a/n: So I did it. I wrote the sequel. And I added names lol because as a reviewer pointed out, it does make things a little easier. Anyway, this piece is slightly happier than the first. And there's more dialogue between the two main characters than the last one. As always I hope you enjoy and review.

Progression

I wasn't looking forward to facing him again. Not after how badly I'd reacted the last time. But I refused to break my routine for him. I shook my head and almost laughed. Who was I kidding? I wanted to see him. But I didn't want him to open his mouth and ruin my experience. So I guess it would be better to say that I was looking forward to seeing him again, but not hearing him or anything he might have to say.

He had, after all, guessed that I had been crying. Of course, he didn't really know the extent of it, thank God. He would have a field day if he knew exactly how bad I had broken down over him and his stupid antics. I had no intention of filling him in on that little experience.

So I kept a relatively happy face as I drove to the arcade. I had learned my lesson last time; walking does not pay when you are in love with someone who hates you so completely that they'll follow you. I know it's a very specific lesson, but since it only applied to me, I felt that it was okay.

The downside to learning from my mistakes and driving was that finding a parking space was almost impossible in the tiny lot. I finally found one (squeezed in between two SUV's; getting out would be fun when I couldn't see anything on either side) and got out. I plastered a smile on my face for my favorite arcade boy (no, not the one I was in love with, because he was definitively not my favorite).

The sliding doors opened as I approached them and I walked in, my eyes automatically scanning the entire arcade for signs of his dark hair and ocean eyes. He wasn't there. I let out a small sigh of relief. Or maybe it was disappointment? My smile definitely fell. I took a seat at the small bar and allowed the boy working, Peter (the one I used to have a crush on), to get me a shake. On the house, he'd said.

I sipped on it slowly and made small conversation with him. My thoughts were really on him. The source of all my problems. And all my dreams and fantasies. I shook the thought off and laughed at something Peter had said that was kind of funny.

I continued smiling for his sake, but I didn't miss the whoosh sound that the sliding doors made as they let someone in. I didn't have to turn around to know it was him. I always knew when he was near me as odd as that sounded. Very cliché to say that I could just... sense him the way that all those cheesy romance novels did, but it was true.

"Hey, Pete, gimme a coffee," he said, sitting a few seats down from me.

He didn't look at me. That was a first. He always threw at least one mocking look in my direction. But not today. He kept his eyes down towards his feet and only looked up when Peter returned with his coffee- black, just the way he liked it.

I turned away from his profile and looked at the occupants of the arcade instead. There were the usuals, of course, and then a few who appeared to either be first timers, or simply accompanying someone they knew. Not very interesting.

I hadn't been here very long and already I was bored. Probably because I wasn't arguing. I usually counted on the usual shouting match between him and I to keep me distracted. But today he showed no inclination to participate in our daily activity. I shrugged it off. He'd probably had a bad day or something.

And I was above exploiting it. Damn my softness. I'd never had any problem making fun of someone who did the same to me before him. With him I couldn't bring myself to do it. I sighed and he shifted slightly. I didn't pay him any attention. At least I tried not to. I could still see him out of the corner of my eye.

Well, if I had known that this was all that was all that was going to happen when I came here, I probably would have skipped out on this particular visit. As soon as I thought that, I took it back. I would have come here just to catch a glimpse of him. I almost wanted to laugh at the contradictions he caused me and for a second a giggled knocked at the door of my mouth, wanting out.

I held it in and made an awkward snicking sound instead. That was almost worse. I almost wished I had just giggled. Almost. He turned and gave me a slight glare and I fought off another giggle. There was just something about his glare that I found comical.

I stood up and grabbed what was left of my shake and made my way out. If I stayed there much longer I would have gone into hysteria. That was probably what was making me giggle so stupidly at nothing. Hysteria.

Oh my God, I thought, it's happening again! He's driving me crazy and I didn't even realize it. He hadn't even said anything to me today. I pondered that. I wondered if that hurt me more than if he had said something nasty. I remembered wishing that he would just let me look and not say anything... but now I'm not so sure that I enjoyed not hearing his smooth velvet voice for something more than ordering coffee.

I shook my head and smiled sadly. I hated being in love. It tended to make me over think everything.

"So, what are you doing?" I paused; I had been fishing my keys out of my pocket. I didn't turn around though. I didn't need to. I knew who it was.

"I was about to leave," I replied smoothly, continuing with my motions.

"Why?"

I sighed as I unlocked my door. "Why do you care?"

"I don't," he retorted casually.

"Then why are you here?" I asked, opening the door and putting my shake in the cup holder.

"I didn't get a chance to make fun of you in there." I turned around to face him. He shrugged. I sighed again. I wasn't going to break today. I turned back around.

"I'm so sorry I deprived you of your chance to torture me for one day," I apologized without feeling.

"Hailey," he whispered and I almost turned around to look at him again. But I managed to stand my ground.

"Adam," I returned. And then I got in my car. I wasn't going to let him ruin this moment that was as close to perfect as I was going to get. I slammed the door and didn't roll the window down despite the heat that assaulted me the second I got in.

I started the car and put it in reverse. When I looked behind me he was standing behind my car. I ignored the urge to run him over and put the car back in park. I rolled my window down and stuck my head out.

"Do you want to die?" I demanded, frowning in my side mirror.

"No. But I want to talk to you."

"No, you want to antagonize me. I have better ways to spend my time," I assured him. "So move."

