Protected.

I've been walking aimlessly since I left the restaurant in a huff, still haven't come to any feasible idea what I'm going to do. Should I tell Margaret? I can't hide it unless I'm not going to tell Mama Jewel what kind of person her future son-in-law is. I only need to tell Mama Jewel he's Margaret's ex and she'll know - that's easy but on Margaret's side, how do I even delve into the topic?

I saw Mark and he's getting married to Melissa, oh and that's not all, he's threatening me with your naked pictures to keep quiet about yours and his past. Yeah, I don't see how good that would go.

Dammit, I only came to York to hide from my parents. How could it have gotten so off course? I couldn't have dreamt this nonsense even if I was too bored out of my mind.

I could disappear from the face of the earth. It's their lives anyway, let them deal with their messes. Argh...

It's hard being a good human being.

Was it only a week ago I was arguing over poodles? How times change. I think God answered me too quickly and with too much for my intolerant self to handle. I really wasn't asking for so much drama...

Who do I turn to?

I'm really stranded this time. What can Mama Jewel do even if I tell her? She's no match for that prick Mark and clearly her relationship with Melissa isn't sunshine and rainbows.

...and Margaret... I'm not sure what her feelings for Mark are at present. Will she go back to how she was two years ago, scared of everyone and barely holding it together?

Just shit! I don't have too long too. The wedding is two weeks away.

In the end, what's to be done - the decision isn't mine to make; all I can do is tell them what's going on.

My ringtone hauls me back to the present,

"Hello?" I got so lost in thought I lost track of time. It's dark out - weird, Margaret hasn't called to check up on me.

"It's Fin. Where are you?"

"Mr Bidder, I think that's privileged information - no?"

"Let's have dinner. You'll tell me all about privileges then."

"I'm kind of in the middle of something..."

"I'm looking at you." What? Ha. What a headless chicken I am. I was just trying to play coy...

"I'm still in the middle of something." Whatever. I can't relegate now. Sticking to my coy till my face burst of blushing.

I watch as Adonis Fin catwalk towards me, what a view to behold; maybe I'm too blinded by my obsession of handsome men but it seems all the lights are cooperating with his intention to charm me - adjusting accordingly to make him the focal point.

Is he trying to charm me?

"How did you find me?" Not that I'm complaining, right now even if Sebastian found me I'll feel - scratch that, I'm glad it's Fin who found me. I'm putting my foot in my mouth...

"I think that's privileged information." Touche. I concede, can't outdo him... it's my loss. And I can tell my face is comical with how amused he's looking.

Argh, why am I acting like a teenager?

"I'll take you home."

"Your tone changed so quickly, it's not dinner anymore?" I don't want to go home. I'm still trying to talk myself into not minding my own business so I'm a good human being and it hasn't been successful as of yet. I can't go home.

"What's wrong?" He's good at reading the mood at least. Where to begin...

"Nothing's wrong, thank you for the offer. I do need to get home." Hmmm. I can't say, I don't know him and I'm only a courier of what's happening...

Right. I don't know him... how I wish I did and could pour my life's sorrows onto his plate and feel unloaded. That would be nice, wouldn't it? Why am I not drunk again, I would've had the perfect excuse to pour out my problems to a stranger... technically not a stranger though. It's so tempting.

"Okay, let's go."

We get in the car, this time his driver is behind the wheel. So, I'm not as forward as I pretend to be; sitting in this close proximity and separated from the driver, I don't know what to say... don't know how to not feel jittery. Oh, I don't think my first crush was this stifling.

"Have you been out since I dropped you?" How to answer...

"Well, I was so busy; I didn't realise the time." Ha. I'm bold, you can't disagree with that.

"Oh? What were you so busy with?" What to say...

"Delegating." Seriously, delegating?

"Is it difficult to delegate?"

He's kidding, right? He knows I'm just saying stuff that doesn't exist and wants to see how far I can take it, right? How cruel, I'm spouting nonsense and he's entertaining it. What a bully! I don't want to talk to him anymore. Screw unloading, I'm a perfectly functioning adult able to deal with her life. What a joke! I'm not...

