Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

The parking lot was nearly empty now, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the cracked pavement. The hum of distant traffic, the occasional chirp of a bird, the rustle of wind through the trees—background noise, distant, meaningless. Inside the car, it was different. Stifling. Tense. Silent, except for the soft knock against the window.

Tap. Tap.

Parker didn't move. Didn't breathe. Maybe if he stayed still enough, she'd think he wasn't there. Maybe she'd decide she was hallucinating and walk away. Maybe—

Another knock. Slower. Playful. Like she had all the damn time in the world.

Fuck it.

With a heavy sigh, he reached over and pushed the passenger door open. If he didn't, she'd just keep knocking like some horror villain until he caved. At least this way, it was on his terms. The door swung open upwards, and the golden afternoon light spilled in—

And so did she.

Maya Winslow, stepping inside like she owned the damn car. Like she belonged in it. Like she hadn't just hunted him down in the middle of the school parking lot, in the middle of a day for no reason other than to fuck with him—like he didn't already have a lot to think about.

Her perfume hit him first, before her voice, before her eyes. A mix of something sweet and sharp, honey and citrus, like she was both the temptation and the bite that followed. It clung to the air between them, settled into his clothes, into his skin. She moved like liquid, slow and sure, like she had all the time in the world, and turned toward him with those piercing, problematic eyes.

Then, she whispered it. That one word. That one stupidly dramatic way she always said his name, like it was some kind of goddamn love song written just for her.

"Parker~"

He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face. Yeah. Here we fucking go.

She leaned in, close enough that the space between them all but vanished. Close enough that he could feel the warmth of her breath against his cheek. Close enough that he could smell the lingering trace of mint from her gum. And then—

Her forehead met his chest, her body pressed just slightly against his, and she stayed there, breathing him in, her fingers curling into the fabric of his sweater shirt like she was trying to anchor herself. Like she was afraid he'd tell her to leave.

He didn't.

For the first time in forever, Parker didn't tell her to go away. He didn't push her off, didn't roll his eyes, didn't brush her aside. And maybe that was what broken her. Maybe that was why, when she tilted her head up, eyes glassy, she looked so damn heartbroken even now.

"...do you have any idea how long I've loved you?"

Her voice wavered, but she kept going, stubborn as ever. "Since forever, Parker. Since before I even understood what love was. Since the first time you looked at me like I was just some annoying little girl." She let out a soft, bitter laugh. "I did everything. Everything to make you notice me. To make you love me back."

Why was she suddenly so emotional and so fast right now?

He said nothing. Just let her talk. Just let her vent. Because what the hell was he supposed to say? He never asked her to love him. Never asked her to wait. But she had. And now she was here, pressing her forehead against his chest, spilling her heart all over his hoodie like it was hers to break.

Her fingers curled tighter, gripping him like she was afraid he'd disappear. "You never even looked at me, Parker. Not really. Not the way I wanted."

A pause. A breath. And then—
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Her lips brushed his. Just barely. Just enough for his entire body to lock up like someone had just yanked his soul straight out of his chest. It was the lightest fucking touch, a whisper of contact, but it sent a jolt through him so sudden, so visceral, it felt like something deep inside him was reacting to it. Something buried. Something he didn't understand—no he understood.

His pulse kicked up, sharp and unsteady. His hands, resting against his lap, twitched like they wanted to move. Like they wanted to reach for her. Like they wanted to pull her closer, even when his brain was screaming at him to fucking stop.

For a long, stretched-out second, he didn't move. Didn't breathe. Didn't even think. And then—

Reality snapped back into place.

Parker exhaled sharply, dragging himself back to earth. The first uneasy feeling he'd been having all day? Yeah. It made sense now.

Maya Winslow had been the answer all along. The first flicker of uneasy emotion he had felt before leaving home. It'd been Maya, for some reason, it felt like the energy around him had conspired to give him these feelings before they happened.

Now it juts made him even more worried, what did the other terrible feeling represented if the first had been Maya.

She watched him, waiting for him to do something. Say something. But he didn't. He just lifted a hand, slow and careful, and wiped away the tear trailing down her cheek.

Maya laughed. Wet and broken. "You don't even care, do you?"

He still didn't say anything. He just let her press her fists against his chest, let her shove him, let her hit him with weak little punches that didn't even hurt. She was crying, quietly, trying to keep it together, but he could feel it. The way her body trembled. The way her breath hitched.

And Parker, heartless billionaire villain that he was, just let her. Just let her fall apart, piece by piece, right there in his passenger seat. Because what the hell was he supposed to do about it now?

The air inside the car had thickened, tense with something neither of them wanted to name. Parker sat still, fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel, but his entire body was stiff, coiled like a spring.

Maya, on the other hand, was nothing but fire and determination.

"You can fight it all you want, Parker." Her voice was soft but unwavering. "But you and I both know, no matter what you do, I was never going to hesitate. I was never going to let you go. Not anymore."

Parker scoffed, turning his head toward her with narrowed eyes. "That sounds an awful lot like obsession."

Maya only smiled. "Call it whatever you want. I don't care. If you don't want me, if you really think you can push me away, then kill me."

His fingers twitched at the sheer absurdity of her words, at the conviction in her tone. He turned fully to face her now, his sharp gaze scanning hers for any hesitation, any sign that she was bluffing. But Maya just stared back, unflinching.

"Even then," she continued, leaning in, "my soul will still be yours. I'll look for you. We'll reunite. We're meant to be Parker, no cosmic force can ever change that."

Parker exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "That's delusional."

"Then tell me I'm wrong, Parker."