I glanced at my watch again.

Fuck. Fucking shit goddammit.

The cab was thirty minutes late. If it didn't come soon, I was either going to be late for this tour, or I wasn't going to be able to go at all. I would be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me that was hoping the cab wouldn't show. But then I would have to deal with my mom.

I was pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I already felt bad enough that I had to lie to Lanie's face this morning to sneak away for a few hours. Well, I didn't exactly lie to her face. I lied from behind the bathroom door because Lanie had ways. She would know I was lying as soon as she looked at me. When she asked what was wrong with me, I told her I was throwing up because I ate something bad. She challenged me, saying we ate the same stuff.

Which was true.

Thankfully Harper unknowingly came to my rescue. She convinced Lanie to let me rest and reminded her that they were going to miss their paddle boarding session. Lanie finally gave in, but made sure I understood that she was not letting this go.

My eyes scanned the main street both ways, willing a taxi to appear. Nothing except a city bus and an absurd amount of non-taxi cars. Great. Even if it did come within the next few minutes, there was too much traffic now. I gave it ten more minutes,and when there was still no taxi, I had no choice but to call it quits. Just as I started to turn around to walk back inside the hotel, I saw a black SUV turn in.

Shit. There was only one family here at the hotel that drove a black SUV. And they were all at the beach except—

"Karma?" Nathan's voice drifted through the open passenger window. "What are you doing out here?"

My heart started thundering in my chest. If I told him the truth, he would most likely tell Lanie. But on the other hand, it seemed like I was incapable of lying to anyone with the last name Jenkins.

So I went a different route. "I can ask you the same thing. What are you doing out here? "

He arched a brow. "I went to the ATM for my dad. Now spill it. Where are you going?"

"Who says I'm going anywhere?"

His lips curled in a sardonic smile. "If you aren't going anywhere then why are you standing outside of the hotel alone? And I saw you when I was driving up. You were looking around for someone." He broke eye-contact with me and looked through the windshield, his hand tightening on the steering wheel. "Secret boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, Nathan. I just...needed to take care of something."

His body relaxed a little before he exhaled a deep breath. "Get in."

I frowned. "What?"

He leaned over in the car and opened the passenger door. "Get in, Karma. I'll take you where you need to go."

My eyes dropped to the empty seat. There was a war going on in my mind about what I should do and whether or not getting in this car with Nathan was a good idea. If he drove me, then he would know where I was going. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out the rest.

Then he would tell Lanie.

Clearing my throat, I took a step back. "Thank you, Nathan. But I don't need a ride."

"I won't tell her," he said suddenly. When my eyes met his again, all I saw was sincere honesty. "Wherever you need to go, Karma, it'll be between us. I promise."

Too surprised to even speak, I climbed into the car and fastened my seatbelt. Nathan made a left on Gulf Blvd and started heading to the interstate. The silence between us was heavy and awkward.

This wasn't the first time he'd given me a ride though. There were countless nights that he would give me a ride home after hanging out with Lanie or early in the mornings when his mom made him crawl out of bed to drive me home after sleeping over.

But they'd always been fine. Never this...awkwardness. Was it because I fell asleep on his shoulder? If that was the case, I could just apologize so that we—

"Wanna tell me where we're going? Or do you just want me to drive around for a while?"

At first, I thought he was being a smart-ass. But then I realized his tone was curious. If I read him right, he didn't care if I really needed to go somewhere or if I just needed him to waste gas because I needed some space from my friends.

Another surprise.

"Don't worry. I'm not wasting your money or gas. There is something I need to do." I pointed to the left. "Get on the Northbound ramp."

Nathan did as I instructed and merged onto the highway. I opened my purse to pull out the MapQuest directions that I printed out at the hotel. Thankfully it wasn't too far, but I was still worried about traffic. If I was late and didn't get a chance to go on this tour, I was going to have to deal with my mom. Most likely she would fly us down here after this trip was over to take me on it since the rest of the appointments were sold out.

Just the thought of coming back here again with her for the tour made me queasy. This was hard enough without her physically being here.

Needing to escape all thoughts about USF and my mom, I turned my head to the left. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Nathan had his left arm resting along the window frame and his right was gripping the steering wheel. Since he kept his eyes on the road, I couldn't get a read about what he was feeling.

