It had been about two weeks since the Charity Ball incident. Things hadn't improved in the slightest. Kimbra hadn't spoken with Bud since she went off on him that night. Sure, he made a few attempts, but immediately stopped in fear of what she would say (or do) in response. Everyone at EcoTech whispered about the two behind their backs. Some thought they were dating and had broken up. Others thought she cheated on a boyfriend with Bud, others even argued it was the other way around.

She paid no mind to it, really.

Now, Kimbra has met her share of annoying people, but Bud Flud took the cake. Talking to someone like that would make the whole situation even worse.

And there's really no use in trying to argue with a narcissist.

Today was like any other day. Check in on the C.O.R.E team. File paperwork. Make a few calls. Avoid Bud. Sign off on more papers. Yell at Neil to stop being a moron. Answer more calls. Avoid Bud yet again.

Just another day like any other.

Kimbra walked the halls, ready to end her shift for the evening. She turned a corner, running straight into Bud. It startled both of them. But mostly Kimbra as again, she was trying to avoid the man.

Plans to avoid Bud: failed.

"Excuse me," she muttered out, moving past him and continuing on back to her office without looking at him. She had hoped she'd make it to her office to grab her stuff before running into him.

She just wasn't fast enough this time.

When she was sober, things were messy. She overanalyzed everything. Made mistakes. Spoke too much or not enough. Didn't know what to do with her hands. At least with a few drinks, she'd forget what words spilled out of her mouth.

And so, Kimbra found herself sitting at a bar, not knowing what else she was supposed to do.

Honestly, she should cut down on the day drinking. Maybe she'd be better off sedated. Or using something stronger.

She looked around the busy bar. It was packed. A few drunks in the corner booth loudly sang a song that none of them knew the exact words to. They laughed along with the words that began to slur until it became nothing but gibberish.

They were obnoxious. Loud. But she wished she had that sort of joy for life. That carefree attitude had been stripped from her at a young age.

Too young.

Kimbra didn't remember hearing the words. Your mother is dying. No one had to say them. It was unspoken knowledge. Obvious. The air around the Wulfe house was telling of what was happening. Kimbra didn't know exactly at the time what was wrong, but she knew that whatever it was, wasn't good. She began eavesdropping on her older siblings and parents. Hearing time from time to time about something called Huntington's. No one ever dared to say anything around her. Whenever she walked into the room, the conversation would stop.

It's like they didn't want her to know.

Kimbra raised her hand to knock, but the low murmur of voices inside brought her fist to a halt inches from the door. She was only ten.

"Loren, we have to tell her." Lucille's soft voice spoke.

Kimbra pressed her ear against the door. She knew eavesdropping was wrong. That she should walk away and mind her own business.

"You know it's gonna break her."

But she stood there, listening.

"We told the boys, it's only fair."

"I know…"

"And she'll find out sooner or later. It's better if she hears it from us."

Kimbra wanted to run from it all. She didn't want to know. She knew now that her mother was dying. From that disease… Huntington's? Yeah, that was it. Huntington's. She didn't want to have to hear her parents say it out loud. She couldn't handle it.

Before she knew it, her father had called her in.

That was the day her world fell apart.

Kimbra quickly blinked, not wanting to cry in a bar. There was nobody that would understand. She hated the looks of pity whenever she brought up her dead mother. People would try to sympathize, say they understand. In reality, they didn't. They didn't know how it felt to watch your mother suffer for years and lose herself. To see her die from an incurable disease. Only to find out you have a fifty percent chance of suffering the same fate. Obsessing over the future. Not knowing what it holds.

No one else would understand.

She would rather not be pitied. She didn't want to be seen as this poor, helpless being. Kimbra was anything but fragile, and she sure as hell didn't want to be treated as such.

So, she kept her personal life to herself. Opening up about it to Bud had been out of character for her, but she felt comfortable sharing it with him for some reason.

God knows why.

She could talk to him about anything and not be judged or pitied.

And it pissed her off that he ruined that.

"I think…someone is into youuu." A slightly buzzed blonde-haired canine said as he leaned over to Kimbra.

His breath reeked of booze and cigarettes. It made Kimbra scrunch her nose up in disgust.

She now regretted sitting at the bar with everyone else. She had forgotten how sociable others were.

Great. Probably another freak who's trying to buy me a drink just so he can score. No, thanks. Not in the mood. Not tonight or ever.

Thankfully, this wasn't one of those times.

It was only him. The man in the brown suit, yellow shirt, and blue tie. The slick black hair and the charismatic voice that any person in the city limits could identify. He's Bud Flud after all. She didn't miss his dark eyes surveying her body. How they studied every part of her before going back up to her face.

But what was he doing here?

