Reed stood at the door, and I quickly shoved the picture in my pocket.
"Hey..."
"She’s finally asleep?"
"Yeah, like a log..."
I switched off the big lights, and I stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind .
"You’re ho early. How was work?" I walked down the stairs, and when I didn’t get a reply, I faced him.
"Don’t give that look..." I said. "Reed."
"I still think this is a bad idea."
"We already talked about this..." I turned away to wash the dishes. "Had dinner yet? I can heat so leftovers and—"
"I know you’ve been contacting Tori."
I paused before I resud.
"There is no need to scold about it. We’re gonna et my grandparents already, so it’s only right we start talking."
"Cat, we only agreed on your grandparents; anyone else is too risky."
"Risky? It’s been years already, and I think it’s ti we accept that Ares isn’t looking for anymore. I’m not sure he ever was from the get-go."
"I know, but we still need to be careful."
I set the plate down and faced him.
"Reed, just listen, okay. Es is gonna be happy with this, and I want her to be happy. Have you seen the way she talks to Gramps on the phone? She has a family out there, and I’m not gonna hide that away from her, not them, no matter how hard this is. Not them."
"I know..." he nodded in understanding, and he always does.
"Good..."
He snickered, but it was brief.
"What?"
"After all these years, I still feel like I’m your bodyguard."
"W-What do you an?"
"You know what I an."
My mouth hung before I shut them close. Silence passed between us, and I grew nervous when he closed the distance. I gripped the sink tightly behind , avoiding his gaze.
Over the years, there has been this shift between us, and the kind where the term "friends" was becoming a mirage. Even though we haven’t taken any steps to cross the line, any ti I was near him, I could discern it was growing thin.
"You told to take you away..." he began softly, emotions thickening in his voice. "I still rember that day, that night when I saw you in the lobby covered in blood and how you cried in my arms. You couldn’t take it anymore, and what happened with Ares..." he paused.
I exhaled a shaky breath, not wanting to recall that night. The nightmares were more than enough for .
"I knew I had to protect you."
"And you, did," I said with a stiff smile. "I can’t seem to thank you enough."
He shook his head slowly. "You don’t need to thank , Cat." He adjusted my glasses properly. "You know I’m always here for you no matter what, right?"
"Yeah..." I mumured.
I didn’t realize he had gotten closer until I felt his breath on my face, our lips inches apart.
"Es is like a daughter to , and I’ll keep her safe no matter what. She’ll et your grandparents as planned, but we have to do it right. We can’t afford too much attention."
"Okay."
His lips pressed against mine, but I pulled back.
"I’m sorry, I just..." I slipped out for a breather.
I felt irritated in a way like I had done sothing wrong, all I could do was hug myself and hope the feeling would just die out, but it ony increased, and bile filled my throat.
"I’m sorry too..."
Hearing his voice behind , I could feel the hurt in them. I knew he had feelings for , but I just couldn’t accept it.
"I thought we both wanted this."
"This just feels too forward, too fast, and... wrong."
"Wrong?" he asked, amused. "You told you never really married him and that it was all a contract. Which he terminated, rember?"
"Reed—"
"You don’t owe him anything. Your feelings, your tears, nothing. He broke your heart."
"And I put a bullet through his heart." It felt like I was being ripped to pieces saying that out loud.
He swallowed. "His father killed your parents."
My eyes stung, and I was forced to look away.
"Have you forgotten?"
"How could I?!" I snapped.
"You wanna protect Es, don’t you?"
"Of course I do. That was the only reason I never looked back."
"I’ll do too, no matter what, and I’ll do whatever it takes. You didn’t want anything to do with the Kings. You wanted to move on, and you did. To stay clear of that world of cri and darkness. But why does it seem like you’re still stuck?"
"I’m not stuck!"
He ca closer. "Then why haven’t you given us a chance?"
I didn’t reply. I had no idea why. When I found out I was pregnant, it changed everything. I spent the entire week in shock, hoping the report was wrong when the evidence stared right back at .
At first, it was all denial, and I didn’t want it, but having a life grow inside , spending those months waiting for her to co, gave a light in the darkness. I knew I had to be strong for her, no matter what.
I made a promise never to go back to that city or have anything to do with the Kings’, to protect her from that world.
Reed stuck by the entire ti, and if it weren’t for him, I’d have been lost. It was only natural that I let him in and move on.
I don’t know why the fuck I keep going back, looking at those articles to keep tabs on Ares. It wasn’t fair to or Reed or Es. How can I protect her if I can’t, for once in my life, let go?
"I’m sorry..." I said faintly.
"Don’t apologise."
"I just... this is hard, and all I want right now is this visit. If there’s one step I wanna take right now, it’s that..."
Reed nodded. "Of course..." He slowly backed away before going up the stairs.
Reviews
All reviews (0)