Joseph never said a word. After Kate calmed down, he whispered, "Don't be angry, okay?"
"Let go of me!" Her voice was cold.
He didn't look at her expression but could clearly tell how angry she was.
Joseph was afraid of upsetting her more, so he let go of her.
After she got out of his arms, she took a step back. There was only a small distance between them, but to Joseph, it felt like miles. His heart tensed up; the feeling of intimacy that they had established after such difficulty was gone because of one action. He was panicked and was about to explain.
However, Kate spoke before he did, "I know you have always thought that something was going on between Rowen and me, and that is why you look at him like he is some kind of competition. It was the same situation with Samuel and me, but I thought you let it go after you insulted me. Maybe you did, and I know I tried. Yet, after what I just saw, I realized that you have never truly trusted me."
She looked at him and frowned with disappointment, "The girl you believe is the one that wrote to you, not the one you hated for two years!"
Not saying another word, or allowing Joseph to respond, Kate got into a taxi.
Joseph was heartbroken to hear how much he hurt her; he didn't know what to say, and then she was gone. He took out his phone, called the hotel to notify them that she would be arriving shortly, and if she didn't contact him immediately.
"Where is Kate?" Noelle questioned. She assumed she would find Joseph and Kate together, but it was only Joseph, looking lost.
"Let's just get back to the hotel!" Joseph was so worried because Kate had never been to Phoenix. He needed to make sure she was safe.
When he arrived back at the hotel, Joseph rushed to their room, hoping to find Kate but she hadn't been there. He asked the front desk, but the receptionist hadn't seen her either. Joseph called Kate's cell phone, but she wasn't answering, he was starting to worry.
"What do we do? Kate must be furious if she won't answer our calls!" Noelle cried, staring at her phone.
Joseph tried to remain calm in front of the others. He gently said, "Noelle, wait for her to come back. I will go look for her; if she comes back here, though, call me right away!"
"Okay, you call me if you find her!" Noelle demanded.
**
From the very moment Kate got in the taxi, she began sobbing.
The taxi driver looked back at her in the rearview mirror and asked where she wanted to go.
After thinking about what she had said, Kate realized that she might have been a bit harsh, but she knew Joseph didn't believe her. He was worried about her talking to other men, so it was like he didn't trust her.
Thinking about the fight with Rowen and the situation before with Samuel, Kate sighed. She thought if she went back to the hotel immediately, Joseph wouldn't understand the importance of why she walked away, and the matter would not be resolved. It would be good for them to each have some time to think things over. But, she didn't want to worry the others, so she sent Lisa and Noelle each a text to let them know she was okay.
When she got out of the taxi, Kate looked around and saw a bench by a fountain. People were throwing coins in and making wishes; she took out a quarter and wished that she and Joseph could have a happy future, one with no misunderstandings, no fighting, and no breakups. However, she did feel that it might be a bit greedy to wish for all of that.
After Noelle received the text message, she immediately called Joseph, "You can come back, we heard from Kate!"
Noelle worried that maybe they would find Kate, and then Joseph would get lost out looking for her.
"Where's Kate?" Joseph asked, running down the hall to meet Noelle.
Noelle said calmly, "There is no reason to rush! Why don't you think about things before you do them? You need to speak and do things calmly and patiently. But look at what you are doing?"
Joseph was impatient and didn't want a speech; he asked again, "Where is Kate?!"
"Kate told us not to worry about her. She will be back in a while."
"Show me the message!" Joseph didn't believe her; he reached to grab her phone out of her hand.
"Wait! I nearly beat that level!" Noelle shouted, but Joseph had her phone.
After reading the text message Kate sent, Joseph stood frozen.
Noelle took back the phone from him and asked nervously, "Joseph, are you okay?"
"Noelle, am I a jerk?"
"What?" Noelle had never seen Joseph acting like that. He was usually so serious, but he looked so vulnerable. She finally saw that his love for Kate was so great, yet it made him weak and left him doubting himself.
"Sit down and think before you act!" Noelle ordered. She didn't have the heart to blame him, but he had to see how he was acting.
"Noelle, can you please ask Kate where she is, and I will pick her up?" Joseph was worried about her being in the city alone.
"I will, but you have to promise me that you do not make her even angrier," Noelle wanted to respect Kate and also thought that people should calm down before trying to work out their difference. If not, minor problems could become much worse and lead to devastation.
Joseph waited silently for Kate's reply. She had thrown her coin in the fountain and then wandered off to a small boutique to buy something for Noelle and Lisa.
When she stepped outside, she received the text from Noelle; she told her where she was, knowing that Joseph wanted the information.
Kate questioned herself about the anger she had toward Joseph and if he had learned his lesson. She knew she had to go back to the hotel at some point because not only Joseph but her friends would be worried.