He approached her from the other side of the bar sheepishly. Lacking any of his usual confidence. "It's nice to see you again."

"It's hardly nice to see you again," Kimbra's expression clearly indicated she had been expecting someone else.

A silence settled between the two of them.

Bud broke it. "Can't we just talk?" He continued to linger, making her feel very uncomfortable. She wanted to kick him in the shin and run off to her car or call a taxi.

"There's nothing to talk about." Kimbra replied before downing the rest of her drink, indicating to the bartender for another.

Maybe calling a taxi would be the best choice.

The blonde man from earlier moved to the other side of the bar with a grimace, clearly not wanting any part of their conversation. She wished she could follow him. No good can come from the conversation Bud was trying to have.

His lingering stare caused her breath to hitch. She finished her drink and stood up, ignoring him.

Kimbra tried to leave, but Bud's impossibly tall frame blocked her from doing so.

She raised an eyebrow. " Seriously ?"

"Hear me out—"

"No."

" Please ."

" Fine ."

"Again, I'm truly sorry about the other day," Bud began. "Everything I said was completely out of line."

"I'm truly sorry about the other day," Kimbra mocked, placing her hands on her hips.

Bud tried not to laugh at the imitation. It'd only irritate the scientist further.

"Why won't you just talk to me?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't like you." She paused and studied his face, hoping for some sort of reaction. Any sign that he actually cared and this wasn't all for show. "Why are you so determined to talk to me?"

"Because I'm your sponsor, and we can't finish this project if you keep avoiding me."

"I think we can."

"We can't."

"Can." She said, voice rising slightly at the end.

" Can't ."

" Can ."

" Kimbra ," he replied rather stiffly. "Why can't you just forgive me, and we forget this ever happened?"

Might as well make it simple.

"Because when it comes down to it, you'll always choose that company." She gave him a cold glare as she spoke, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the Flud Water bottling company with her right hand. "I can't trust you to not throw me under the bus again."

"Kimbra…"

" Bud ." The way she stressed his name told him that he was pushing it.

"And Spector—"

"We aren't going there." She took a step forward, waving a finger at him. "And me dating him isn't going to hurt anything!"

"What if he breaks your heart?"

What does that have to do with the project? Why not 'what if Dr. Ainsley finds out and you get fired?' Why did he care about her feelings? They weren't friends. He ruined that, remember?

"Then I just have another story to tell my therapist on Thursdays."

"Kimbra you aren't thinking rationally!" Bud replied, the disbelief clear in his voice. "What happened to hating capitalists or asshole rivals?"

"Spector isn't like that!"

You're the only asshole here.

"He is! You're just blinded by your feelings for him."

"Am not!"

This still has nothing to do with the project.

"Are too! And don't you dare cry to me once this bites you in the butt. I'm not going to be your little emotional support dog whenever you fuck up."

"It's not going to bite me in the butt." Kimbra muttered with a slight growl in her voice.

"It will." He paused for a few seconds before adding, "I'll see you around." The words came out bitter and cold.

Without another word, he was gone. Out the same door he came in through. Out into the dark parking lot, only lit by a few lights. He ran his hands through his black hair, releasing a loud huff.

Bud had to stop doing this.

The constant cycle of tricking himself into thinking that he could make everything better by forcing her to forgive him. Sometimes, he wondered why he did this. Maybe it was out of fear he had lost her forever. But it had to end at some point.

The entire situation already stressed him out, and now he was just wasting time. On someone who didn't want his help or advice.

Didn't she realize what she was doing to him?

The next day wasn't much better. Kimbra still refused to look at him. Refused to talk to him. In her eyes, Bud Flud didn't exist. For reasons he couldn't explain, it hurt. It hurt that she dared not look his way. Not even an insult or glare. Just nothing. Absolutely nothing .

Now he watched her at her desk from the open doorway. Wondering if anything he said would make a difference. If anything he could do would make her stop hating him. Sunflowers wouldn't work. Not any chocolate or candy. She didn't care for materialistic things.

He hoped she'd at least look his way. Give some sort of sign that she still knew he was alive. But nope. Not so much as a glance up in his direction. It was as if she couldn't bear to look at him anymore. He didn't blame her.

The opening of a nearby door caught Bud off guard. He didn't know why this particular door caused him to look over in the direction of the noise. Random doors opening throughout the day at EcoTech wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

But Dr. Ross Spector stepping out of one was.

He noticed Bud standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall. And sure enough, he gave the hound a big smile as he approached.

"Flud."

"Spector." Bud hated that he had to be polite. Any rudeness towards Kimbra's precious boyfriend would trail back to her and dig Bud deeper in the grave.

Ross's cockiness reared its ugly head, making such a task even more difficult. "Still sponsoring EcoTech's projects, hm?"

