Cameron eyed Sharon's door as he sat at the island and ate the last spoonful of surprisingly delicious chicken soup. She had been in there for the past one hour and he hadn't heard a peep. He was still puzzled by her anger. He had spent the whole dinner going over what he had said and found nothing objectionable. Maybe he shouldn't have shouted but he was getting frustrated by her reluctance to go back to Garnet Corp. Why couldn't she believe that he had her best interest in mind?

Dropping the spoon onto the bowl, the sound of the metal hitting ceramic clanging loudly in the quiet apartment. He didn't like it. He wanted the dinner they had had last night. Even though he had been trying hard to push her away, she had been less on guard and actually listened to him. Now, he couldn't speak. Every word was taken as an attack.

Which was what he wanted, right? Yet, why was he so angry, frustrated and sad? He should be rejoicing the successful outcome of his plan. Even if their interactions become more friendlier, she wouldn't try to get any closer to him. He knew his words had cut her deep, judging from what she had thrown at him earlier. Which was why he had not had high hopes for the soup or stew or whatever the delicious concoction was. He had been pleasantly surprised that he had enjoyed the meal.

Even as he debated getting another bowl, he knew he would never be able to enjoy his food if he didn't check on Sharon. She had been quite mad when she had left the kitchen and he was hoping that she wasn't doing anything that she, or he, would regret. He knew she would never take a permanent, lifeless solution but she had been alone with her phone. Knowing her, he knew she could be planning to leave and he didn't want that. He didn't care if he ran foul with Scott for chasing her away. He just wanted to take care of her. And he couldn't do that if she was somewhere he couldn't access.

Shelving the unexpected protectiveness to be looked into on another day, he let out a breath and walked into the hallway. Pausing when he reached her door, he hoped she wouldn't kill him for entering her room uninvited as he pushed it open. Luckily, it was unlocked. Puzzled when there was no screech of outrage, he hesitantly entered. And relaxed against the doorway when he saw her in her bed. From the lack of reaction, he could tell that she was asleep.

Putting his hands in his pockets, he wondered whether he should wake her up. He still had to convince her to consider the offer from Garnet Corporation. Having looked them up after they'd returned to the apartment, he was astounded by the prestige of working in the organisation. It was one of the top ten employers across several job sites and states. He hadn't known that Scott's company was that sought after. It made him more determined to make sure that Sharon worked in his company.

But, watching her shift in her sleep, moving to a more comfortable position, he sighed and knew he should let her sleep. Her sudden, intense workout this morning must have shocked her body. Her body needed the time to recover. That would also leave him time to cover his bases and come up with a foolproof argument. He might have, admittedly, been a bit hasty in bringing up the topic. For their next skirmish, he needed a more well thought out points that would convince her.

Having decided on a course of action, he got off the doorway and walked over to her bed. He wanted to cover her since she seemed to have fallen asleep without any cover. He was just so considerate like that. Looking down at her as he billowed the blanket over her body, he had to smile at her weird sleeping position. She was face down, her arms spread out at her sides, one of her legs straightened and one hooked over a pillow. He wasn't even sure she was breathing until she shifted her head to the side.

The light from the hall fell onto her face and he found himself entranced. He found himself studying her face, his eyes travelling from her cheekbones, cheekbones that the media raved about with Amelia, her pink lips that were relaxed in sleep, her short button nose and the tear trail on her cheeks-

Tears?

Shocked out of his enchantment, he gently pushed back the hair from her cheeks and the glinting of the light on her cheeks. They were slight and easy to miss but as he was looking for them, he found the trail. She had been crying. While he had been eating dinner, she had been crying herself to sleep.

He was unable to process that. His mind was still stuck on the fact that she had cried and he knew he had been the cause of it. He knew it had been him pushing for her to consider Garnet Corporation. He knew it had been his sudden outburst. He knew that he had made her cry. And he didn't like it.

He hadn't wanted to make her cry. He just wanted the best for her. Like when he had run his sister's ex-boyfriend away. Like when he had sent a college application form to his other sister's dream college even though she had emphatically refused to do so. He could think of a thousand and one instances that he had allowed his actions to be dictated by the best interests of other people. And, of course, there had been tears. But Sharon's tears were affecting him greatly. He was starting to rethink his plan and ideas.

Sharon shifting in her sleep and nuzzling his fingers that were stroking her cheeks startled him and made his retract his hand. He had forgotten about them and they immediately felt cold. He took a step back, his eyes still on Sharon, so he noticed when her brows furrowed slightly before they smoothed out. Releasing the breath he hadn't noticed he was holding, he hurried out of her room, remembering to close the door, and to his room.

His mind was a jumble. He didn't know what was up or right. He knew Garnet Corporation was the best place for her but, knowing that by pushing her he would make her cry, he was reluctant to continue. Running his fingers through his hair, he dropped to his back and knew what he should do. If he wanted to ever find a way to resolve this confusion, stop the pushing and pulling between two sides, he needed advice.

