Burst of light flared on the ceiling.

Loud music boomed from the big speaker.

Shots lined up on the bar, ready to be consumed.

All the screaming and yelling are slowly hurting her ears as she tries to clear a path through the crowd, searching for someone. The combination of stale air, alcohol and the heavy scent of perfume is making her stomach sick. She has never been a big fan of these scents. She wants to go home, to lay on her soft, fluffy bed and read her favorite book while listening to some soft Lofi music.

No no… I have some unfinished business to do here…

Shaking her head violently, she looks around, searching for him. When her eyes finally land on the tall figure sitting in one of the booth seats, she can feel the anger inside her heart flaring up. The audacity of him sitting comfortably on the cushions, with one girl in each of his arms as they hang on to him, pushing their chests against his biceps.

This man…

Don Lothario…

Who even believes that the man who blows up her phone every day can sit right here, acting like the philanderer he is right now…

But then again, it's her fault for getting into him in the first place…

"Don Lothario!"

She walks up to him, hands crossed while looking at him with disgust in her eyes. She still can't believe that this is the man she once went out on dates with.

"Ah, so you finally decide to show up…" he looks up, smirking with his hand holding onto the half-empty liquor cup "Took you long enough, dear Primrose. I was waiting for you."

"Were you? And here I thought you were busy banging some girls."

"Oh, your words wounded me, my dear." he half-jokes "I would never…"

"It doesn't matter, now that I finally see your true color." Primrose fixes her glasses "I'm just here to ask you to not bother me or my family anymore."

Upon hearing this, Don puts down his liquor cup and stands up, walking slowly up to the young woman in front of him. He just never understands why this one is playing hard to get. Of all the women he has laid his eyes on, none of them refuse to sleep with him within two weeks of dating, and yet, this one…

The more she plays hard to get, the more Don wants to have her. He likes his woman a bit spicy after all.

But Primrose knows better. She is smart enough to know that Don Lothario is a non-commitment type. Even if she has all the qualities he wants in a woman, sooner or later, his playboy attitude will take over and he will then find another woman to woo with. It's a good thing that she keeps her head clear and understands very well not to dwell too much in this 'relationship'.

"My dear, what nonsense are you talking about? I was just checking up on my precious girl." with one hand on her shoulder, Don slowly guides her to his seat "Now, since we're here, why don't we have a drink together? Maybe lighten up the mood before the 'main event'?"

"No, thank you." she slaps his hand off her shoulder, holding a steady gaze "I would prefer to be with someone who is not a walking STD."

Of course, Don is taken aback by her comment, his face turns red upon hearing those words. If he lets her go right now, surely she will be the first woman who doesn't sleep with him. This is not a good thing, he has a reputation to keep and she is not going to ruin this.

When Primrose walks away, Don immediately grabs onto her wrist, yanking the young woman back at him. She yelps at the sudden pain, glaring at the man who wears a smug smile on his face.

"Let go of me!" she demands "Or I will call the police."

"Call them all you want, my dear. You should know that this place is out of authority's hands."

She hisses at the pain as Don grips her wrist tighter. Looking at her face only fans his ego even more, it makes him wonder how she would react in bed. Primrose still tries her best to wry her hands off his hold, gritting her teeth when she realizes that this man is not letting go if she plays nice.

"Let go!" says Primrose as she glares at him "This is the last warning, Don Lothario!"

"Aw… I do love a spicy woman. Makes me feel like I need to use a bit of force on her, you know?"

The way his eyes leer onto her makes Primrose feel sick. She can't believe that no one around is coming to her rescue, some let out a low chuckle while others cheer for the man. It is an unspoken rule in this club to not get into trouble with anyone who has their arms on 'their prey'.

"Now come, my dear. We're gonna have lots of fun together."

Primrose sucks in her breath when she realizes what Don is doing. He is crouching down, ready to pick up his prize and she can not let that happen. Not in a million years.

As she tries to call out for help, a hand reaches out and grabs onto her free wrist. Primrose looks up to whoever is coming to her rescue before her eyes open widely, realizing the person in front of her. Without a warning, the young man pulls her out of the predator's grasp with ease, allowing her to hide behind his back as he faces Don Lothario head-on.

Cheering and gasping can be heard around them as it is quite rare to see anyone step in to help like this unless it is a love quarrel between the three of them. Don glares at the man, how dare he take away his prize like that and humiliate him in front of so many people?

Primrose stays behind the man, feeling her breath hitch at the sight of him.

It can't be…

"Who the hell are you stepping between me and my dear Primrose?"

