Chapter 4: The ride with her Ex

The window rolled down slowly.

It was Theo.

Wren's heart skipped, then began beating fast. Her legs wobbled like they couldn't carry her any longer. Just seeing his face again was torture.

"Get in. Let me drop you off," Theo said.

Wren took a step backward, then replied, "Thanks, I'm good. A cab is on its way to pick me up." She shifted her gaze to the busy road, doing anything possible to keep her eyes off him.

"You'll catch a cold before the cab gets here. Get in," Theo persisted.

Wren didn't reply. She kept her eyes on the road, looking left and right, expecting the cab to arrive any moment.

"Wren!" Theo called.

She didn't answer, eyes still fixed on the traffic.

"Wren! Wren!"

"What is it?" she snapped, turning to face him. "I don't want you to drop me off. Please leave." She shifted her gaze back to the road.

Theo let out a heavy breath. "I know you're mad at me after everything that happened. But tonight, please don't see me as the boy who hurt you. See me as your boss, who cares about your safety."

Wren stared at him as he spoke, the words taking effect despite herself. She hesitated, glanced once more down the road for the cab, then got into the car.

"I'm only letting you drop me off because I'm already cold," she said, sliding in and shutting the door. The warmth of the vehicle spread through her body.

Theo rolled up the window and started the car, the wipers beginning their steady rhythm against the windshield.

Wren stared out the window as he drove. The silence stretched long, neither of them looking at the other. Theo focused on the road, Wren fixed on the passing scenery.

"I'm putting you on as my secretary," Theo said, breaking the silence, eyes still on the road. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be working closely with me."

"What? Your secretary? Why?" Wren asked, turning to look at him.

Theo glanced at her, then back to the road. "I want to keep you close."

The words struck her sharply. She went blank, staring at him, not knowing how to respond.

"I want to make up for what I did to you," he continued. "To keep the promises I made. To make you happy. To show you that..." He paused. "To show you that I still love you. I still love you, after fifteen years." He looked at her again.

The words hit Wren like a wave. Her breath caught in her chest and refused to move. Her hands, resting in her lap, gripped her skirt. For a moment the rain against the windshield was the only sound she could hear, louder, even, than her own thoughts.

She stared at him, lips parting slightly, but nothing came out. Fifteen years of wanting to hear those words, and now that they were finally here, she didn't know what to do with them.

She turned her gaze back to the window. "We agreed you'd pick me up as my boss. Not as my ex."

"Yeah. I forgot. I'm sorry," Theo said, his voice dropping quieter.

A long silence lasted until they reached a stretch of traffic.

"You made me wait," Wren said. "For years. You made me cry. You told me you'd send me letters. But you never did."

"I did write."

She turned to face him as he eased the car through the traffic.

"I wrote many letters. I missed you every day. I couldn't forget you," Theo finished.

"But I never received a single one. You wrote them, but you never sent them. Why? Didn't I matter anymore? Didn't you care how I'd feel?"

"It's not that, Wren."

"Then what is it? Theo, tell me, why did you write letters and never send them?"

He went quiet.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" Wren asked.

"I wrote letters, but my—" Theo started, just as Wren's phone rang.

She reached into her bag and looked at the screen.

It was Marcus.

She answered. "Hey, babe."

Theo glanced at her.

"Sweetheart, is the cab there?" Marcus's voice came through the phone.

Wren's eyes met Theo's.

"No, I waited, but it didn't show, so I took another cab."

"Okay, that's fine. Get home soon. Dinner's ready."

"Okay, babe. I'll be home soon." She ended the call.

"You're in a relationship?" Theo asked, eyes on the road.

"Yes. Just like you, with Isabelle."

He turned sharply. "Isabelle and I aren't in a relationship. She's just a friend."

Wren's eyes drifted back to the window. "I saw the way she hugged you," she said, turning back to him, "and you're telling me she's just a friend?" Her voice rose.

Theo looked at her. "Are you jealous?"

"Jealous? How would I be jealous? When, when—" She stopped herself, turning her head back to the window, resting it against the glass.

"Wren!" he called.

"Please, Theo. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"I'm sorry," Theo said.

"For what?" she asked, looking at him.

"For everything."

Wren didn't respond. She turned her gaze away.

Theo drove her the rest of the way home.

"This is where you live?" he asked, glancing through the window at the building.

"Yes," she replied. "Thanks for the ride." She opened the door to get out.

"Wren!" he called.

She turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"Give me a second chance. I won't hurt you again. I promise."

"Theo, you've never kept your promises. And besides, I have a boyfriend. I don't want to hurt him." She stepped out of the car, then leaned down to look through the window one more time. "Drive safe. Good night."

She turned toward her gate, then paused and glanced back. He hadn't left. He was still watching her.

She let out a heavy breath and walked back to the car.

"Aren't you leaving?"

"No. I want to make sure you get inside safe."

"I'm fine. You can go."

"Okay. If you insist," Theo said, starting the car and driving off.

Wren stood in the rain, watching until his car disappeared, then turned and walked toward the gate.

Before she reached it, the gate opened, and Marcus stepped through with an umbrella.

"Babe!" Wren said, startled.

Marcus covered her with the umbrella. "You're already soaked."

"It's raining heavily."

"Let's go inside," he said.

They stepped inside, and Wren changed into dry clothes before joining Marcus at the dining table. The room was warm.

"The food tastes nice," Wren said.

"Thanks. I knew you'd like it," Marcus said.

They both smiled and kept eating, the quiet between them easy and comfortable.

"Babe," Marcus said.

Wren looked at him.

"Whose car was that?" he asked, setting down his fork. "That wasn't a cab."

He looked at her, waiting, his expression curious.

Wren's fork stopped halfway to her mouth.

She froze. Her heart began pounding hard, an unexplained cold spreading through her body. She stared at Marcus, not knowing what to say.