Wait, but I'm not wrong, what I'm in the middle of is a sort of delegating. All that's happening has nothing to do with me but I'm somehow caught in the middle. If I don't do anything and it's found out, I'll be sentenced to the worst punishment by both parties.

"Yes, very difficult. I actually don't know where to start and I don't have enough time to waste deciding what to do."

Hmm... this is sort of helping a bit, if I can keep track of what I'm saying and not get lost in the riddling myself.

"You can tell me if you need help." Do I need help? Usually my first to go to answer would be yes but looking at his immaculate self, so poised and... yum, I don't want him to know the drama my life's in now.

I want him to look at me like he is now, when he finds out later at least I'd have enjoyed a couple of days when I wasn't covered in drama in his eyes. I...I like him. The feeling I have around him, it's comfortable...

I blush, me... I blush. I want to savior the feeling before it wears off.

"How did you know where I stay?" I say when I realise the car is no longer moving. And he'd said he wasn't stalking me - not in so many words but that was was implied.

"There's lot I know and we have all the time in the world for you to find out." I don't cringe because I'm finding him funny. That's a pick up line isn't it? I can't say if it's horrible or not because I'm amused, I want to laugh at him. He didn't just say that with a straight face? Oh Fin...

"Right, we'll see about that." Later, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Right now, I have an important thing to do.

When I walk into the apartment, the lights are off. I switch them on and find Margaret sitting there, just mannequin like staring into nothing. What else happened?

"Hey Mar." She doesn't respond.

"Margaret..." I tap on her shoulder.

"Trent, you're back." Ok, what the hell happened?

"Yeah, I just got in. What's up with you, why are you sitting in the dark?" My tolerance limit is being tested I swear.

"Ah, Mark called me." That prick!

Yep, my tolerance limit is being stretched thin... Why on earth would he do that?

"He said he's getting married and hopes I leave the past in the past. I don't get it, I mean the last time I saw or spoke to him was two years ago so - he said to ask you what he meant." That jerk! I didn't go looking for him! What the hell?

"What does he mean?" Fucking hell! I didn't go looking for him! Jerk, scum, prick...and all the names I can't think of at the moment. Just why me?

"I saw him today...when I was having lunch with Melissa and Mama Jewel. He's Melissa's fiance."

"What?" Yeah, pretty much how I reacted. How is the world this small? Shocked and in disbelief.

Mark and Melissa?

The prick for all his riches has always liked woman who are rich and independent...while Melissa is independent, the rich part is lacking. I just can't see which part of them clicked.

She's so different from his usual type and I say this because we found out a lot about him, Margaret's parents and I at that time. Perhaps he's really changed and Melissa is his true love?

How I wish the world is that promising...

"That's not all. He's threatening to expose your intimate pictures if I talk about his past with you."

"What?"

"He didn't say it in so many words but that was the gist of it all."

"Scum. Prick. Asshole." The poor pillow, what did it do to deserve getting beaten up?

"What did I see in him Trent?"

It's safe to assume that that's a rhetorical question, but honestly, what did she see in him? If she doesn't know then only God knows and he won't ever tell us while in the meantime we're stuck, to risk or not to risk it.

"Don't tell them...They don't need to know and we're not sure if he'll treat Melissa the same way he treated me. Maybe he's changed or I brought out the worst in him. Don't tell them... I'm begging you, my parents and my business... it'll ruin my life if those photos get out."

Heavenly father... honestly!

"Margaret..."

"What? Melissa doesn't like you anyway, she'll think you're only trying to sabotage her wedding. Trent...please." As if I wasn't struggling enough but what she is asking me to do...

"Margaret, I can't not tell them. You can't not tell them either. What if he killed her, will you be able to live with yourself then?" Because that is a possibility, that prick...is dangerous.

I want what's best for everyone, sadly - we don't always get what we want.

Again - did I not come to York just to hide from my parents for a while?

Why didn't the universe get the memo?