The birds chirped louder than usual and the sun cast a small shadow over the window. Today had every element to be a perfect evening but lately for Larkin, everyday seemed to drag him into an abyss. With the realization of losing his family's house and possibly Callista, he forced out a frustrated sigh. It certainly felt like his whole life was suffocating him.

With every morsel of strength left in him, Larkin took slow, sturdy steps out of his room and headed outside. He needed to clear his head and the only way he knew how to do that was to walk his dog.

Larkin knew he had big decisions to make and it worried the hell out of him. Since the party with the board members was coming up tomorrow, Larkin's mind reeled through his plans for the company. He knew he wasn't a really good boss and he'd been absent for a year, but he wanted to turn things around. To affirm their faith in him and prove his aunt wrong.

Another sigh made its way out. If only it were that simple.

On his way out of the living room, he stopped in his tracks when he noticed Becca standing in the hallway, wearing a bright, floral dress and a sheepish grin on her face. Callista stood by her side with a guarded look that made his heart sink.

Larkin quickly suppressed his shock and swept his gaze between the two of them. It eventually settled on the redhead in front of him and his lips pressed into a scowl. "Becca, what are you doing here?"

Becca always had a habit of blushing whenever she was nervous or caught off-guard, he remembered that well. And now, a hot, rising blush shot through her cheeks despite the warm smile on her face. The color looked almost as red as her flaming hair.

Callista seemed to grimace at everything around her. Turning her head to Callista's direction, Becca regarded her with an apologetic tone. "Okay, I lied. Larkin isn't expecting me. I just needed a reason for you to let me in. I'm super sorry about that." Then she shifted her eyes back to his face, blue eyes tipping with warmth and reminding him of memories when he used to go crazy over those eyes. "It's not like I'm completely lying. I did tell you on the phone that we needed to talk."

"Yeah, you did." Larkin answered wryly. "But I had the impression that it'd be when your school semester was over." He really wasn't ready to see her now. He already had enough problems. He wasn't ready for more.

"Oh wow. You two still keep in touch." Callista had spoken softly.

Becca didn't seem to notice the slight crack in Callista's voice but Larkin did. He always noticed everything about her. Even down to the simple denim dress she wore, and to the cute way she always pulled her hair up. It wasn't easy to ignore how crazy hot Callista looked in the short dress and right now, it was harder not to stare.

With a snort, Becca responded. "Yeah, this dipshit hadn't reached out in almost a year. His phone had been turned off too. But we've been talking this past one week. It's been fun." She paused to smile again. "I actually wanted to surprise you. A hurricane's about to hit LA, so we were asked to evacuate the school premises till it ends. That's why I'm back in Jubilee Grove. I didn't realize that I'd get a hostile response like this, considering how chummy we are on Facebook."

Larkin didn't respond for a moment. He squeezed his eyes shut and drew a long breath. He only reached out to her so he'd move on and let go of the anger he felt when he thought of her. Larkin wanted to prove to himself that he could be a better person. He certainly didn't expect to see her so soon.

Having Callista and Becca in the same room would only bring more trouble than he could imagine. The pressures in his life weighed him down more than he could imagine, so this visit was definitely a painful bonus. His eyes fluttered open to see them staring at him expectantly, but it was the level of agony in Callista's stunning, bronzed eyes that twisted his heart.

With guilt still stirring through him, he answered. "There's no hostility here. It'll be nice for us to catch up."

The corners of his eyes caught the quick, deflated look on Callista's face. She said in a tight voice. "I'll have to excuse you guys and give you some privacy."

Becca whispered when Callista exited the place, but the burning heat he felt when he looked at her instantly slipped away at her absence. "She seems nice."

"Yeah, she's amazing." Larkin said in a heartbeat. Becca's eyebrow arched up. Her amused grin was almost infectious. The familiar feeling of being around her sparked up and he chuckled suddenly. "So, Becca. How are you?"

Becca snickered, following him through the hall and into the living room. "You know you don't have to act so formal with me. Let loose a bit. I won't bite. Besides, I've already seen you naked a bunch of times, so there's nothing to hide."

Taking a seat, his jaw ticked at the heat scorching his cheeks. He should have expected her to say something like this. She was always so crude about things like this. The old him used to love jokes like that. But the new him preferred a softer persona. Especially from a certain brunette.

"You look good though. Still hot. Your face looks better than the last time I saw you. It's healing already. Your hair's longer too. I think I like it this way."

Sarcasm seeped through his words. "Oh the last time we saw? You mean the day you broke up with me."

She crossed her arms, the corner of her lips lifting. "Don't be so dramatic, Kinny."

Larkin grumbled. "You know I've always hated that nickname."

