I kept running, straight out of the restaurant and into the street. It was dark outside by that point, and I had to squint in the dim light that was offered by the streetlights around me. I turned on my heel and made a beeline for Emma's car, praying she had left the doors unlocked and that I could just slip inside before the pounding footsteps of Lincoln Carter caught up to me.

I tried the door handles and they worked, opening for me in time as I slipped into the passengers seat. I looked out the tinted window and could see Lincoln Carter looking around himself in confusion, evidently not understanding where I had disappeared to.

I watched for a few more seconds as he shook his head, rubbed his forehead in confusion, and turned around to walk slowly back into the restaurant. As he walked he went straight past Emma and Patrick, who were hurrying out towards Emma's car.

They opened the doors and stepped in, Emma into the driver's seat and Patrick in the back. They sat in silence for a moment before Emma dared to speak.

"Do you want to talk--"

"No."

The other two were silent.

"Alright." She nodded, starting the car. "Then let's go home."

***

When I got home I headed straight for my room, opting not to speak to my family in the process. I laid in my bed, heart pounding and body shaking, tears slowly rolling down my face. I didn't know how to comprehend what had happened, and I didn't know what to do about it. Had I misread what was going on between us? I could have sworn that he felt it, and that it was palpable to both of us.

I had never seen that girl in my life. He had picked her up off the street to have dinner with, there was no way they had any previous connections to each other. When I had been with him in California he had been absolutely repulsed by the fake and giggly girls around him; the blondes whose hair had come from a bottle and whose lip injections were clearly not done by a professional. He had made fun of them constantly, and I had always laughed along and contributed to the mocking, but now...now he was parading around my city with one of them at his side.

And right after going out with me.

As I laid in bed and went over the evening's events in my head over and over again, there was a knock at my window.

I turned my head sharply and called out, "Who is it?"

"Who do you think?" The muffled reply came through, "The douche who wants to explain himself."

"I'm not interested in your explanation." I replied, "Go away."

"Please let me talk to you, Olivia." His voice made my heart beat faster even when it was muffled by the window, "I need to talk to you."

I took a deep breath and dried my eyes. Getting out of bed, I walked over to the window and pulled the curtains back.

There sat Lincoln Carter, balancing himself on the wooden board from his bedroom. He looked at me with such a deep sadness and regret that I opened the window immediately, stepping back to allow him room to come in.

"Thank you." He said as he stepped into my room and closed the window behind him. "Olivia, I--"

"You know, you have some nerve." I interrupted. "You flirt with me, I barely respond, you take me out on a date and we have a marvelous time, and you act like maybe this could eventually mean something to you, and then you're out and about with some random girl who I've never seen before, cancelling on me for her. You make me have feelings for you and you make me feel like this only to have me feel like a complete idiot in the long run. I know what "no strings attached" means, and you were pretty clear about that, but at the same time, I thought we had something going on. And then you come into my room expecting me to want to hear your apology, and I just--"

My words, my angry, harsh words were cut off by Lincoln Carter crossing the length of my bedroom in just two strides and kissing me. His lips pressed against mine with all the force of a ton of bricks, surprising me out of a reaction as I kissed him back.

"I'm sorry, Olivia." He whispered as he broke away, holding onto my hands, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I love being around you. There's no one else I would rather spend time with, and I can't understand what it is about you that makes me so crazy." He took a deep breath. 

"Cancelling on you was not my idea. My PR rep thought that me being seen with different girls would solidify to the press that I'm not in some kind of antisocial rut. That's what they've all been saying about me in the papers since I moved here: that I'm just trying to escape the glamor because I can't deal with it. That I don't want to be in the public eye. One magazine called me a "hick-loving hermit". My people wanted me to be seen with girls so that I could stop being called these things that were hurting my career. You have to believe me, please."

"Stop." I said. "Stop seeing them."

I felt like I had no right to say that, and the forcefulness and bossiness of my voice took me by surprise. I wasn't one to tell people what to do, not even the staff in my own home. But when I looked at Lincoln Carter, I knew that there was something there, between us. I didn't want to lose it again.

Lincoln nodded.

"I will. I promise." He sighed and leaned in closer. "Please forgive me."

I thought for a moment.

"Alright." I whispered, smirking slightly. "But only if you show me why I should."

Lincoln grinned and leaned in ever closer. "You really do something to me, White. I don't know how you do it."

"Me neither." I replied before kissing him again.

A/N: Thoughts? I hope you guys like the update! I promised to be more regular, and a day apart was as regular as I could think to be! Not sure when the next update will be, but it'll be soon! Hopefully one of these days I can actually have an upload schedule for this book.

And also, I know a lot of you have been asking for me to update Love, Aria and I am going to soon! I just have to figure out where that story's going. I will try to do it ASAP!

For now, vote, check back for more, and don't forget to check out the summaries and characters of Three's Company! I'm beyond excited for that book, the first chapter of which will be released in a month from today! Go check out the beginning stuff and let me know what you think!

And what do you want to happen next between Olivia and Lincoln? Do you believe Lincoln's story?

-Katherine