Nothing More.

Kayden took a deep breath and readied himself. He wiped the glistening sweat from his ripped abs and face before barrelling towards me with a roar. Curling my hand into a fist, I bit into my knuckle as he got closer. He aimed for my face but I was quick to lock my arms infront of me before he could make contact. He hit my pointed elbows and reeled back groaning in pain.

"Is that all you've got?" I choked on a laugh. "Come on,baby. Show me what you got."

"Are you certain?" He exhaled sharply still rubbing his fist. " The last thing I want is to hurt you, Isles."

"Oh, please." I mocked. "Come on,hit me."

He didn't move.

I punched him straight on his jaw and he staggered backwards with a yelp. He tried to slam into me again but I moved away from him and almost tripped over. He took the opportunity to lift his leg up to attack but I jammed my arm, blocking him. I took the opportunity to steady myself and deflected his hand with mine, a move that caught him by surprise. I twisted his arm back until he hunched over groaning in pain.

"Gotcha you son of a bitch." I laughed but he didn't join me. He stared at his feet trying to smile but only managed a grimace."What's wrong with you today? You seem..distracted."

Shrugging, he lay down on the floor and crossed his arms beneath his head. His ebony eyes stared at the ceiling as if it held all answers he sought."You know why." His smile was sad.

I swept the clumps of hair that had stuck on my sweaty face and sat down next to him. Patting his shoulder softly,I sighed. "She's gonna call you back, Kay. Don't work yourself over it."

Kayden shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. "I don't know, Isles. It's just that.. it's not like her." He turned around to look at me." Three days with no communication? That's not like my Val. Do you think she's okay?"

My mind whirled as I tried to comprehend the situation. As much as Valencia and I didn't exactly like each other,I tried not to be biased. He loved her and I loved him enough to hate seeing him like this. I wouldn't tell him that maybe Valencia was ignoring him despite the fact that I had come to that conclusion long ago. He had suggested we train a little bit to let off some steam and I had gladly accepted but it seemed his emotions were still bottled up.

"She is alright, Kayden. She is going to call you sooner or later." I said instead, unsure of myself. It didn't help. His face was still sullen,his eyes distant. Rivulets of sweat poured off his entire body outlining his broad chest.

"I just— I- I miss her so much." He stuttered. His thick eyebrows scrunched up as he bit his lip nervously.

"Are you sure? Maybe you're just horny." I said with a nonchalant shrug and started picking my nails. A habit.

Kayden tilted his head sideways and scoffed. "I might be horny but at least I get laid... unlike you."

Wow. Gee. Thanks for reminding me that.

"I can't really understand why you turned down Colton Jennings, he's handsome,rich and popular. And he wants you. You two would have had sex if-"

"I'm not having this conversation with you." I said standing up. Giving him a glare,I stomped away to our floor and rushed to my room.

My whole body was caked in dirt and sweat and my long brown hair in a tangled mess. I needed a shower.

***

I stared at my phone that was ringing in my hand for the umpteenth time and sighed. Six unanswered calls. Twelve messages not replied. And the guy couldn't take a fucking hint. Giving him my number had to be the biggest mistake I ever made.

I was thinking of switching off my phone but again, that'll be a dick move. I couldn't possibly switch off my phone because Colton Jennings couldn't figure out that I didn't want to talk to him. I pressed decline and lay back on my soft bed sighing. My mind was in turmoil. As much as I pretended everything was fine, I knew I was far from okay.

I was having dreams about him every damn night. And I didn't know why the hell I kept dreaming about the guy who had destroyed me. Why now? After all that time, why now?

I knew it somehow had something to do with Colton. The dreams had started when he showed up in the Sawyer's on that day.  Everytime I saw his face..his eyes, the image of Blake would appear in my head and I fucking hated it. I hated myself for letting him torment my dreams. I hated myself for even thinking about that asshole. As far as I knew,he was dead to me. And so was everyone who had deserted me when I needed them the most. 