"Well you never complained. I never had the chance to figure out anything in your head. You always acted like an island. I couldn't read you. I almost couldn't stand you at one point." Becca's tone shifted into an intensity Larkin didn't always see. Her annoyance seemed to make her lips tighten unevenly. "I really loved you, Larkin—Hell, looking at you right now makes me feel like I still do—but dating you comes with many baggage that some people don't want to deal with."

With narrowed eyes, he said curtly. "I know I fucked up. But I had just lost my parents. I needed someone. I was grieving and you left me."

"I left you because you changed. You didn't let me in. You became cold. It might seem cute in movies to be broody and cold, but in real life, it's a challenge to deal with. You need to get your shit together or I'm afraid you'll lose her too."

Larkin's gaze snapped to hers, Becca rolled her eyes at his frigid reaction. "I saw the way you looked at her. The girl that just left. You used to look at me that way too, but that's all in the past now. I didn't come here to blame you. You were going through a lot. If I lost my mom, I don't think I'd ever recover." Her eyes flickered to his walking stick, as his hand twisted uncomfortably around the knob. "But you lost a lot more than that and it's something very hard to get over from. But you can't expect us to fix you. That's something you've gotta do on your own."

Larkin fumed, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I'm not expecting Callista to fix me. And I certainly didn't expect you to do it either."

"Maybe. But you expected me to stay, despite how cold and different you became. You wanted me to stay and watch you deal with your emotional problems. All your mood swings. Cold, unreadable stares. Grunts. Wry laughter. It can be nerve wracking for anyone that's trying to figure you out." Becca leaned forward and let out a long breath. "I didn't want to feel like that anymore and you shouldn't blame me for wanting that."

Larkin lapsed into silence. He knew he couldn't blame her anymore for what happened. She had every right to leave him whenever she wanted to. At least, her absence brought the most important thing to his life and Larkin realized one thing that was true. He was an emotional mess. And it seemed like Callista didn't want that too.

His prolonged silence seemed to make Becca sigh. Tucking a lock of her wavy curls behind her ear, she decided to ask. "When are you coming back to college?"

"I don't know. I do my classes online. Besides, I have a company to run."

She said with a dry laugh. "I hardly doubt if you've done anything in the company. If you're still holing yourself up in this place, then I'm pretty sure you're not making any difference in Hammell Corp."

Larkin felt his face heating up. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe I don't." Becca shrugged. "But I know you. I know you so well, Larkin."

Larkin rose up from the couch, pain etching his face. An action that a startled Becca mirrored. "You knew me. You don't know me now. I'm not the same person that went around acting like a mess."

Becca cocked her head slightly. "Then prove it. Prove that you're no longer the same. Prove that you'll let yourself revert to your old self." Her voice softened. "Prove that you can be the same person I fell in love with, a year ago."

"I don't know what you expected from your visit but I like who I am now. I know I'm gonna try to be better but I'm no longer the crazy and fun loving Larkin you knew. If you thought coming here could change me, then it's truly obvious that you don't know me at all."

Outside, the wind howled loud enough for them to hear. But for Becca, she knew there wasn't any use trying. "I wasn't really expecting much. I'm just here for old time sake. To see your face and hear your voice. But you're right. The "old" you is gone and I shouldn't have acted like it was my place to tell you what to do. I'm glad you're trying to be better and it's a relief you're doing it for yourself. You're one of the strongest people I know, so I'm sure you're gonna be fine."

"Becca. I am truly sorry for everything that happened. I apologize if I made you feel unhappy."

A sad smile lingered on her lips. "I'm sorry too. Take care of yourself, Larkin. And take care of that girl. Be honest with her and let her be happy. For once, be selfless."

Drawing closer to him, she pecked his cheek. Her lips lingered for a fraction of a second and Larkin watched her warily as she took her leave.

He wasn't expecting to see her again but deep down, he was glad she came. Becca gave him the clarity he'd been avoiding when it came to Callista. And now, he wanted to finally make things right.

★★★
I know a lot of people were expecting Becca to be a vengeful ex-girlfriend who wanted to win Larkin back, but I really wanted to break those lame ex girlfriend stereotypes. People can break up and still be amicable. It happens all the time. (I'm a living witness to that)

While writers use this 'obsessed/crazy ex' cliche for shock value and juicy plots, I really wanted to give Larkin the closure he deserved. Becca was a huge aspect of his life and was centered around his grief, so it was only fair that she explained her side of the story, instead of making her a mysterious, untold character.

Writing Becca had been a delight because she felt like a reminder to who Larkin was. Though he carried around guilt about how things ended between them in the past, there was still a level of maturity to their reunion and I really wanted to highlight that.

Anyway, there is a bonus chapter after this and I'm so excited to share it with everyone after my long hiatus.
Xoxo
Jasmine