I jerked my head up to see Jessica’s eyes looking down at me from the screen, so full of tenderness and love. Or at least, what I’d wanted to believe was love.
The shot cut to me and I whispered back to her, “I love you too.”
All the ox
ygen was sucked from the room. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t watch this. I couldn’t sit here. I couldn’t be this close to her.
I stood, bolting down the aisle like I was going to be sick. I didn’t care if I drew anyone’s attention, I couldn’t fucking do this anymore. I swore I heard Jessica call my name as I fled the theatre, and it only made me move faster.
Reporters mobbed me as I entered the twilight, and the flash of cameras made it hard to tell where I was going—where was I going? I just needed to escape.
“Amelia!” Jessica called again. I looked back to see her a few feet away, struggling to get through the crowd. Fuck, I couldn’t talk to Jessica. Not now, not ever again.
Across the street, a limousine sat idling. I couldn’t tell if it was the car I’d arrived in, but I didn’t care. I ran across the street, banging on the driver’s window. He looked annoyed as he rolled it down.
“I need you to take me back to my hotel,” I said.
“Do I know you?” The driver looked at me like I was crazy. Shit, it wasn’t my driver. I looked back to see Jessica bolting towards me.
“Uh, there’s a traffic cop over there who said she wants to write you a ticket.” I blurted without thinking. “Rosebridge has a law against idling.”
“What the fuck?” The driver leapt from the limo to look around for the woman I’d described. I ducked into the driver’s seat and slammed the door.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I heard him yell as I hit the gas.
Jesus Christ, what the fuck was I doing? Had Jessica driven me so crazy that I was stealing limousines to get away from her?
Apparently.
I looked in the rear view mirror to see both her and the limo driver chasing after me, Jessica taking the lead as the driver pulled out his phone—probably to call the cops.
Holy fuck. Holy fuck. Holy fuck.
And then I realized, as I came to traffic circle, I had no clue how to drive a limousine. I jerked to a stop in front of the circle and tried to ease the car in, feeling a bump as I went over the curb. I took out a decorative shrub as I tried to handle the turn.
I was so focused on not fucking up the limo that I didn’t notice Jessica had caught up with me until she was right beside the car. I floored it, driving right over the curb and into the posh little garden lining the traffic circle, but it was too late. Jessica tore open the door and leapt into the back seat.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I shouted at her.
“What the fuck are you doing, Amelia?”
“Not talking to you, that’s for damned sure.” I started pressing buttons, searching for one that would close the divider between the driver and the passenger, finally finding it, but before it had closed, Jessica jammed her arm in the way, stopping the divider halfway.
“Amelia, I know you hate me right now, but you’re acting crazy.”
“I don’t hate you.” I pushed my foot down on the gas, but the wheels only spun in the mud. The urge to escape had never been stronger as I felt my feelings forcing their way out of me. I couldn’t run anymore. There was nowhere to go. I let my head slump against the steering wheel and said again, “I don’t hate you... I’m in love with you.”
“What?”
“I said I’m in love with you.” I jerked my head up to glare at her in the rear view mirror. “I’m in love with you. I’m in love with you. I’m in love with you, Jessica Black. How many times do I have to say it?”
24.
Jessica
“I… I’m in love with you too,” I said in disbelief. “I can hardly even think of anything other than you.”
Amelia didn’t turn, just kept staring at me in the rearview mirror as she said, “I wish that meant something.”