Time flies when you're miserable and fleeing the state apparently. Rayne couldn't believe she was just three days shy of officially living somewhere else besides Clarity. Everything was packed and ready for the moving trucks to arrive on Monday, so all she had to do was wait. It was killing her.

Luckily, Lucy had insisted that she deserved a Bon Voyage party, so she had something to keep her occupied on Saturday. A list full of things to do, Rayne set out of her apartment building bright and early with purpose. As she walked, she double checked the contents of her purse, completely unaware she was being watched and waited on until she reached for her door handle.

"Rayne." Jumping a mile out of her skin, she spun to find Adam leaning against her hood. Letting out a curse, she frowned deeply when he smiled in response. "Didn't mean to scare you Beautiful."

"You wouldn't have if you'd stayed away like I told you to Lark."

"I need to talk to you."

"You have nothing to say that I want to hear." Rayne started to open her door only to jump back in surprise as Adam used his size to wedge himself between it and her, effectively closing off her escape. "Move!"

"No. You got to ambush me on a street corner and I want my chance now." Adam took her poisonous glare but no actual violence as permission to continue. "I don't want you to go. I want you to stay here and work on us with me."

"There is no us."

"There is. We have eight years of friendship between us. You're closer to me than anyone else. You can't just walk away from that."

"I have to." The stubborn look on his face didn't waver any at her insistence. "You just don't get it do you? Your friendship is not enough! It never was!  I've been in love with you ever since you strutted into that ballroom!" Furious, Rayne used both hands to shove at his chest sending the dumbfounded man into the side of her SUV. Both hands came to rest over her mouth as she realized what she'd said.

She would have been comical, with the wide eyes blinking at him over her manicured fingers if she hadn't just emotionally punched him in the face, Adam thought as he straightened. The shove hadn't done any physical damage, but her words had been enough of a blow. She was in love. With him. As the words sank into his brain, something triggered inside of him. Of course, she was in love with him. All of those years of leaning on each other, of having each other's backs and sharing everything. She was in love with him. Moreover, he was a first class jackass.

Rayne wasn't sure if it was the shove or the stupidity of what she said that had Adam standing there just as blank as he could be, but she wasn't willing to stick around and find out. While he stood there with those gorgeous eyes glassy, she took off for her apartment. When she heard no sounds of him following, she decided that she'd finally said the one thing that could shut them off forever.

The sound of heels clicking on pavement brought Adam back to reality and to the realization he was standing there alone. Turning just in time to see Rayne retreat into the security of her apartment building, he started to follow yet stopped himself. According to what had just been yelled in his face, she'd been in love with him for eight years. Just thinking about the number of girlfriends he'd gone thru and stupid stunts he'd pulled alone was enough for him to know that standing at that woman's door ringing the buzzer until she answered wasn't going to be enough. If he wanted that woman to stay in his life, he was going to have to go big.