Silence.

That was the first thing I noticed when I sat myself in Zak's swanky car. The outside world seemed to vanish, only notifying me of it's presence through the thick tinted windows. The blue and black leather seats envelope you in, whilst the black dash gleams back at you and soft carpet sits under your feet.

The car doesn't just say wealth.

It screams it from the roof tops with it's top off.

"Stop fidgeting." Zak says making me look up from the black wool mix carpet.

Since I got into his car, on his demand, he hasn't looked or even spoke to me, just stared hard out the window, probably looking for signs of damage so he can yell at me again.

Have I told you his car smells amazing? No? Well it does. It smells like the brand new car smell, you know the type from the showroom, not the cheap air freshener kind. I can also smell his cologne and I've promised myself that I will not dribble as it makes my mouth water.

There are so many buttons, I want to touch them all...

"Is there an ejector seat button?" I ask looking at the dash. 

"I wish." He mutters putting his arm up on the door and looking out of his window. 

I look back to him and tilt my head, examining his profile, looking through the lens of his glasses and trying to see what he sees in this world. 

"You're acting weird. Stop staring."

With a quiet sigh, I look out the front windscreen and wait quietly. I have no doubt that he is still in a foul mood, and from the fist clenched on his knee, I think I've guessed right.

I'm a little hurt at the change between us, gone has the playful and flirty approach, only to be replaced with tension and a feeling of disgust. Not from me, but from him, it is like he can't stand to be anywhere near me and that hurts...

"I shouldn't even be speaking to you." He says shaking his head, still watching the world outside.

"Why? Because I made a scene at the museum?"

He growls "That was the most embarrassing thing I have ever seen."

"He started it." I mutter back. 

"Such a fucking child."

I shoot him a look and because he isn't looking at me, I stick my tongue out too.

"You know, when I got up this morning, I never imagined I would have to deal with you throwing yourself on the hood of my car." 

I bite my lip before answering him "Well I had to get your attention."

His knuckles pop in his hands "I could have killed you if I was going any faster. How can you be so stupid?!"

"And here comes the shouting and the yelling." 

He scoffs and continues to shake his head. 

"What have I done to you?" I ask him folding my arms across my chest as my own anger creeps in.

"If you have to ask..."

"Yes, I do. Because I am at a complete loss on why you have gone from being someone I actually like to being someone I can't stand to be around."

"You have a funny way of showing it. Turning up at my house, my museum, stalking me to the grocery store."

"I was here first, Bucko." I answer.

"Childish, again." He points out, this time, I push my nose into a pig snout. Because I can.

"I'm here because I am desperate." I tell him. "I don't know who to ask about this kind of stuff.."

"So you think you will hound me until I what? Look past the accusations and run to be your knight in shining armour?"

"You're more of a idiot in aluminium right now.." I scoff before I clock what he said. "What accusations?"

He turns to glare at me, his beautiful blue eyes having turned from inviting to fuming. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

I shake my head "I have no clue what you are talking about."

"Really? Well let me remind you. The accusations where you have said I am sexually harassing you."

My jaw drops, literally, now I am sat opposite him with a gaping hole in my face, whilst my stomach twists painfully. The buzzing which had stopped comes at me tenfold and I just make it out the car and to the hedge in time, when I throw up. 

I'm brought to my knees with the force and I stay there until I know I have finished and I am safe.

"Not the reaction I was expecting. What kind of acting was that? The kind of being caught out?"

Blinking away the tears that have risen from being sick, I pull a tissue from my pocket and wipe my mouth before turning, to see him stood at the back of his car watching. "Who on earth has told you that?"

"You're not denying it." He points out making me scramble to my feet. 

"Of course I am denying it! I would never say that about you!" 

"Well you have, gotta say, it fucking sucks too. Your reaction was how I felt, actually. Weird that." He frowns looking at me.

"Because it's the first I have ever heard of it! I would never lie about something as serious as that! I would never accuse anyone of something like that unless it is true!"

"You accused me." 

"No! I haven't!" I shout at him before pulling a hair tie from my wrist and putting it up off my neck, trying to regulate my body temperature. "I'm gonna be sick again. Oh no." I worry going back to the hedge. 

