Chapter 12
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 12<\/p>\n
Their relationship was a lot like that old watch, really. Out with the old, in with the new. So when Bonnie spotted Lawrence lingering outside her office, she honestly had no idea what he was doing there. Not that she cared.<\/p>\n
She walked right past him with a blank expression, treating him like any other stranger on the street. Lawrence, left holding her coldness, just gave a crooked little smile, stubbed out his cigarette, and started following her. He kept his distance\u2014not too close, not too far back.<\/p>\n
The subway entrance wasn\u2019t much farther. Bonnie found herself picking up the pace, feeling Lawrence\u2019s presence right behind her. She had zero interest in acknowledging him.<\/p>\n
Lawrence let out a sigh. He never should have come to the conference after seeing her name on the project list. He shouldn\u2019t have waited for her outside, and he definitely shouldn\u2019t be trailing behind her now. But he just couldn\u2019t help himself.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, Shirley\u2019s words had stuck with him. She\u2019d said what she came to say, then pinned him with a look full of hatred before turning and leaving, not waiting for him to explain.<\/p>\n
Back when Lawrence ended things suddenly, he\u2019d left Bonnie with scars. Her mother, strict but fiercely protective, had every right to hate him.<\/p>\n
Now Bonnie was almost at the subway entrance. She lifted a hand and pressed it over her left ear, her steps getting even quicker.<\/p>\n
Lawrence\u2019s body moved before his mind could catch up. He sped up, and in just a few strides, he reached her. The evening wind picked up, and the faint scent of tobacco\u2014his, mixed with a minty cologne that was definitely different from last night\u2014drifted past her.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t a bad smell, exactly, but it still made her stomach twist. Bonnie clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes going glassy as she gagged.<\/p>\n
Lawrence panicked, reaching out to steady her, his words stumbling out. \u201cDid you skip dinner? Is your stomach acting up? Do you need to go to the hospital…?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie just felt sick, not enough to throw up, but plenty to swat his hand away. Her face was stone cold.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t bother saying a word as she pushed past him and went straight into the subway.<\/p>\n
Lawrence hung back, keeping a few paces between them, but his eyes never left her, shadowing her every move. Bonnie could almost hear his old words in her head\u2014the way he used to say that if she was a kite, then his gaze was the string. If he ever stopped watching her, her kite would fly free.<\/p>\n
She used to scold him for that, teasingly tugging his cheeks, asking why he\u2019d ever look away. He\u2019d just laughed, pressed a quick kiss to her face, and promised he\u2019d never stop watching her, not ever. That she was his kite forever.<\/p>\n
Now that same string felt broken, but somehow it still kept winding around her, refusing to let go.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t care to figure it out. All Bonnie wanted right now was to get home, close the door, and sleep in her own corner of the world.<\/p>\n
Faster than usual, Bonnie slipped out of the subway, weaving past open restaurants without even glancing at them. She had no plans for dinner\u2014just a single mission to get home.<\/p>\n
Standing at her apartment building entrance, she slowed down for the first time, hesitated, and glanced back over her shoulder.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-680","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}