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With my mind rehashing her proposal, the need for fresh air was becoming persistent, so I gratefully accepted the challenge of finding her wayward brother. While we cleared the table of lunch, the conversation had died, leaving only the gentle sound of plates clinking together to fill the silence. It was a welcome reprieve.

After we tossed our trash into an adjacent bin, the two of us gathered our belongings and shuffled towards the entrance of the café. Once I had the door open, a harsh gale flung my blonde mop into my face and wouldn't let up as I crossed the threshold into the brisk day.

The wintery greeting may have tangled my hair, but it muted my mind instantly. I felt like I could finally breathe. The turmoil of the day started to ease to the back of my mind where I prayed it would stay.

As soon as my eyes adjusted to the blinding light, I noticed a familiar figure across the street. It was hunched over on a bench in front of the closed Whitewater Adventure Shop, hiding away from the crowd at Jackal and Roses. Getting a sense of déjà vu, I found myself nearing it.

The soft crunch of the snow left my feet when I stepped onto the smooth pavement and cautiously cut across the road. Approaching the bench, I could see that Briar hadn't even bothered covering up. The blue duffle coat hung on the back of the seat, leaving only his black sweater to shelter him from the stinging air. I frowned and tugged my worn parka closer to my body for warmth, almost sympathetically.

He didn't look up at me until I plopped down on the bench beside him. His tousled brown hair danced in the wind as he angled his chin up in my direction. My breath hitched under the captive beauty of his piercing gaze. Sometimes Briar's eyes were so otherworldly that I had to wonder if he were even human.

I watched his pale lips part in thought before snapping shut. Not knowing what to say either, I stayed quiet and waited for him to speak. I didn't even know where to begin consoling him, and I half wished I didn't abandon Maggie, but I had a sinking feeling that she had planned to leave this all up to me from the beginning. I couldn't even see her in the throng of people meandering around the café, although, I was certain she was watching us.

I snuck a glance at Briar who had gone back to staring at his shoes. A deep red painted the tips of his ears and nose, and his complexion had become sallow. Knowing that he had sat in the cold for nearly ten minutes while ignoring his body's discomfort was a somber sight. Seeing him like this made me want to help, but how far was I willing to go?

I settled my hands into my coat pocket where I felt Briar's knitted cap brush against my fingertips. The soft wool that promised warmth helped form an idea. Bounding to my feet, I moved to stand in front of him and then bent down on my haunches. His eyes followed me closely, intent on figuring out what I was doing.

It wasn't until I brought his cap out and pulled it down over his head did his expressionless face finally change. His eyebrows hiked up in surprise until they disappeared beneath the grey band of his beanie.

"It's barely 30 degrees outside, and you have no hat, scarf, gloves, or even a coat on," I reprimanded, cracking a sly smile while my fingers adjusted his twisting tresses, much like he had done for me.

Being so close to him was not courteous to my heart, which thrummed like a wild beast clawing to get out of its cage. His poised focus that was set on me only made matters worse. I attempted to ignore it, but I felt myself crumble under his field of clovers, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling like a maniac. If only I could capture the color of his eyes and paint the walls of my room in it, I believed I would never be sad again.

My hands hovered when I had finished. I didn't want to move. Right now I have no worries. No stress. Nothing was in my world at that moment but him.

Before I could get up, Briar reacted first. Almost like it was a competition to see who could shock the other more, he pressed his hands against both sides of my face, engulfing me in his heat and keeping me near him. He leaned in towards me; his warm breath fanning against my cheek as he teased in a low voice, "Now, why does that sound familiar?"

Chaos erupted in me. All I could concentrate on was his pink lips that were so close to mine. For the second time today, I thought about kissing Briar. And judging by the fact that his stare fell on my smile that was slowly fading, I could only imagine he was thinking the same thing.

The space between us began to fade. I no longer could feel the bite of the winter wind as his warmth, much like a blaze glowing in a hearth, began to encompass me. His lips were dangerously close to mine, taunting me with the promise of a meeting that would never come. What had begun to fill me was soon gone, pressed as far away from me as possible and looking everywhere but nowhere at all, so as long as it wasn't at me.

Confusion racked me. Automatically my insecurities shrieked at me, and somehow I found my voice above the din in my head. "What's wrong?"

The silence dragged on after I spoke, making me wonder if he was even going to reply. Small indentations formed on his forehead, deepening with each second that went by. And in those long moments, he still wouldn't look at me, which made me feel worse.

He rubbed a hand across his face. "We...I just can't."

"I can help you forget her," I blurted, my mind racing. He jerked his head up. An inferno of concupiscence incinerated through my core, numbing my mind of all thoughts but one. My unwavering gape bore into him with determination. "Use me."

He seemed taken aback. Hell, any sane person would be, and perhaps, I should be ashamed at how many times I've told another person that. But many men had already dirtied my pride after I've spoken those two words, what was another?

"I...Abbi..." he trailed off, fumbling to find the right things to say. But I didn't need to hear the rest. His tone alone told me enough. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to kiss you."

A sinking feeling plummeted into the pit of my gut, making me wish that the ground would swallow me up and never let go. I soaked in the large green alien graphic centered on Briar's sweater and stayed quiet, not trusting myself to speak. Sensing this, he laid a hand on the top of my head to console me, but I swatted it away, not wanting to be touched by him.

My emotions right then were stupid. I had no right to be angry at someone who didn't want to have sex with me, but my embarrassment felt like the final breaking point after everything I'd gone through that week. My mind screamed at me to self-destruct.

"Let's head back," he insisted softly, his tone further irritating me.

I glared up at him before shuffling to my feet. Not even waiting around for him, I  headed to the silver Highlander that was parked in front of Jackal and Roses. I could see Maggie leaning against the large vehicle, waiting for the two of us. When she saw me approach, she smiled only for it to drop in an instant when she sensed my mood.

Before she could speak, I requested, "Could you drop me off at the nearest bus stop?" It was plain to see that she wanted to insist that she drive me wherever I needed to go, but the bus stop was closer than the library, and I didn't want to be around Briar any longer than I had to. "Please, Maggie."

Her lips pursed. "Sure, hop in," she said uneasily.

I was a wreck. Everything was piling on top of me, and I feared that no one would be able to find the girl buried beneath it all. I was a weed withering under a trash mound of its own making, desperate for the sunlight that it'd never experienced.

One thing I knew for certain was that I was officially the dumbest person I knew. Great job, Rabbit.

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A/N just hopping in to say that my favorite Baekhyun song is at the top. That is all.