The young man holds a cold, steady gaze, staring down at Don. This irritates the womanizer as this is the first time anyone dares to steal away his girl like, let alone do it right in front of everyone's eyes like that. This humiliation, he will make sure this bastard pays for what he did.

"Primrose, come to m-?"

Don tries to reach his hand but immediately stops by him. Using his tall figure, the young man shields her away from Don's eyes while staring right back at him, challenging.

"You son of a b-?!"

When he raises his hand to punch the young man, he is stopped dead track. The grip on Don's wrists is abnormally tight and the pain is almost unbearable, making him wince. Cold sweat slowly drips down when those icy silver eyes stare back at him, dominantly.

"Touch her and you will pay a heavy price."

Each word that comes out of his lips cuts through the heavy air around them, sending chills down Don's spine as he rubs his wrist, wincing at the pain. He looks at the young man one more time, the way he handles this situation crushes Don's ego to the point that he turns his anger to Primrose, who has not spoken up this whole time.

"What now? You found yourself a boy toy already? I'm impressed, Primrose."

She grips her bag tightly, even her name sounds horribly coming out of his mouth.

"I should have known, acting so highly and yet, you are just the same as I am." he jeers "At least I get some girls, who would want to be with an obnoxious, stuck-up bi-?! ARGHH!"

Don holds onto his bleeding nose, glaring at the young man who is wiping the blood on his fist with some tissues. Primrose is shocked to see this, not that she cares about the bleeding, she is more worried about her lifesaver. She flinches at the thought, why would she need to be worried when…?

"Be careful with what you are calling her."

His words exude dominance over Don, making the man scramble away in fear of getting hit again. The air around them is thick and heavy, with almost everyone staring at them, some in awe, some in fear. They all have the same question in their mind, just who is this fine-looking young man?

He turns around, setting his attention on the young woman in front of him. Primrose stands still in her spot, knowing that he is looking at her right now. Those silver eyes are still as beautiful as she can remember. As much as she wants to drown herself in those gorgeous orbs, Primrose pulls herself back. She has so many questions in her mind, so many that they begin to crowd her head.

Why is he here? Why did he help her? Why did he step in for her? Why did he punch Don Lothario? Why showing up now…?

Why…?

When a hand reaches out, she flinches and avoids the touch. Holding her bag tightly in her hands, she can feel how sweaty they are. Her whole body is shaking lightly, too nervous to even look at the young man who saves her life. She can't face him, she is not ready to see him, not now, not like this. She needs to get out of here, if she doesn't, who knows how she will react?

Primrose takes a step back, and another step back, before she turns around and runs away. She needs to get out of here, she can not see him, nor let him see her like this.

"Primrose…"

His eyes are still glued on her back, watching the raven head disappear into the crowd before leaving the place. He sighs, knowing very well why she reacted like that. He looks at his hand, still lingering with her warmth and bright apple scent, how he misses it a lot. Turning his attention to the exit again, the young man closes his eyes, knowing whatever he's going to do will be a mistake.

But then again, he already made the biggest mistake in his life and that was letting her go. This time, he would not make the same one again. He has tried to find her for so long and now, he finally has a chance to see her.

He needs to go after her…

Primrose runs as fast as she can, she needs to get away from there. It doesn't matter if her legs are threatening to give up on her, or if the heavy bag on her shoulder is slowing her down, she keeps on running.

When her chest feels so tight she can barely breathe and her legs feel numb from all the running, Primrose slows down and finally comes to a stop. Trying to take as much air into her lungs, the young woman leans onto the brick wall, her bag slowly sliding down her shoulder. The ribbon that holds her hair begins to untangle itself, allowing her lush, raven locks to fall and cascade onto her shoulder.

How long has it been? 2 years? 5 years? 10 years?

How long has it been since she last saw him?

Why is he here? Why is he showing up? What does he want from her? Wasn't his answer years ago the confirmation she needs to stay away from him?

Why…?

Putting her glasses away, Primrose sighs in defeat. No one has the answers to her questions and she can not seek them from him. She just can't.

She needs to go home, maybe a warm cup of chamomile tea can help her ease her mind. She should really do that. Fixing her belongings, Primrose sighs one more time as she takes her leave, however, before she can even take her first step, the raven head stops dead track upon seeing the person in front of her.

"Primrose…"

She freezes at her spot upon hearing her name escaping those lips. It's still that same calm and soothing voice she loved to hear years ago. Why is he calling her name like that…?

She can hear those footsteps coming closer and closer to her, with each step making her fidget nervously until she can see those shiny leather shoes in front of her. Primrose swallows a big lump in her throat, she can not run away, he is right here in front of her.

"Hello there…"

Primrose closes her eyes, she doesn't want to answer, she doesn't know how to answer. Her chest tightened, how should she respond to this friendly greeting?

