His eyes widen and he looks shocked. Yes, that’s right Reign Braxton. You got rejected.
He shoves off the wall and turns, striding away quickly.
“Reign!” I yell, chasing after him, my body still thrumming.
“Don’t fuckin’ bother,” he barks, charging towards a taxi.
Sheesh. Someone really is angry tonight.
“Stop.”
I take his arm and he swings around, his eyes blazing with anger. “Let me go.”
“You can’t be angry at me for saying no,” I squeak. “There is a reason for it, and if you stopped storming off, I might be able to tell you what that reason is.”
He leans in close just as a cab pulls up. “Fuck you.”
Then he turns and jumps in, leaving me there.
“Yeah,” I yell at the back of the taxi. “Well fuck you too, buddy.”
~*~*~*~
Asshole.
Mega asshole.
I repeat this mantra the entire way home.
Goddamned moody men—and they say women are hard to live with. At least we don’t say we love a woman, and then hire another woman to make her jealous as well as getting us laid while we wait. So fucking complicated. I pull out my phone when I’m safely in a cab, and I text Reign.
T: When you’re finished having a tantrum, call me. I want to know you’re home.
He doesn’t answer, and I can’t help the worry that swells in my chest. Don’t go to him, Tiani. Let him go. He’s being a prick, and he needs to by himself and wallow in his own self-pity.
Fuck it.
“Can you take me to a different address?” I ask the driver.
I rattle off Reign’s address and he turns, heading in that direction. The entire way there I curse inwardly. Bad decision, Tiani. Bad, bad decision. Turn around, take your ass home and leave him to sulk.
I don’t.
When we arrive I pay the driver and jump out, walking quickly up to Reign’s front door. I dig through my purse and find my key before unlocking the door. I half expect to find Reign with some bimbo bent over his kitchen counter. Instead, I see him sitting on the floor, bottle of whiskey in his hand, head hanging.
Well, shit.
“What the fuck do you want, Tiani?”
“How did you know it was me?” I ask, walking over and stopping in front of him.
“You’re the only one stupid enough to keep coming back when I tell you to fuck off.”
“That’s because I’m your friend and not an asshole like you,” I say, kneeling in front of him. I tug at his whiskey. “Give me some.”
He looks up at me, and he looks tired. He shoves the bottle my way and I drop down beside him, taking a deep swig. God, it burns in the best kind of way.
“Are you done abusing me?” I ask.
He huffs. “I wasn’t abusing you.”
“No?” I ask, taking another drink. “Could have fooled me.”
“I had a bad night.”
“Not my problem, Reign. You’re the one chasing the un-chasable.”
“You know nothing about Selena and I,” he grinds out.
“No, you’re right. I don’t. You refuse to tell me, so how am I supposed to understand?”
“I don’t expect you to understand,” he mutters. “It’s not what I hired you for.”
“Jesus, Reign.” I sigh. “Drop the fucking bullshit and just speak to me like a human being.”
We’re silent a moment.
“Seven years of my life, Tia. Seven fucking years I gave to her. I loved her; I love her. I gave a piece of myself to her that I can’t get back. Part of me wants to let go, to hurt her, but the other part is still so fucking in love with her it hurts.”
I stare at the bottle in my hands.
“Sometimes letting go is the only way to heal.”
“And what if she’s the one and I let her go, only to spend forever alone?”
“Do you truly believe that?”
He looks at me, and I can see in his eyes he does.
“I do.”
What can I say to that? It won’t matter how I put it; in his mind it’s right. I take another sip of the whiskey.
“Well then,” I mutter. “You’re royally fucked.”
He snorts a laugh and turns to me. “I’m sorry about tonight, babe.”
Babe. My heart warms a little.
I wave my hand. “No problemo.”
“I tried to fuck you.”
I smile. “It wasn’t so bad. You could be far worse. I only gagged a little.”
I can feel his eyes burning into the side of my head. “If Selena wasn’t in the picture, would you have done it?”
Ah the old would you?
It doesn’t matter what I would have done. Selena is in the picture. There is no other option, so imaging is a waste of time and headspace. I shove to my feet and reach my hand out. Reign takes it and I help him up.
“Get some sleep, Reign.”
He drops down onto the couch and stares at me as I head to the front door.
“You didn’t answer my question?”
I peer over at him just as my fingers curl around the door handle. “What ifs don’t really matter right now. Selena is in the picture, and that isn’t going to change. But for your benefit . . . yes, Reign . . . I would have done it if she wasn’t in the picture. Do you want to know why?”
He nods, his eyes intense.
“Because you’re an amazing person who just can’t see his worth,” I whisper. “But I can see it, and that’s why I wouldn’t hesitate.”