I should have never trusted the reincarnated bitch called Bridget Andrew. I should've known better than to take her offer to give me a lift to the parking lot. At the moment, being in the car with Blake and his girlfriend was the last thing I would want to do involuntarily, let alone with Bridget sitting in the car as a spectator. On the other hand, if I bailed after I heard about Kendall being in the car, she would laugh harder because it proved her right that Blake still had the power to crush me with his hand, even without trying.

In my defense, who wanted to be in the car with an ex and their new partner if the circumstances didn't force the occasion? But I would beg to differ if she thought Blake could still hurt me like he used to. I still remembered the pain which I was sure would never leave me for a long time, but I'd promised myself I would not go back to the same pit hole.

When a black Cadillac slowly pulled over in front of the building, the café host escorted us to the car with two big umbrellas above our heads. The hard rain created pools on the garden floor, prompting the water to splash happily when we jogged to the restaurant gate, where Blake's car was waiting. Half wet, Bridget and I jumped into the backseat while thanking the host.

"Aw. You guys are totally wet," said the blonde girl next to Blake. Kendall. "They should build a canopy over the entrance path for the stupid weather like this."

"I know, right?" Bridget rolled her eyes, buckling herself up.

In all honesty, I didn't know where to look in this awkward situation, but keeping a polite smile on my face and briefly sweeping my eyes over everyone in the car was the best thing I could manage. Blake also didn't look in my direction which made it easier for me to be invisible and before I knew it, I would be in my own car.

"Jenny, this is Kendall," Blake said once he started driving, glancing at me from the rearview mirror. I noticed he called me Jenny instead of Jennifer.

Kendall turned around and offered her hand to me. "Hi, nice to meet you. I heard you were from the same place where Blake was teaching."

At one glance, she reminded me of Daphne, Blake's ex before me, making me wonder if blonde-haired women were actually Blake's taste. I could have had a thousand reasons to dislike her because she had everything girls wanted, but something about Kendall was actually likable. Her chocolate brown eyes were lively like twinkling stars in the dark night, and her plump lips had a curvy shape, making her look like she was smiling even when she wasn't. She had a friendly vibe that made people feel comfortable being around her. I could see why Blake was attracted to her.

I shook her hand and smiled back. "Nice to meet you too."

"Jenny is a best friend of Garry's fiancé, our cousin who will get married in the winter," Bridget chipped in. "I told you about him, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did! Is it the wedding project you took over because the previous wedding planner couldn't deliver the quality they wanted?"

"Yup, that one." Bridget smiles smugly. "Uncle Freddy has a class. He will be throwing a week of extravagant parties! Too bad, that small town can't fulfill his demands."

"You're generalizing. It was just because of some problems in communications," Blake said, "If Uncle Freddy wasn't happy with it because of the so-called class, he would have left that place even before we were born."

Bridget rolled her eyes again. "We know why he's staying, and that is stupid."

"Let's not talk about the thing that doesn't concern us."

"Blake is right, and we have company here. Where are our manners?" Kendall said. "Are you looking forward to the wedding, Jenny? Are you going to be the bridesmaid?"

"Yes, I am. I can't wait to meet her again," I said.

"You're coming, right?" Bridget's question was directed to Blake's girlfriend.

"Oh wow. Am I invited then?" Kendall squealed.

"Of course! Don't tell me you haven't invited her, Blake!" Bridget protested, glaring at her brother before reverting her eyes to Kendall. "You're with Blake, and you are my friend! You are coming."

"I was about to, but you beat me to it." Blake chuckled.

"Excellent," Kendall said, tilting her head. "It's uh, in the winter you said? I will need to check my schedule, but I would at least be able to come on the wedding day, probably not the whole week." She huffed. "Why is it in the winter by the way? People get married in the summer!"

"It's a family tradition." Bridget's reply ended our joyful conversation because Blake pulled over next to my electric car.

Of course he remembered which one. He was the one who helped pick it from a bunch of catalogs we collected from different car dealers across the city five years back. I had changed my number and my living arrangement, but not my car. At least, not yet.

