Disclaimer: No no, sorry, none of the people belong to me…so…yeah, ya' know th' drill.

Author's Note: Alrighty, based on the assumption that you all read the first chapter's author's note, there's no need for me to repeat myself…so I'll quickly state that if you liked the first chapter, thank you, I liked it too, and if you didn't: sit on it and rotate, suck left butt cheek, piss on you, and I can go on forever, take your pick.  Tada!

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I stared at him through the glass, my thoughts wondering wildly.  Why had it come down to this?  My back turned to face the car's window while my head was cocked off to the side, trying desperately to catch a good glimpse of his face. 

I choked hard on my kept back tears.  Was he still looking at me?  Or was I just seeing an illusion?

My knees swayed slightly below me, my stomach sunk and shriveled.  I needed this man.  He was everything to me, why can't I just turn around and stop this all?  He's still near, it might happen—but he might decline; wasn't he the one that wanted this anyway?

I'm so lost and confused. We worked hard, too hard to try and preserve this spark…and all for nothing.  Our years spent seems too much to go and forget it like this.  I tried being myself, he tried adapting to me, but it just didn't work; we were both two totally different people…we discovered we didn't even know each other like we thought we did. 

Trust…the thing every relationship needs began to get lacked…and things went downhill from there.  Fights…things were said…we were hurt—but it all seems so petty now, looking at the reality of our problem, they can be fixed…with a little time, they can be fixed…all things can be fixed.

I blinked; a tear slid down m cheek, my hand flew up to it, quickly flicking it away, and then to play it off, I locked some hair behind my ear, my eye catching his one last time through the dirty cab window.

The car began to move, and then it was on its way slowly running down the street.  I turned around, my face becoming stained with my tears. 

I realized I didn't care anymore as my legs finally caved, dropping me to the driveway, holding my face, my tears seeping through my fingers. 

"I love you Jack," my words were inaudible as I tried speaking them, but were loud and confident in my mind.  I had to get this man back…I was utterly lost without him; I needed him to complete me; I needed Jack.

I stood up, looking down the street; his cab was just rounding the corner.  Somehow, and before I could process it, I was running, screaming as loud as I could for the car to stop.

I always saw this scene in movies, read about them in books: the man or women goes chasing after his love after they've realized they were stupid for not stopping them when they were near.  Funny thing is that I never thought I'd be the woman running after my love. 

I'd sit on my coach, screaming at the women on screen or in the book to do something, but when it actually happens, there I am, my back turned to him as id I didn't care, realizing only after I left how foolish I was.

My heavy breathing was the only thing I could hear as I gasped for breath, my legs begged me to stop, my stomach cramped painfully, but I kept on running. 

I somehow found the strength to boost up my speed, getting myself up the hill, and then I stopped, grabbing my heart, craving air.  Down Matthews St. was no car; even parked at the Main St. red light were no cars.

No no, this couldn't be happing.  My face grew cold as I realized tears were spilling out of my eyes.  I dropped to the ground, my body heaving and shaking as my sobs rocked me.  This wasn't supposed to happen.  I was supposed to catch up to him, he would pull me in the car and he'd kiss me on my face, my neck, my lips…we'd say we were sorry that it's taken so long for us to realize just how much we need each other and we'd move on…that's how it was supposed to be, not like this…not me huddling in the street like a drunken fool, crying uncontrollably.  He was lost from me…forever. 

I looked up at the sky as the sun began to light it up.  In the trees sat birds, mocking me with their lovely voices as they sang their morning songs.

I pulled myself up drowsily, looking around at the other houses through my wall of tears.  Turning around, I began to stumble back down the way I came.  My legs were like lumps of dead meat, I found I was forcing myself to walk.  Down the street on Pecan Drive was a car turning in my direction, the driver probably unaware of the pain I was in, the shock of the situation.

"Rose!" I spun, confused, but immediately identifying the deep voice. 

"Jack?!" I shielded my eyes from the car's burning lights, but beyond them, I could see Jack's head hanging out his window.  I choked back my tears again; the feeling I felt couldn't even be explained.  I had forgotten all about my physical pain, all I wanted was to be in his arms again. 

I opened up Jack's door, throwing myself on him, kissing his face rashly and repeatedly

"Rose," he gently pushed me off of him; his face didn't show as much enthusiasm as I suspect mind did.  Something wasn't right.  I pulled away from him, watching him slowly.