I can feel my legs beginning to tremble as I push my hands over my hair in stress. I never have been a good patient, I worry myself sick about being sick. 

"W-Who has said this? Who has told you that I have said that?" I ask heaving in the oxygen.

"You're going to hyperventil-"

"WHO?!" I scream, turning to face him. 

His frown deepens, pushing off his car, he walks over to me and looks over my face. "You're sweating."

"I know. It's because I've been sick!" I answer as my emotions begin to get the better of me. Tiredness destroys all myself control, let it be noted. I'm not a complete little bitch... I think.

"Well stop it. It's disgusting and you look like some addict on withdrawal. You look awful, actually." He points out, looking over my body. 

"Thanks... I think." 

"Are you going to cry?" He asks looking at my face.

"N-No." I mumble as my vision blurs. "But I want to know who said that to you."

"I won't say wh-"

"You won't tell me? But you'll believe it? Oh you are so full of shit!" I snap wiping my eyes angrily. "And FYI, the tears are not for you! I wouldn't waste them!" 

Spinning back around, I look at the hedges and wonder what insects I have pissed off from my spewing parade. It's also utter bullshit that he would believe a complete lie than tell me who has said it. Whoever it is, clearly has their nails in his skin.

"Riley..."

"You know what? Forget it Zak. Just go home or go do your shopping. Whatever I say, it's not going to make a difference. You want to believe the lies? Be my guest." I answer shrugging his hand off my shoulder and heading back to the van. 

"Riley."

"Riley!"

I quicken my pace and pull the keys from my pocket, sifting through the bunch for the Van ignition key. But I'm so worked up that I can't concentrate on what the key looks like and reach the van at the exact time that I drop them. 

"Oh son of a bitch!" I yell about to reach down and grab them when someone else picks them up. 

Looking over, I see Zak pocket them and walk away. "You're not fit enough to drive and get some mints in that mouth."

"You're a such a jerk!" I shout at his back. 

"Child!"

I flip him off and kick at the van before cursing at it. I then look to the sky and mutter an apology to the Big Guy upstairs for breaking those promises I made. I'm about to yell at Zak that I can't get to any mints because they are in the van, when he unlocks it from over his shoulder.

Yanking open the door, I jump in and go through the glove compartment, knowing I always keep a stash in there as well as gum. "Smarmy jerk wad. Get some mints in your mouth. How about get a life, you stupid man." I growl to myself, tearing open the mints and stuffing them into my mouth. 

Whilst I am here, I also grab the baby wipes and clean off my face and hands before getting back out. Feeling a little more prepared and with a pocket full of spearmints, I go back to his car and get in it again.

"Finished your tantrum?" He asks locking his phone before dropping it into the console.

"You are a massive..." I pause to think of a word before letting out a frustrated growl. "Who the hell has said it?"

"Why?"

"Because I think I deserve to know who is saying this kind of shit! Don't you?" I ask looking over at him. 

He looks over my face before nodding "You look better now. What magic potion have you just took?"

"I have never been so angry in all my life with one person as much as I am with you. Do you know how annoying you can be? You act mysterious all the time because you think it's clever. News flash. It's fucking annoying!"

He laughs. He actually has the audacity to laugh, at me!

"As much as these lies have hurt me, I have missed your attitude." He chuckles. 

"That is exactly what they are, lies. Because I haven't said anything about you. Why would I accuse you of sexual harassment?"

"You tell me?" He turns the question back to me.

"I wouldn't! I don't know why you would think that of me." I answer. I wouldn't complain about any sexual activity from him, the guy is an absolute hunk, when he isn't trying to piss me off.

"I'm not trying to piss you off."

My eyes almost fall out my head as I look over horrified.

"Yeah you said that out loud. Nice to know what you think about me though." He says before turning in his seat. "So is that why you said it? Because I haven't thrown you over the counter of my kitchen or thrown you on my bed?"

My face is close to Mr Krabs red by the time he has finished, maybe it is from embarrassment, but I think it's from getting flustered at the thought. He ends up putting on the air conditioning. 

"To cool your face down."

"Do you really have to point these things out all the time?" I ask turning the vents in my direction and leaning in close. I let out a blissful sigh and close my eyes enjoying the cool air for a few minutes before sitting back and looking at him. "Give me a name."