"What do you mean?"

I motioned to the car. "This. Giving me this ride. Promising that you won't tell Lanie even though you have no idea what it is. And the other night when..."

When I didn't continue, his knuckles on the hand that gripped the steering wheel turned white.

"I'm not doing anything, Karma. You're Lanie's friend. I'm just doing you a favor."

"Be honest with me, Nathan."

He smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "How about this? You tell me where we're going and why, and I'll answer anything you wanna know." He turned towards me and winked. "I know you girls are curious about the stuff I do. But this will stay between us."

He was right about one thing: I was curious about a few things regarding Nathan Jenkins. Something stuck out to me though. He was going to see where we were going when we got there, so there was no need to ask me.

He wanted to talk to me. To share.

Before I could make up my mind, my mouth started moving on it's own. "I have an appointment for a tour at the University of South Florida."

"And you don't want Lanie to know because she'll be upset that you wouldn't be going to college together."

"She would be heartbroken," I murmured. "And not only her."

"Is USF where you want to go?"

"No," I answered honestly. "I don't want to go there and I don't plan to. I haven't even applied and I'm not going to. I'm just doing this for my mom. She's adamant on me going there. I'm just trying to get her off my back."

Nathan nodded with understanding. "Trying to run your life for you?"

"Exactly. It's kinda why I've been stressed out lately."

"You mean the night I found you in the kitchen guzzling ice cream?"

"I wasn't guzzling it, Nathan. I was just upset." Embarrassed, I decided now was the perfect time for a change of subject. "You turn. Answer my questions. Please."

Even though this was his idea, he seemed nervous to answer me. He shifted in the seat before checking—and rechecking—his mirrors.

"I'm being nice because...I don't know. You seem like you've been having a hard time since we got here. I'm not telling Lanie because I—" impish smile from Nathan "—love keeping secrets from her. But honestly, it's not my business to tell."

When he didn't continue, I pressed him for more information.

"And the other night?" I fidgeted with my purse strap. "I was worried I made you uncomfortable. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, Nathan. I swear I didn't. I was just so tired and—"

"Karma, it's okay," he said, cutting me off. "You didn't make me uncomfortable. And you're welcome. Once the movie was over I moved from the couch to my bedroom. I couldn't let you sleep without a pillow. I was just—"

I cut him off with a snort of amusement. "Being nice? People make a lot of assumptions about you. But you really are a good guy, Nathan."

"I feel a question coming on, Karma. Out with it."

We were crossing the Howard Franklin Bridge now. I took advantage and stared out of my window at the vast ocean. I couldn't look at him when I asked the awkward question that I wasn't sure I should ask but was dying to know.

"You are a good guy," I repeated. "So why do you...do what you do? Why don't you actually date one of them?"

He laughed at my question. "How long have you wondered that? I'm assuming you and the girls talk about that a lot?"

"No," I answered softly. "I'm just curious."

I was curious. He really was a decent person and it always baffled me that he wasn't in a relationship with one of these girls.

"Love is overrated. There's too much of a risk when you have it, Karma."

"You don't believe in it?"

"Oh I believe in it. But I also believe that you have to be bat-shit crazy to want to fall in love with someone. A relationship almost always ends with one or both people being hurt. And that pain is unbearable. I simply choose not to risk that. So that is why I do what I do."

I wanted to know more. But there was an edge in his voice that had me instinctively backing off. I never wanted to upset him.

Hoping to lighten the mood I said, "I guess I'm bat-shit crazy then. Because I want it all. But not that Disney love, ya know? I want passion. Fierce passion that consumes you, but at the same time it makes you question everything. And there has to be fighting. Arguments that end up keeping the balance in the relationship. I've also heard angry sex is totally worth it." I leaned back against the seat as I tried to imagine that kind of love—and who it would be with if I was lucky enough to find it.

"I want it all," I repeated before looking over at Nathan. "Complete opposites. Like Yin and Yang, huh?"

When he clenched his teeth and hesitated to look at me, I knew he understood that I was referring to him and me.

"Yin and Yang," he said softly. "I hope you find that, Karma."

So did I.

But with who?