I storm out of the house. The desperate voice of my boyfriend echos behind me. I pick up speed to outrun his words. I don't want to hear his apologies. I want to run away from him, his adultery, and maybe even myself. In my desperation, my feet take me past streets upon streets of houses and to the only thing left open. The gas station. I walk through the glass doors. The sound of a small bell announcing my arrival. The tired cashier gives me a glance as I walk to the candy aisle. Its time to drown my sorrows in the sweet embrace of sugar and empty calories. Someone has already beat me there, but I pay him no mind. I quickly stuff my hands full chocolate, hard candy, and gummy candy of all shapes and sizes covered in a coating of sour sugar. I walk to the soda machine to wash it all down with Dr. Pepper, but the sound of a laugh stops me. I turn around to see the stranger quietly chuckling to himself. A handsome stranger I might add.

"Are you a one-woman party?" he asks through laughs.

"I am," I say, giving him a small smile. Feeling even bolder, I say: "Do you want a invitation?" I watch his dark eyes light up with surprise and slowly his perfect lips form a smirk.

"I would like that," he answers, his eyes moving up and down my body.

Catching the look in his eyes, I say: "Well, too bad because its not that kind of party." With those words, I return to my quest of finding soda.

I can practically feel his smile on the back of my neck. I've definitely amused him. By the time I've filled my large cup with liquid sugar, he's by my side. He's definitely persistent. "Well then, can I interest you in a ride home?" the man asks innocently. He nods his head towards the clock, which reads 1:43am. "It is late." I don't lift my eyes from my cup. I put on a lid and straw before finally answering him.

"Taking a ride from a stranger? Didn't you listen in elementary school? That's basically asking for your face to be on a milk cartoon," I say, letting my voice have a playful tone to let him know I'm teasing him.

"My name is Oliver. Now, we're not strangers. So can I please give you a ride?" He counters, just as playfully.

I ignore his second attempt at getting me in his car and stretch out my hand. "Ruby. Its a pleasure," I smile. I raise my eyebrows in surprise when he doesn't shake my hand, but rather gives it a soft kiss. I can't help, but wish he had done that to my lips. He opens his mouth to try again for the third time, but I place a finger on his mouth, silencing him. "Shhhhh. You've convinced me. I'll let you give me a ride." I say. I realize then what I'm doing is bold, stupid, and impulsive. I'm only running away from my problems, but I'd much rather run away from them with him by my side.

"Okay, so what's stopping us?" he says, a victorious smirk on his face.

"Nothing," I reply, walking past him. I make my way to the sleeping cashier, Oliver following me like a lovesick puppy. With one soft tap to the shoulder, the cashier wakes up and lets me pay for my food. Oliver does the same and soon we are walking to his midnight blue truck. Sitting in his passenger seat, I can only think that I don't want to go home. The thought of being completely alone with my thoughts is yet another thing I'm running from.

"Do you even want to go home?" Oliver asks, seeing my distress.

"No," I answer honestly. That causes him to show me that signature smirk I'm beginning to adore.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," he chuckles, ever so slight leaning into me. Grinning from ear to ear, he continues: "I know exactly where we can eat all that candy." Then, as if he can't wait any longer, he speeds out of the parking lot. My seat belt is the only thing keeping me from lurching forward. The car erupts in laughs and giggles. The excitement of not knowing where I'm going giving me a rush that I haven't felt in a long time.

As the ride goes on, the laughter dies down. We settle into a comfortable silence, the radio softly playing a love song. We leave the sleeping town behind us. The wheels of the car making the climb up a mountain, the view becoming more beautiful the higher we go. He gives me a mischievous look as we reach the top. Oliver backs the truck near the side of the mountain. I gather the snacks. Finally, we sit together on the back of the truck, looking down at dark town below. It looks more like a date for lovers rather than a destination for two strangers. Somehow, I absolutely love it.

"So...what made you walk to the gas station at this time of night?" he questions, breaking the silence.

"What makes you think I walked?" I shoot back, my eyes never leaving the starry sky.