The water salesman clenched his jaw, biting back any harsh words. "Yes. And I see you're still trying to buy out Ainsley."

"It's called being a businessman. Surely, you'd understand."

"Of course I do. I own a company."

"Oh? What kind of work are you into, Mr. Flud?"

"Sales. I sell bottled water."

Dr. Spector only smiled. He nodded a goodbye to Bud before heading down to the office of Kimbra before knocking on the open door twice. Bud watched as the rodent stepped inside. Not knowing what they were discussing or what Kimbra saw in him.

And it infuriated him.

He never wanted this. He never wanted to care about the feelings of some environmental scientist who didn't matter. He never wanted to be stuck in a loop of making selfish mistakes and then feeling guilty over them.

But he cared. He cared too much.

All because of the woman in the office down the hall.

Knock. Knock.

Two sharp knocks grabbed Kimbra's attention from her paperwork. She suspected it would be Bud begging once again for forgiveness. But no, to her surprise it was Dr. Ross Spector.

Thank god.

Kimbra smiled as she dropped her pen on the desk and stood up to greet him.

"Dr. Spector."

"Dr. Wulfe." The black-haired man made no attempts to enter. His eyes glanced around the room, possibly silently judging it, before they focused back on her.

"Do you need something?" Kimbra strode across the room, meeting him at the doorway. She needed to head down to the lobby anyway. Right now was as good a time as any.

He grinned and stuck out an arm, leaning against the doorway to prevent her from escaping. "Yeah, I have a question for you."

She raised her eyebrows. "Ross, I really need to get back to work."

"It's almost closing time," he pointed out in a low voice, raising his eyebrows.

"And I have to get this USB drive in my lab coat down to an office in the lobby hallway." Kimbra ducked under his arm, walking out of the office.

She heard Dr. Spector quietly follow her as she searched the halls for Bud Flud. She swore she had heard him earlier, but she must have been mistaken. Once Ross caught up with her, they both made their way to the elevator. She figured he'd be stubborn and not back down. Frankly, she was grateful as she really wanted to know what his question was.

As they stepped into the elevator, no one said a word.

Kimbra wanted to ask why he was there or what his question was. But he broke the silence himself.

"I have an idea."

"What's your idea?"

"You come over to my place tonight…" Spector leaned over and hummed onto the delicate skin of her neck. "I'll cook you dinner, and we'll have some wine…"

"Mhmm that sounds wonderful, but right now, I'm on the clock and have to get this USB drive to Dr. Omers. But maybe."

"Shame."

"Why are you here anyway?" The canine asked, smirking good-humoredly at his apparent eagerness to see her.

"Dr. Breen and I had to discuss a matter."

"Are you still trying to buy EcoTech?"

"What? You don't want your boyfriend to be your boss?"

"Now that'd be a scandal, but I'm happy with Ainsley."

"He's old and holding you all back," Spector rolled his eyes.

"No he's not. He's brilliant and cares for us and our work."

"Whatever." His tone came off uncaring and irritated, but she tried not to look too much into it.

The elevator hit the first floor and the doors sprang open.

"So I'll see you tonight?" Ross asked one again as he stepped out.

There was no hesitation in her reply. "Yeah sure."

The signs were all there that this was a terrible idea. That she should have never gotten involved with Dr. Spector in the first place. That Bud was right.

And yet, she never saw it coming.

You messed up big time.

He only used you to get closer to EcoTech. All he wanted was a chance to steal secrets or buy it out. It was never about you. He didn't care about you. You were only a pawn in his game. He used you just like Bud did. Now you're an even bigger laughingstock than this damn city paints you out to be. You actually thought someone out here loved you or cared about your work. Way to go Kimbra, you screwed up yet again.

Kimbra filled in the blanks, knowing she'd hurt herself in the process. And oh boy, had she done just that.

The dinner date started off well. They had a few drinks, shared a few laughs. She thought they were having a wonderful time. She thought he was her person. Someone she could spend the rest of her life with. The person she'd grow old with and complain about how loud kids were playing their music. She thought he was that person. Her person.

But then Kimbra excused herself to go to the restroom. When Ross told her it was down the hall on the right, she didn't know he meant the second door and not the third. She stepped into his home office. Anyone with the right mind would have immediately stepped out. However, familiar sheets of paper on the desk caught Kimbra's eye.

So, she snooped, it wasn't the morally right thing to do. She knew that. Curiosity got the best of her. She looked through the stack, despite her better judgement telling her not to. The papers were copies of some newer EcoTech projects. Notes that Kimbra had written down herself. Ideas she had shared with Ross during their late night talks.

He was only using her. It all made sense now. Why he took such an immediate interest in her. Why he asked her so many questions about her work. It was never ever truly about her.