"Why? What are you going to do?" Zak asks curiously. 

"Piss on their doorstep. I don't know! Just tell me who is spreading these disgusting li-"

"Rachel told me." He interrupts.

I sit back, flabbergasted. I look away, before looking back at him and then away, before doing the routine over again. My brows are knitted together in utter confusion as I sit there picking over our conversations. 

"She came over the other day and told me that you've made a complaint about me."

"Grantley."

"Who?" He asks.

I look over at him "I complained about Grantley. Pervy Grantley. Grantley who jacks off behind his newspaper at my ass, Grantley."

"I don't know-"

"Grantley, Zak!" I shout at him. 

"I don't know who the fuck you're talking about!" He shouts back at me.

"Oh."

"Yeah! Oh! Jesus fuck woman." He answers shaking his head at me.

"Oh... I never told you about him."

"No. You haven't." He confirms before adding "Why the hell are you still working for a creep?!"

"I am trying not to! I made the complaint to Rachel! I told her and she asked about you! I thought she was just asking because you asked for an extra day!"

"Why are you yelling in my car?!"

"I don't know!"

"Then stop!"

"Okay!" I shout back before lifting up my hands. "Okay.."

"She told me that it was you." He says sitting back into his seat and looking back out the windscreen. "She also told me that you won't be cleaning my house anymore and that you haven't been sacked because she talked you out of going to the police."

"Oh my god." I answer. "And you believed it?"

"Why wouldn't I, Riley? I barely know you."

"Well I'm sure you know me well enough to know I'm not that sick! I let Gracie out and play ball with her when I finish my work! I even pick up her poop! She likes me! Isn't she a good judge of character?"

He tilts his head. "Yeah. Yeah she is... Never thought of that."

"I can't believe this." I whisper mainly to myself.

I can see or maybe I can feel that he believes her more than me, which is why I pull my phone out and ring Rachel. I know that if I call her out on it, she will know that I've spoken to Zak and prepare another web of lies, lies that I can't deal with. So for once, I am smart.. As soon as she answers, I put her on loud speaker. "Hey Rach."

"Hey Riley, what's up?"

"So, I know you've tried, but is there anything else you can do about this Grantley situation?"

"I've tried hun. Really. I am taking your complaint seriously. Believe me."

I sigh on cue and look over to Zak. "I know you are."

"But how is your other home owner? You went cleaning at Zak's today right?" She asks making me raise a brow. 

Now why would I be allowed to his house if she has supposedly been removed from there? Point one to Riley!

"I sure did."

"Well how did that go?" 

I really want to tell her the truth, that I was ejected from his house, but smart minds and all that.... 

"Really well. We hung out after and played ball with his dog."

"Oh did you? She is a doll right?"

"Sure is." I respond as he stares at me and the phone.

"Did he uh... Did he mention me?" She asks. 

"Um, I can't recall. I don't think so. Why?"

"Oh nothing, honey. I popped over the other day to talk about contracts with him. I wanted to extend it and also inform him about not giving gifts. I understood that you felt bad about that bracelet."

"Rosary. It was a rosary." I correct her.

"Oh right, well yeah. One of them.. I just wanted to tell him that we can't accept gifts."

"What did he say?" I ask keeping the conversation going because I can see the realisation growing in Zak's eyes. 

"He understood. I think he is going to extend the contract too. Exciting stuff. Huh?"

"Oh absolutely. I hope he does, I enjoy cleaning such a beautiful house." I answer. "Well, I'll let you go."

"Okay sweetie. Sorry I can't help anymore but trust me, I take sexual harassment complaints seriously and Grantley has been pushing his luck for too long. It's a shame there are not more gentlemen in the world."

"Like Zak." I chirp.

"Exactly." She says. "He is such a nice man. Handsome too." She giggles before wrapping up the call. 

I make sure the phone is down before folding my arms. "Apologise. Right now."

Zak opens his mouth but closes it again when I shove a mint in it. He ends up thumping his head against the headrest of his car whilst I sit in the comfy seats, slyly pressing buttons as he kicks himself for being so stupid.

Now it's at a time like this, that I wish there was an ejector seat button.