Grappling for his phone, which had been thrown onto the bed before he had showered, he looked up a familiar name. He waited for the person to answer, covering his eyes with his forearm. He still couldn't believe he was doing this.

"Hey, Scott. Can I ask for a favour? Can you pass me Amelia's number?"

------@@@@@---------

The grumbling of her stomach woke Sharon up. Slowly lifting her eyelids, she sleepily snuggled deeper into her blanket even as her stomach acid tried to eat her stomach in lieu of food. Turning onto her back, she groggy wondered why she was ravenous. She had never skipped a meal since that ill-planned diet in fourth grade. Who knew she'd turn into a monster if she didn't eat? Not her ten-year-old self. And neither did her friends who had participated in the same diet.

Then her eyes widened when she recalled the evening before. Turning to her side, she lifted the cover over her head. Her brows were furrowing together. She still couldn't believe that, after everything she had shared with him, he had still wanted to push her to work in Scott's company. She had never even revealed as much as she had with Cameron with anyone else. The people in her life knew bits and pieces but with Cameron, she wanted to reveal everything. It's just as well that she hadn't.

But, as much as she wanted to wallow in the anger and sense of betrayal, her stomach would not be silenced. A weird gurgle and screech that most empty stomachs made was practically echoing around the room and she was forced to get out of bed. Her brows still furrowed, she trudged out. She was surprised to find the skies still dark but when she looked at the time, she found her answer. It was barely past six in the morning. The soup was still in the slow cooker and, as much as she disliked it, she programmed the slow cooker to heat it up. Then, she laid on the couch, her mind still on Cameron.

She hoped she could avoid him. She had yet to know his usual schedule since they had just met but she was hopeful that she could evade him. Even if they met in the common areas, like the hall and kitchen, she just had to leave these areas as soon as possible. It was not like he was raring to spend time with her. However, she knew he was going to insist on sending her to and from work so she knew that she had to wake up earlier. Groaning, she turned to the other side. For her, a being who loved her sleep, to wake any earlier than she had to was pure torture but she knew this was one sacrifice she was willing to make. She just hoped she didn't become a cranky monster and lose her job in the process.

She assured herself that she was not going to do anything else to jeopardise her feeble grasp on independence. Having a plan, she was able to reassure her mind and force it away from Cameron. Her mind shying from what made her come to New York, she settled on thinking about work.

Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

-----@@@@-------

A loud beep made Sharon sit up.

Drowsily examining her surrounding, she recalled the reason she was in the living room. Her soup must be done. From the sunlight streaming from the windows, it must have been long done. But her slow cooker had never made any noises before. Looking around the room, she wondered where the noise had come from. When she couldn't find the source, she decided to forget about it and got up. Pushing away the blanket off her-

Blanket?

She looked down askance at the navy blue blanket on her. Where had this come from? There was only one other occupant in the apartment. If she was following her own brand of logic, and ruled out the supernatural, she had to accept that Cameron was up. The smell of coffee supported the supposition. And hearing his door open made her panic.

She was trying to avoid him!

What was she going to do? She couldn't hide. There was no way she would be fast enough to find a hiding place in the time it took him to get to the common area. By that same logic, she couldn't go to her room. Not able to think about anything else and hearing his footsteps coming closer, she laid back on the couch and threw the blanket over her.

Hoping he would be quick about whatever he was doing and leave, she waited, her muscles tensing up in anticipation. She heard him pouring the coffee and... Was he leaving?

"Sharon, I know you're awake."

What? How did he know? Was he bluffing?

She didn't do anything. Suddenly, she felt a force on her shoulder and was tumbled off the couch. Surprised, she let out a short shriek. Luckily, the blanket softened the drop but she was still pissed. Shoving the blanket off her, she looked up and glared at Cameron who was looking too amused for her liking.

"What was that for?"she asked angrily. She ignored the cup of coffee he extended and got to her feet. She stalked to the kitchen, hoping he would just go.

"You were ignoring me,"he said, placing the cup of coffee on the island and settling onto the stools.

Feeling his gaze on her, she felt her shoulder tense up and come up. Ladling herself some soup, she turned back to the island. She was avoid his gaze and took a seat across from him.

"Do you want some?"she asked.

"Nah. I'm going out."

She was surprised to hear that and when she looked at him, she saw that he was dressed to go out.

"Oh. Ok,"she responded, pushing aside the twinge of hurt. An awkward silence descended between them.

"So I was thinking about what I brought about last night. And, I guess, I don't really have much say on what you do. I'm sorry if I hurt you,"he said. Before she had time to respond, he got up. "I have to go now. See you whenever."

She was just able to watch his back as he walked off. She was surprised to get what she wanted.

So why did she not feel happy?

AN: Hey guys. Hope you like this chapter. And Happy Chinese New Year/ Happy Lunar New Year to my readers!!!!

Please VOTE & COMMENT!!! Thanks :)