How could I have let it get so far?

She knew the question would come from someone eventually. Might as well ask herself it to get a head start.

Kimbra stood in Ross's bathroom, not knowing what to do.

The last few weeks of bliss that she had so enjoyed would soon be the past. Maybe she should just walk away. Not mention what she found out about Ross. Ghost him without a word to keep from humiliating herself. Pretend this never happened and pray that Dr. Ainsley never found out about it. Forget she ever had feelings for this wretched man.

Somehow, she had to move on. Even if he felt like the one.

I told him too much.

Kimbra had a sliver of hope that perhaps it wasn't what she thought. It could have been for anything. He could have bought these plans or notes from EcoTech. He and Ainsley could have mended their feud and started working together without telling her. There were endless possibilities to the reasoning behind Ross having copies of EcoTech's work.

But…

Facts never lie.

Too bad people always do.

I don't think we were meant to be.

Last night, when she confronted him, Ross Spector told Kimbra flat out that he only was interested in dating her to snatch EcoTech secrets or find a way to buy the place out from under Dr. Ainsley's nose. He laughed at the thought of someone actually loving her. He humiliated her. Said she was pathetic. Somehow, he managed to insult her in every way imaginable. It was a surprise that she didn't run out of his place crying.

Kimbra thought she loved him. She admired his work. His dedication to it. She found him handsome and charming.

But now she wasn't sure she could call that love.

Infatuation? Admiration? Perhaps, but not love.

Finding out your love life was a complete lie would have been enough to shatter any other person. That your partner was only using you for their own gain.

Yet they're only minor issues in a world of tragedy.

Kimbra sat outside EcoTech on a bench. It was her lunch break, but she hadn't felt like eating. If she stayed inside, an intern or Leslie would know something is wrong and would hound her for an answer until she broke. She wanted to avoid having to answer a million questions. Not right now. Right now, she just wanted to be alone.

Then came Bud. He was there late, possibly from a meeting. He almost walked by her, but stopped in his tracks once he noticed. She could tell by his eyes, he was heavily thinking over his next course of actions.

He sat next to her without a word.

"I heard about what happened," he winced slightly, reconsidering whether this was a good idea. "With you and Spector, I mean."

Bud felt torn between sympathy and guilty delight. Sympathy because he knew how much she liked Dr. Ross Spector. And how bad she must be hurting right now. Guilty delight because he didn't want them being together in the first place.

"The whole damn city has heard."

Of course, they didn't understand what had really happened.

"I'm really sorry." Except Bud didn't actually seem sincere in that.

"I know." She whispered with such pain that she didn't even know she could express only through those two words.

She felt a sob rise in her chest as she pressed her face into Bud's chest. "I think there's something wrong with me."

"No…no, no there's nothing wrong with you. Why would you ever say that?"

"Ross said I was pathetic to think that someone out there would even love me."

"He's just an ass." He realized she was crying when his shirt felt wet. He knew there would be mascara or makeup stains on it now.

But he didn't say anything else.

"I'm so stupid to think that someone actually likes me, I should have listened to you."

"Hey, no, don't say that." Bud held her face gently in his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Any guy on this planet would be lucky to have you. I would be lucky to have you." Bud frowned quietly, swiping her tears away for her with his thumb.

Unknown to him, but no one had ever said that to her before.

Too bad, he's wrong.

Kimbra only looked at him, and Bud was seemingly unaware of the words he had spoken.

'I would be lucky to have you.'

He dropped his hands once he realised what he had just said. How was he supposed to scrub that statement from his mind?

"I appreciate that." Kimbra sniffed, and gave him a weak smile.

Thankfully, she either didn't realise what he had said, or decided not to bring it up.

"Did you love him?" Bud asked, quietly and carefully, fearing Kimbra's reaction.

A quiet bout of silence before she answered. "It was a momentary lapse in judgement."

"That didn't answer my question."

"I thought I did." She whispered back hollowly.

"You thought you answered my question, or you thought you loved him?"

"Bud…" She broke off to let out a quiet sob.

"I'm sorry," he hugged her, holding on to her. "It'll be alright. You'll get over him and forget that dick bag ever existed."

I wish it were that easy.

Kimbra appreciated the kindness, and pulled herself out of his arms. "Are you going to tell Dr. Ainsley about this?"

"No, I'm not."

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, she wrapped her arms around him, needing a hug again. The salesman held her for a long while. They kept silent for a moment, until Kimbra spoke again.

"Hey Bud?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

No more words are said. And maybe it's for the best.

Their relationship with one another seemed to mend itself after that day. Their playful bickering and arguing resumed. Bud thought he had her all figured out. Thought he knew how she was. How their relationship was.

Now he wasn't as sure.