"H-hello…" the raven head bites her bottom lips before acknowledging his name "Caleb…"

The corner of his lips curls up into a warm smile. How long has it been since he last heard her call him by his name like this?

"How have you b-?"

"Don't act like you know me!" she lashes out and immediately covers her lips, but she can't go back now "I, I mean… I just want to say thank you, that's all… Goodbye…"

Such tension around them is making her stomach twist painfully, she can't handle this. She needs to go, to stay away from him. Seeing him right here right now, it would be a lie if Primrose said that it doesn't hurt.

When Primrose walks away, hoping that this will be the last time they meet each other, Caleb has another idea in his mind. Holding onto her wrist, he pulls her into an alleyway, away from everyone's eyes. It has been years since he last saw her, he can't waste his chance by letting her go.

"Let me go!" she tries to escape his grasp "Let me go or I will call the police!"

"Call them then, so they can see us like this."

She looks at him, midnight-colored eyes staring at him in disbelief. How could he possibly say that to her when clearly, he already saw what happened to her at the nightclub just a few moments ago? But meeting his gaze is her mistake, because the moments her eyes lay on his, those feelings that she has tried to hide away for so long resurface.

Primrose turns away, not wanting to see him. She can't allow him to see this weak side of her. She can't allow to see how dreadful she is right now…

"Look at me…" Caleb has a hold on her chin as he raises her head "Primrose…"

But she closes her eyes, refusing to meet his gaze. Why now? Why coming to her now? He was the one who rejected her feelings years ago, why is he not letting her go? Hasn't he made her suffer enough?

Caleb's hands slide down onto her shoulders, then her arms before he pulls her into a warm embrace, burying her small frame against his tall one. Her face turns various shades of red, she can hear his heart thumping loudly in his chest, how his soft raven locks tickle her skin, how warm his body feels.

How can he be this warm when he is…?

The arms around her pull her closer, tightening his hold. It has been so long since he had her in his arms like this, it feels amazing, lighting up his heart once more time as those warm and cozy feelings come up, making it swell.

"I miss you…" his voice is gentle and kind, making Primrose melt in his embrace "I miss you so much…"

This lovely and bright apple scent, this warmth of a human body that he has been seeking for so long. Now that she is in his arms, Caleb wants to savor every single second he has with her.

Primrose wants to yell at him, to hit him and tell him to back off. But how can she when her whole body is melting in his embrace like this?

She wants to curse herself for being so weak. Has she forgotten the pain that he caused her years ago when he rejected her feelings? She has spent many years moving on from her first love. But she realizes the truth, that no matter how much she tries to shove away those feelings, somewhere in her heart still yearns for him.

"Let go…" she speaks up, her voice is as soft as a feather "Please… I can't… I move on already…"

But Caleb holds her tight in his arms, despite saying that to him over and over again, those onyx eyes have betrayed her.

"Are you sure? You choose to move on by hanging out with a guy like Don Lothario?"

"That has nothing to do with you!" she responds harshly to the accusation.

"It does, Primrose." he pulls away and rests his forehead against hers "Even until now, my eyes only fall on you."

Her face becomes redder upon realizing how close he is to her. If she just inches a little bit closer, then maybe she can have those lips on her. But no, Primrose refuses to give in like this. She has spent so much time getting him out of her mind, she can not just fall back into the same habit as she did when she was just a kid.

"Let me go. We both have our own lives now, Caleb. Let it be like that."

He looks at her again, knowing very well how bad of a liar she is. Primrose has never been a good liar, especially when it comes to her feelings. She might deny it from time to time, but in the end, the light in those onyx orbs still betrays her. If Primrose is right about something, that is she has her own life now. All those times apart can not be made up by just him holding her in his arms and claiming that he misses her like nothing has ever happened.

He knows very well that Primrose resents him. After all, he was the one who turned his back on her years ago. Even if he has a reason for what he did, the truth is that he hurt her…

As Caleb reluctantly lets go of her, he pushes up her bang and plants a gentle kiss on her forehead. This makes Primrose jump as she escapes from his grasp, staring at the man in disbelief. She can't fall for this, she can't let this one small gesture turn her world upside down once again.

The young man smiles as he looks at the night sky, admiring the view. The weather is getting cold, even when Primrose has her jacket on, it's still not a good thing to leave her neck exposed like that, she might catch a cold if she's not careful. Taking off his scarf and wrapping it around her, Caleb smiles again when Primrose stands still, allowing him to take care of her, even if it's just a little bit.

"You should wear more layers in cold weather like this." he looks at her one more time "It's getting late, you should go home. See you later, Primrose."