"Thank you for the ride," I said to everyone.

"Wait, let me grab the umb–"

I didn't hear the rest of his line because I was already jumping out of his Cadillac and running to my brown sedan under the rain. It was less pouring, luckily, but the wind was worse; keeping my hair off my face had become a task. To my horror, my car didn't beep when I pressed the 'unlock' button on my key fob. Was the battery inside the fob empty? I grunted as I quickly pulled the key out and manually opened my driver's door.

"Dammit," I cursed while plopping down on my seat, nearly drenched. At least I was in my car, and soon, I would be home, dry, and snuggling on my sofa with Dora nestling on my tummy.

Another horror kicked in when my car didn't start. I pulled the key out of the ignition and pushed it back in. The car made the same clicking noise yet it didn't start. Did I leave the light on, again, when I walked to the restaurant? No, this couldn't be happening. I planned to charge my car after meeting Bridget, but for the most stupid reason that existed on earth, now I was stuck here, in the parking lot of a city park, in the middle of cat and dog rain.

"Fuck!" I yelled as I hit my steering wheels, frustrated at the car and at myself.

I heaved a sigh while deciding what to do. I could call roadside assistance, then texted Bim to bring me a dry shirt, maybe also a cup of coffee and a few croissants since my tummy was going to riot very soon.

When my hand dug into my bag to find my phone, a few knocks on my window prompted me to look up. Blake was standing next to my car, the collar of his jacket pulled upward to cover his head. Before I pushed the window button to see if it still could roll down, he pulled the door open. "Is everything alright?"

"My car doesn't start. I think I left the light on, and the battery was not that much left," I said helplessly. I'd never felt this stupid in a while. And that he and his girlfriend had to see this was like the cherry on top.

Blake bent over to look at the gauges closer. "May I?" Without waiting for my reply, he extended his arm and turned the key in the ignition, and the car made the same clicking noise all over again. "Oh, you're right."

"Of course, I'm right," I snapped. Not that I was mad at his intention to help, but the way he pushed his way into my space shot me a different level of frustration. I didn't need him to be in this proximity. I grabbed my phone from my bag and said, "I'm going to call roadside assistance. They should be here in no time."

As if noticing my mood change, he stood back and took his distance, probably realizing how our proximity was affecting me right now. "They're never on time in this kind of weather."

"Thank you for giving me hope."

"Just stating the facts. You should call your boyfriend to pick you up and change to dry clothes first," he said, his eyes fixated on my phone. "And you changed your number."

"Blake! We need to go now. Dad is waiting!" Bridget called from his car, her head sticking out the window before yelping at the rain that began the pour again.

"Family call," I said, trying to smile at him in a not cynical way, but I failed miserably. "It's raining again. You'd better go before you get too wet for your important meeting. Thanks for the ride, Blake." With that I pulled my door close, forcing myself not to look up at him through my window.

For a second, my mind was blank. With my ex still staring at me, with his sister and girlfriend also watching, I didn't know what to do. Phone! That was what I wanted to do. In one swift movement, I buried my face in my screen, pretending I was not having trouble with my dumb brain.

Mindlessly searching for the roadside assistance number, I could see his tall figure leaving my car from the corner of my eye. What did just happen? Why did he even wait until I started my car? Was this about the 'old habits die hard' which made him almost automatically check on me? And why did he act as if we were old acquaintances; not strangers enough to be exes, and not comfortable enough to be friends?

When Blake's black Cadillac finally left the parking lot, I banged my head gently against my headrest, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I shouldn't be overthinking it. We both had moved on and were seeing someone else, but I couldn't help wondering how serious his relationship was with Kendall. Probably more than what I had with Noah.

My dear Noah.

Despite being casual with him, I couldn't say I didn't like him. We had been having good times all these years and at least, Noah never made my heart go high and low at the same time. He was sweet, understanding, and very easygoing. With him, everything was under control and steady because we focused on what was easy for both of us. Wasn't that a life goal?

I'd been in a relationship where I was burned with passion, where my emotions were naked and unshielded. But where did it bring me? Heartbreak.

I didn't want to go down that route again.