Chapter 60: Chapter 60

Blake's POV

Time seemed to drag by slowly and the world seemed be closing in on me. I was in a daze, could barely think straight and it became a struggle to even stand up straight. My knees buckled and I grabbed on to the thing closest to me for support, my eyes not once leaving the figure standing just a few feet away from me.

I'd always known that there was a possibility that we would run into each other one day but I'd never expected it to be so soon or today of all days. And judging by the look on her face, the feeling was mutual. She looked as horrified and shocked as I felt.

"Blake!" she called out in a breathless voice. Hearing her call my name like that, it was like I was doused with cold water and jerked back to reality. I finally regained control of my body and without saying anything, I turned and left.

It was all too much for me to bear. After everything, Kristen was back. How? Why? Was this the universe's idea of a joke? Was my life a joke? It was all a mess. I felt like a mess.

As I stumbled away in a daze, I felt someone grab my arm. Almost instantly, I knew who it was and the last thing I wanted or needed was to speak to anyone, least of all, her. So I jerked her hand off of my arm and continued walking away.

She didn't give up still. "Blake, wait! We have to talk!" I heard her call, grabbing onto my arm again. I ripped her hand off me again and kept on walking, without glancing back at her.

Her next action was to run up in front of me and block my path. I stopped short of colliding into her and met her eyes with a stony expression. "What?!"

She wiped the tears that were streaming down her cheeks and sniffled. "Blake, please. You have to listen to me. We need to talk."

"We're talking right now so whatever it is that you have to say, spit out!" I barked, struggling to keep my emotions under control.

"Blake, I'm sorry. I truly am. I know that what I did to you was wrong and if I could take it back, I would, I swear it!"

"Well, it's a little too late for that, isn't it?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"But it isn't. It isn't too late. We can still start all over again. It doesn't have to be the end of us." She tried reaching over to take my hand but I didn't let her.

"You must think that you're so special, don't you, Kristen? It's been over two years. Did you really expect me not to have moved on? That I wouldn't have found someone else?"

"Does that mean you have? Are you with someone right now?"

I thought of Rylie and considered replying in the affirmative. Maybe I could convince Rylie to pretend to date me again so Kristen would stay away from me and then I could win her back... Oh wait, what am I thinking? Pretending and lies was what brought Rylie and I to the stage we currently were in so lying again was definitely not the answer.

"Well, are you?" Kristen sounded hopeful.

I met her eyes with a glare and retorted sharply, "Whether or not I'm dating someone is none of your business, Kristen. Besides, aren't you still with Derrick?" Derrick was my best friend, the same one Kristen cheated on me with.

"I broke up with him a long time ago. We were never meant to be, Blake. It was always meant to be you and I and I'm sorry that I didn't realize that. You have to believe me, Blake. I love you so so much and I know that some part of you still feels the same for me. After all, why else wouldn't you be with someone? It's a sign, Blake. A sign that we're meant to be," she gripped my hand as she spoke.

Angrily, I pulled out of her grip and clenched my fists tightly by my side to keep from doing something that I would regret.

Taking a deep breath, I said, "You have no idea just how infuriating your words because if you did, you wouldn't be saying these things to me. To think that after what you did to me, after everything you put me through, that you still have the guts to stand in front of me and claim that you love me... and you even dare to claim that I do the same? I mean, just how despicable are you, Kristen? Have you always been this way or did I just never notice?"

"Blake, baby–"

"No Kristen! Don't baby me like we're still a thing. Things ended between us the day you cheated on me and I have no intention of ever getting back together with you. I want absolutely nothing to do with you and I want you to stay as far away from me as possible. I might have to put up with you for the movie but don't even imagine me ever getting back together with you! Immediately after the movie is done, I don't ever want to see you again, got that?"

Without waiting for her response, I turned on my heels and left her standing there. As I walked out of the building, it took everything in me to keep from breaking down until I was seated in my car. Once in the car, I let my head fall back on the headrest of the car seat and sighed deeply.

Two years. It's been two years and five months since I walked in on my girlfriend and so-called best friend making out in her bedroom when I came to pick up her up for a date. I could still remember the wave of emotions that overtook me as I slowly came to terms with what was going on in front of me. Anger. Sadness. Betrayal. Hatred. Confusion.

I would eventually find out that it'd been going on for more than a year behind my back and to make things worse, not only was Derrick not apologetic at all, Kristen also blamed it on me. She claimed that I hadn't been available for her and that I'd always been too busy, which was a lie because most of the time, she was the one that was filming while I was usually free after my shows.

Nevertheless, I'd broken all ties with Kristen and Derrick who went on to make their relationship public and flaunted it in my face any chance they could.

After I decided to retreat from modeling and my family decided to move, the last thing I was expecting was to run into Kristen of all people especially after I'd tried so much to forget about her. Now I was supposed to be working with her in a movie?

Again, was the universe playing a joke on me or was my life just a joke? Hard to tell anymore...