Chapter 2: Nothing Good Comes From Running Away
String watched as Cait drove off. Maybe he should have stopped her. He hated that she was hurt and it was his fault. He wanted to call the florist and let them know about the mistake but that wouldn't change what had happened. As Cait cleared the gate Dom was pulling in. He waved but she did not respond. He was questioning String before he was inside the hanger.
"What's wrong with Cait? She didn't even see me and it looked like she was crying."
String ran his fingers though his hair not knowing where to begin. By this time Dom noticed the flowers on her desk. " Hey someone sent her flowers for Valentines day. Why on earth would she be upset?"
String groaned. "Today's Valentines day?"
"Yeah, you didn't know?"
"No, and that makes what happened even worse."
Ten minutes later Dom sat with his head in his hands as String finished telling him what had transpired.
"She told you she loved you?"
"Yeah, after she kissed me."
Dom let out a moan. "String you got to fix this. That poor girl has to be uterly humiliated."
"Don't you think I know that Dom. I would have rather taken a bullet to my head than to see the hurt and embarrassment in her eyes."
"I didn't even know you were seeing anyone. Reading this card it sounds pretty serious. What's her name anyway?"
String avoided Doms questioning stare. "Dom I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind. It's something I wasn't ready to open up about to you or Cait."
Dom looked hurt. "Please don't take it personal Dom. I'll talk when I'm ready. Right now I need to deal with how Cait is feeling."
Dom accepted Strings request for privacy. He was right, they needed to fix this thing between him and Cait. He wondered if he should tell String that he had known all along about how Cait felt for him but decided now was not the time.
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Cait drove as far out of town as she could taking the back roads. One hour later and her face was still flushed and hot. Her body had been shaking so badly that she had a hard time driving. She kept repeating "I'm such a fool" as she would smack her forehead with the palm of her hand.
" What on earth made me think the flowers were for me?" As if what happened wasn't punishment enough she kept replaying what happened over and over again in her mind. How could she ever face him again. He knew, he now knew her secret. One she swore he would never find out. If reliving what happened wasn't enough she let her mind wonder to the woman the flowers were meant for. She was probably everything Cait wasn't. She didn't know he had anyone in his life. It must be serious for him to spend that kind of money on flowers. The note hurt her the most. As many women as he had been with love was something that eluded him. This woman must be special if she was able to make him feel love again. She should be happy for him. She knew he was one messed up man inside. Too afraid to let himself fall in love. She may have gotten her heart broken but at least String had found happiness. This gave her some comfort.
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It was two am and String was getting worried. Cait had turned off her cell phone. He had been sitting out front of her house for the last three hours. Before that he drove to the places he thought she might be. If she didn't come home soon he was considering getting the Lady and looking for her but unless he had a clue what direction she went in finding her would be almost impossible. His legs started hurting from lack of stretching them. He decided to use the key Cait gave him and wait for her inside. Beside that he could use a cup of coffee to help keep him awake.
String sat down with his coffee. No word yet from her. He thought she might drive for hours until her head cleared. He had Michael check to see if she had checked into any hotels. There had been no activity on her bank card. He was hoping she needed to stop for gas. If she did they would at least get a location on her and know she was alright. There was nothing he could do but wait so he started thinking about what he was going to say to her when she came home. He thought about the kiss and her admission that she loved him. He knew she loved him he just wasn't sure she was in love with him. One thing he did know. He was going to have to come clean about the woman the flowers were meant for. It would not be easy telling Cait but the truth had to be told no matter how hard it would be for him to do it.
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Cait opened her eye's. Why was it so dark. She felt something wet roll down her face. She went to wipe what she thought were tears from her face when she realized that she could not move her arms. She tried to remember were she was. Her car, she was in her car. But why was it so dark and what was heavy on her chest that was stopping her from moving. She closed her eyes to rest. A vision of what happen flashed before her. A rabbit, it ran in front of her as she was going around the curve of the embankment. She tried to avoid it. That was the last thing she remembered. Licking her parched lips she tasted copper and knew then that it was not tears running down her face but that of her own blood. She had no idea how long she had been there. She hoped that someone would see her and get help. She had hope until she remembered where she was. A road that she knew all to well but was not known to others. Just the little thinking she was doing and the act of licking her lips was too much for her. It would be easy to slip into sleep that would bring her temporary relief from the pain she was now feeling but she was afraid if she did she would not wake up again. Holding on to consciousnesses for as long as she could she finally succumbed to sleep.