Nothing But The Truth

26: Sounds Like A Plan

*A week later*

I felt my heart jump in my chest although I couldn't tell if it was from excitement or fear and like everything concerning Derrek of late, I chose to ignore it as I averted my eyes from the man I had once loved — who was I kidding? I still loved him, very much at that but I was scared to face him and I had chosen to run away until I could come to terms with the fact that we might have really been over.

I had only returned from Paris a day ago and I had previously thought I would be returning with a clear head but things seemed worse than I left it and my head was even more clouded than it was when I left.

My parents had no idea I had returned as I left Paris a few days earlier than scheduled but I just needed sometime to rearrange my thoughts before I faced my parents and probably Derrek. However, I hadn't expected to run into Derrek in the middle of the street.

Derrek Dune and I had been separated by a sea of cars riding back and forth to their various destinations. Every second passing by as I waited for the red light to turn green was agonizingly painful. I had considered running away a couple of times but this pedestrian crossing was the only path back to the hotel where I was lodged.

The lights turned green and I took in a deep breath before walking onto the zebra crossing along with the other pedestrians. I couldn't tell if Derrek had seen me yet as he had on sunglasses but it seemed like he was walking right towards me.

My heart began to hammer in my chest and my legs felt like jelly as they carried me towards him. So many thoughts crossed my head in that short walk, so many scenarios of how our post breakup meeting could have gone.

Four more steps...

Three...

Two...

On—Derrek passed right by me, causing my feet to stay rooted to the spot in surprise. He had passed by like I was a complete stranger to him, like I was just a passerby like the rest of the people around us. Why? He had just said he missed me a week ago. Was he mad that I didn't reply any of his calls and texts? I understood if he was but wasn't it too much to just ignore me so coldly like that?

The loud honk of a car horn shook me back to reality and I realized the green light had turned red and I was holding up the impatient drivers who wanted to cross over to the other side of the intersection. I blinked back my tears and speed walked to the sidewalk ahead of me. I didn't stop on getting there. I couldn't bare to look back at Derrek's retreating form for fear of bursting out into uncontrollable tears out in the open.

I walked as fast as my legs could carry me back to my hotel. I had tripped a few times on the way and ended up shouting at the pavement like a crazy person but anything was better than crying my eyes out over my ex boyfriend who I thought might have wanted me back but treated me like a complete stranger just a few seconds ago.

I was suddenly shoved to the ground, causing me to scrape my elbow on the pavement as I made contact with the ground. The perpetrator ran on, shoving a few other people out of his way as he ran on. Another man ran by a moment later, seeming to be chasing after the former.

I winced as I picked myself off the ground, my elbow stung.

"Ole! Ole! Stop that thief!" I heard a feminine voice shout from behind me and I looked back to see a familiar face running in my direction with her eyes trained past me and a look of rage on her face. She ran past me, weaving through the people on the sidewalk.

It took me a few seconds to remember where I'd seen her before. She was Siri, the woman who had moved into Derrek's old apartment and putting one and two together, I had figured she was chasing after the man that had shoved me to the ground earlier. I had noticed him carrying a woman's purse as he ran by and since she had been raising alarm about a thief as she ran by, it could only mean the man had stolen her purse.