focus on the road too.

"Nicole...." I whisper in agony this time. I am just at a loss for words right now, but I hope she understands what I want to convey to her.

"Christopher, please...I don't want to..." She replies and I hear her voice for the first time in these two weeks. "How can I not believe what I saw?" She asks after a moment, sounding utterly frustrated.

Wait! I realize now that she thinks I am going to give her the same explanation again. But that's not the case. I am not doing that. "Hey, Nicole. I haven't called you to present any explanation or defend myself. Don't hang up, please. Just listen to me...one time.." I say in a hurry, fearing that she would hang up on me. I can't lose the only chance I got to prove my point like this.

When she doesn't interrupt, I keep speaking. "I know you believe that I slept with Sophia..." A weird lump forms in my throat, making it hard for me to speak as my mind goes back to the day when Sophia showed up. I stop for a moment, trying to regain my original voice and say. "I am not going to justify what you saw. I would always respect your thoughts. And I would never try to influence your opinions." I say in defeat.

There is a long silence for a moment as I keep my vision on the road and then shift the phone to the other side. "But Nicole, I just want an answer to a single question...that's it. I wouldn't bother you once I get it."

"What is it?" She asks slowly, appearing a bit hesitant. Thank god! She is still on the line.

I know this is the only chance I got to strike my point. Come on, Christopher, do it! I take a deep breath and then question her. "If I would have wanted to cheat on you, do you think I would be stupid enough to do it in my house? Where I know you could come in any time and find about it?" She remains quiet, but I know she is thinking about what I just said to her.

"Why on earth I would sleep with Sophia in my house while you were living with me when I could have easily done it at any other place where you wouldn't even get to have the slightest idea about it?"

"Isn't it absurd?" My confidence builds up as I ask her. She doesn't say anything, but her silence is enough for me to know that she is letting her mind consider the words coming out of my mouth. "Doesn't it look more like a setup? A setup made especially for you to witness?"

"Don't you think Sophia's vicious brain could plan something like that?" I breathe, trying to hide the edginess in my tone. I know she is trying to fight with herself now, but I am just too desperate. I want her to answer.

"I just need your answer for this. Do you think I'll do that to you?" My voice seems completely exhausted by now as I reach close to my lane. I am so fucking tired. I close my eyes for a moment. "And if you still think I am the guilty one, I would promise to never bother you again.." I lastly let it trail off in a sad tone. I make a right on the crossing to get on my street.

"Christopher..." I hear Nicole's voice and I don't know how I miss noticing the white jeep coming behind me.

"Cole, please answer my...." In a blink of a second, it smashes the side of my car and speeds away.

"Fuck!" I mutter under my breath as I lose balance over the wheel. As I could think of doing anything, my phone slips out of my hand and the car takes a sudden whirl before crashing into a lamppost with a loud bang.

My head impacts the steering wheel abruptly as I feel losing my consciousness. Nicole's face is the last thing that appears in my mind before everything fades away from my sight.