He didn't move. I sighed. I wasn't on the verge of hysteria anymore at least. Now I was just angry. I didn't want to run him over as that would lead to all sorts of legal complications, but he refused to move. I turned the car off and sat in my seat for a few minutes and watched him in my rear view mirror.

He was still standing in the same place. His hands were in the pockets of his form fitting jeans and his hair was wind swept. If I had been a foolish little school girl, I probably would have swooned. He was... so flawless. I shook it off. His beauty was not an excuse for his actions.

I got out of the car and walked around it to face him.

"Please move." There. I'd even asked nicely.

"Not until we straighten a few things out," he answered grimly.

"What things?" I wondered aloud, thoroughly sick of this conversation. Although he'd yet to say anything blistering, I had a feeling we were rapidly heading there.

"You and your silly notions of love." He spat the word out like it was something vile. Something he couldn't even say. I couldn't respond to that kind of venom if I tried. Good thing it seemed like he was going to rant. "I thought it was amusing at first, so I goaded you. But you kept coming back, taking beating after beating. For what? For some ill conceived idea that you were in love with me. Tell me, do you really find me all that loveable now?"

Again, I was speechless. Even when he was insulting, his words had never stung so bad. Probably because his words had always been directed at my physical person and not my feelings. This was too much. I knew what I was feeling and what business was it of his? None! I suddenly found my tongue. And my hands.

I slapped him hard enough that I heard the resounded smack. "How dare you!!" I snapped. "How dare you mock me and my feelings!! Do you think I wanted to fall in love with an arrogant bastard?! Do you think I tried?! No! Love is irrational, Adam!! If I had had any choice, I would have never met you!!"

My eyes were swamped with tears as he absorbed everything I had said. His eyes were wide and he was holding his cheek in shock. It was as if he hadn't thought I was capable of such exertions. I was only getting started.

"And as for your 'beatings,' I took them because, yes, I am in love with you! And believe it or not, everything that comes out of your mouth matters to me!! Even when it hurts! You may not be very loveable, but I tried so hard!! Well you know what? I'm sick of trying!!" It felt so good to get it all off my chest. To finally tell him what I'd been going through.

He made a noise as if he were about to make some kind of protest, but I cut him off. I was not finished yet. "You have no idea how hard it is!! Putting up with you, hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, someday you'll develop a conscious and decide that you love me too, but always knowing that it is not going to happen! God, how many nights have I cried myself to sleep over you?!"

I shoved at him. "I'm done! I'm leaving! And if you don't move your ass from behind my car, I'm going to run you over!"

With that said I got in my car. When I put it into reverse and looked out my back window, he wasn't there. It seemed like he had finally followed some kind of direction. Too bad it was too little too late. I almost laughed. As if! He just didn’t' want to die.

I whipped out of the parking lot a little too fast and almost hit the SUV's that were parked on either side of me. I didn't care. I almost wanted to get into a car accident I was so upset. I sighed and applied the brakes until I was going the speed limit.

I felt surprisingly light. I was still crying and sniffling, but at least he understood what he did to me on a daily basis. I thought back on what he'd said. He thought my feelings were amusing! Amusing! Ha! The hysteria was setting back in.

And we were back to square one. I was right back where I started from. Fighting off hysteria. This time I was fairly certain I wouldn't win like I had earlier. I would succumb like I had yesterday. But I had to make it home first.

I tried, at least. But I didn't make it. I was about a mile and a half from my house when I was crying so hard that I couldn't even see the road anymore. I had to pull over. For the second time in one week I was having a nervous breakdown. Over the very same thing.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, put my four-way flashers on and indulged in a good cry. I refused to get sick, though. I didn't feel like throwing up out a window. I did, however, feel like throwing up in general. My insides were scrambled. I admitted to myself that I was afraid that I'd made things between Adam and I even worse with all the horrible things I'd said to him. But at the same time I felt like maybe we were making progress.

I shook my head and swiped my eyes. I was doing entirely too much crying for my own good. I went through some breathing exercises that I'd taught myself off the internet (only because it seemed to be a necessity as of lately) and focused on getting home. I pulled the sun visor down and checked my appearance in the mirror. My eyes were a mess, as I'd anticipated. I dabbed at them with a napkin I'd pulled from my glove box in an attempt to make them look a little more normal.

When I figured I could do no more, I threw the napkin the small garbage bag I kept in the car and turned my four-ways off. I ran a hand through my hair and put the car in drive before glancing at the clock. I'd been sitting off to the side of the road for a little over a half an hour. I shook my head and drove off down the road.

I made it home fairly quickly as I'd stopped so close to my house. No one was there when I arrived. My mother's car was gone and my father wouldn't be home for another hour or two depending on how soon he could bear to tear himself away from his work. I pulled in the driveway and turned the car off.

I was almost all the way up the drive when I saw it. I couldn’t exactly see what it was, but it looked suspiciously like a flower of some kind. It was sitting on the front step. I squinted, trying to figure it out as I walked closer.

When I made it all the way up, I saw that it was, indeed, a flower. A red rose, actually. And there was a note tied to the stem. I cocked my head and bent down to pick it up. My name was on the outside of the paper, so I opened up the folded note. There was only one word scrawled on the paper, but it was the most beautiful and heartwarming word I'd ever read.

Sorry.

We were, in fact, making progress.

Owari

a/n: Please don't forget to review!