"I noticed my car was the only one in the parking lot," Oliver answers, looking more at me than at the view.

"I was running away from my problems. My boyfriend...cheated on me," I say, my voice trailing off. I look at him, asking my own question. "Why were you out so late?" He chuckles at me, finally turning his eyes to the sky.

"Same as you, running away from my problems. Except, I was running away from telling my parents that I broke up with my fiancé," Oliver replies, mumbling the last part.

"Why did you guys break up...?" I ask, painfully aware that I'm prying.

"She cheated on me," Oliver answers, sighing. I lean on him, placing my head on his shoulder. I hand him a piece of hard candy while chewing on some chocolate.

"I guess we're more alike than I thought," I chuckle.

"I guess so," he laughs.

We sit there in silence, time passing us by. I smile, a light blush forming on my cheeks. I choose the right man to run away with. "Ruby," he says, pausing for dramatic effect, "we should go egg your ex boyfriend's house." His statement shocks me so much it shatters the perfect peace. I turn to look at him with wide eyes.

"What? Egg his house?" I shriek in surprise.

"Yeah! I mean, he cheated on you. Doesn't he deserve a little revenge?" Oliver says, grabbing my hands.

"Don't you want to egg your ex fiancé's house instead?" I question, trying to make this conversation go the other way.

"I already did. Come on, Ruby. Let's do something bad," Oliver says, his tone of voice going from whiny to a deep sexy that could convince me to do anything. I bite my lip, but the more he looks at me, the more I want to do what he says. I'll do one more bold thing. Then, I'll go home.

"Fine, I'll do it, but if I get arrested, its your fault!" I sigh.

"I hope we get the same cell," he grins.

Suddenly, I am back in the truck, speeding down the mountain. Its hard not to share in his laughter so I laugh along with him. We once again invade the gas station, getting the eggs and waking up the cashier. Oliver rushes back to the truck, holding my hand. Then, he is following my directions to my ex boyfriend's house. It happens in a blur. A beautiful, wonderful blur.

We stand in front of the dreaded ex boyfriend's house. I stand in front of everything I'm running from. Is she in there? Is my ex boyfriend's mistress still there? My fist squeezes tighter around the small, brown egg. I feel his hand grasp my shoulder, saving me from my thoughts. "Are you okay?" Oliver whispers. I nod bravely. One more bold thing. You can do it, Ruby. With a deep breath, I throw the egg at the window, giggling as I hear a satisfying splat. Oliver takes his shot. Soon, the house is covered in yellow yolk, it drips from the walls and the windows. The grass is a minefield of egg shells. The only thing that stops our attack is the sound of a door opening. Oliver grabs my hand, our fingers entwining perfectly. We run to the truck, racing off into the night.

The excitement finally begins to die, allowing my breathing to return to normal. I stare out the window, my brain still not processing this night. I have to recount every event to fully convince myself it really happened. First, my ex boyfriend cheated on me. Then, I ran off with a stranger. Next, we stared at the sky on top of a mountain. Finally, we egged my ex boyfriend's house. I glance over at Oliver as if to make sure he's real. Noticing my gaze, he stares back at me, causing a deep red to come across my face. "Where to next, Queen?" he asks. I giggle at the nickname,  loving it. Though, the answer to the question pains me.

"Home, King," I answer. He gives me a sad look, wanting to spend just a few more minutes with me at his side. "Sorry, its already 3:58am. This queen has work in the morning." With that same sad look, he turns the car to the direction of home. Following my directions, we end up in front of my house in a few minutes. Surprisingly I don't hesitate getting out, ready to face whatever else the night might hold for me.

"Wait!" Oliver suddenly shouts, stopping me in my tracks. "Don't I even get a kiss?" I sigh, pretending to be annoyed. But in reality, that's what I wanted to do this whole time. I say nothing, I answer with my actions. I place my hands on either sides of his face, pressing my lips against his in a soft kiss.

"I should have been dating you this whole time, Oliver," I whisper, looking into his eyes.

"And I should have given you that ring, Ruby," Oliver whispers back.

I'm so glad I decided to be bold tonight.