"What?  What is it Jack?  What's wrong?" I breathed, my mind racing with so many possibilities.

His face was hard; his ocean blue eyes ices over with his haze.  That was his game face.  I hated that face.  It was his way of holding power over me when he knew I couldn't read him.  Him acting like this; treating me like a mission, just killed me…disgusted me to know me.

"Rose, I…" he pressed his lips together, "I'm…" he sighed, frustrated, pulling me into the cab.  "I'm only back because…" Jack looked down, grabbing my hands.  This was the moment.  MY moment; I could cry, but I'll save that for later.  "I don't think we're on the same page here-."

"I know, it's ok-."

"No," he put a finger to my lips…those soft fingertips of his grazed my skin, sending a flush to my cheeks, "it's not ok…I loved Rose." I pulled back, as I had been leaning into his finger, kissing it softly. 

I paused, looking at him, and then at the cab driver, who stared back.  "What?" I chuckled nervously, "I don't understand." He sighed, glancing away, biting his bottom lip in anger.

"I loved Rose…your character," his eyes met mine cautiously before he continued, out contact never breaking, "She betrayed me…and no matter how much I try to get over it…the fact still remains.  I'll never…" he paused, "ever be able to forget or forgive her for it." I nodded, trying to process this information, but it wasn't registering  …should I be happy?  Does this mean that I have chance?

"I don't under-"

"I don't love you." He cut me off quickly; I still stared at him.  The world was quiet; my lips quivered, I was unsure what to think.

"I-I'm sorry," my voice faltered heavily; I stared into his icy eyes, chucking again nervously.   "It…kinda' sounded like you said you didn't love me."  I chuckled more bravely; his icy glare being the thing to make me stop.  "You didn't did you?"

"Rose," he paused staring at me, those unwavering eyes glaring at me, glaring at my soul, "I don't love you," I gasped, grabbing my heart.

"If your playing-."

"I don't love you," his voice held no emotion, his face still stood hard as a stone, even after I began to break down and cry.  "I can't love you because you allowed this…or that to happen.  You let Rose use me like a puppet.  And as your true colors shown, you had fun finding me clueless…fun seeing me with ropes around me.  I can't forget that either." I stared back up at him.

"Maybe we can work-."

"I tried working, but I just couldn't bring myself to let it happen…I'll never forget it.  Who knows if it's really you?  Your probably still faking."

"Jack that's not fair…you know I had no choice but to do it…they were my orders," my voice was small and weak, my cheeks burned with embarrassment, "I didn't want to do it," my voice struggled to stay clear, "I swear to god I didn't want to do it, but I had no choice," I swallowed hard, staring at him, he didn't say anything, just stared as if I was over staying my welcome.

I looked down, shaking my head, my tears falling faster, "Why then…" I coughed on my sobs, "why then would you lead me on?"

"I wasn't leading you on," he looked out he window, staring away at the tree I found myself looking at moments before he came back, "I tried," he looked back at me, "I tired forgetting about it, I mean, I really tried…but I just kept finding myself thinking about it and I realized that I couldn't, therefore I shouldn't force myself."

His arm brushed past my waist.  I grabbed it, feeling his soft arm hairs give way, touching his silky skin. 

I stumbled out the cab as he opened the door; I tried to cling to him.  His face was still hard.  "But Jack, I love you…" I found myself begging him, "How many times do I have to apologize?  I'm sorry, it was my job…what more do you want from me?"

"You won't have to apologize soon…I tried to love you…but if you'd let your job get in the way of us, what's next?  How far will you go for your job?"  He watched me, my face falling as I tried thinking up something to say.  "I can't go on with not knowing the answer to that question…nor can trust myself to love you.

"But what about me?  What happens to me?"

"That's your problem now…" Jack's eyes softened, "you're always wrapped up in yourself-."

"That's not fair!  I love you, we can work off of that-."

"No," his voice was brick, "we can't work off anything…we're nothing now…mislead poor pathetic individuals…nothin' else," he looked up at the sky as he shut the door, "Hmmm…looks like it's going to be a good day." He shut the door, nodding to the driver.

I watched the car drive off, the voice of the birds suddenly bursting into my ears as the sun continued to lift itself above the horizon, marking the beginning of a beautiful of day.