Five years had passed by and I was still hurting. I had lost everything I once had and all because of Blake McIver,that son of a bitch. He had completely destroyed me. I was nothing now. Nothing more made sense. I felt alone..empty. I had felt much better when I was living in the streets because I knew that I wasn't entirely alone. A life was growing inside me and that alone gave me the motivation to keep pushing on with the hope that one day I would hold it in my arms. But now..

Everything was..gone. And I knew I had no one to blame but me.

I couldn't comprehend how my life had come to this. If five years ago someone would have told me that I would be working in a shitty Cafe as a barista I'd have laughed.Or thought them crazy.

By the time I turned fifteen, I had my entire life figured out. Or at least I thought I did. I had planned to graduate from high school and join my dream college to study nursing like my mother. She had begged me to follow in her footsteps and study nursing because my big brother Adrian had already shown some interest in mechanical engineering like my father. I had accepted her request in a heartbeat.  Later,after college,I would find a job and my own apartment or maybe move in with my boyfriend.

Now here I was,with no purpose in life. No family. No career. No apartment. No boyfriend. No future. No direction.

My ringtone blasted again and I checked the caller ID only to see Colton's name popping up. I let the phone ring away not attempting to pick up or decline the call.

When I didn't pick up again,he resorted to texting.

Hi. I'm at the Sawyer's and I was wondering if you'd like to grab some coffee or something. Text me if you're up.

                                                 ~Colton.

Coffee sounded like a good idea than sitting in my bed wallowing in self-pity. I hadn't even realized I had been crying until I felt the salty liquid penetrating between my lips.

Grabbing my phone,I typed hurriedly with a faint smile forming on my lips.

Be there in ten. I wrote.     

I stumbled out of my bed to the bathroom and washed my teary face. I quickly brushed my teeth then my hair which looked a mess before putting on a little mascara and a peach lip gloss.

Looking in my closet for what to wear, I frowned at how empty it was. I grabbed my favorite denim jeans and white tank top which I hurriedly put on before wearing my white converse. I let my long hair flow down my back.

Kayden was not downstairs and I figured he might be napping in his room. I didn't see any need of waking him up. 

When I arrived at the Sawyer's,the blazing midday sun was at its peak. The cafe was almost empty, the bright sunlight sauntering in, igniting shadows to vivid oranges and reds. The cafe looked different, nothing I was used to during my shifts. Maybe it was like this on weekends when I wasn't working— I had never bothered to come down here on my days off.

I averted my eyes and caught sight of Colton who was sitting at the farthest corner of the room. He waved at me as I made my way towards him,a comic smile playing on his lips.

Much to my surprise,he was not wearing his usual six piece suits but blue jeans and a white sweatshirt. He looked much younger and more attractive. I gulped.

"Hi," I said slipping in the seat opposite him. He looked stunned as he looked at me in pure shock.

"I didn't think you would actually show up." He murmured and I shrugged.

"Neither did I."

He smiled faintly. "What will you have, Isla?"

***

The rest of the day slipped by as we took coffee and talked about random things. Colton was a talker— a stand up comedian at that. He made me laugh countless times with his funny remarks and lame jokes making me start to warm up towards him.

"Are you really Bruce Jennings' son?" I asked as we walked down the street, hugging my arms close. The harsh cold air bit into my skin and for the umpteenth time,I wished I had carried my jacket.

Colton was quiet for a moment. He pulled off his jacket and put it around my shoulders,his fingers brushing against my bare skin. The swirl of his expensive cologne was enough to make me swoon. "I am." He exhaled. " The youngest of the three Jennings brothers."

"I have never heard of you— Mason and Alec are pretty famous.. but you-"

"That's because I like to keep a low profile unlike my brothers." He cut me off with a soft chuckle. "The press would be all over me if I was popular like them."

"You don't even have bodyguards, aren't you afraid someone might recognize you and like.. kidnap you?"

He laughed. "I have bodyguards. They just keep their distance because I don't like drawing attention to myself. Besides,they are really scary. I'm sometimes scared of them a little."

It was my turn to laugh. My laughter was shortlived when his large hand grabbed and spun me around to face him.