Deceitfully Devoted

Chapter 14

There was a soft knock at my door. My attention shifted from my computer to the doorknob that was struggling to turn.

"Who is it?" I called, not wanting to move from my spot on the bed.

"Steve," a muffled voice croaked from the other side of the door.

I let out a quiet sigh, sinking lower into my bed. I stared at the ceiling, unsure if I wanted to engage in a conversation with him.

"Taylor," he whined. A light thud sounded from the door. "Can we please talk?"

"Depends," I exhaled, sounding annoyed. "Are you going to accuse me of sleeping with someone else?"

"I- I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Will you please talk to me?"

"Isn't that what we're doing right now?" I grumbled, rolling my eyes.

"Can I see you?" he pleaded, sounding desperate.

I closed my eyes, inhaling a deep breath as I summoned the energy to get off of the bed. I moved my computer from my lap and rolled off the bed, landing with a loud thump on the cold hardwood.

I padded across the room, pausing at the door, my hand hovering over the doorknob. I let out a slow exhale as I turned the handle and opened the door.

Steve was leaning on the doorframe, his arms braced on either side. His head was tilted toward the ground, slightly lifting to meet my eye line as the door creaked open.

"Can I come in?" he whispered as an apologetic look spread across his face.

I said nothing, but moved out of the way, gesturing with my hand as I welcomed him into the room.

"Thanks," he nodded as he entered, sliding past me.

He glanced at the bed for a moment, as if he was considering sitting there. He shook his head, deciding to sit in the chair at my desk.

"What do you want?" I asked as I hopped onto my bed, settling into a comfortable position.

"I came to apologize," he stated.

I narrowed my eyes, observing the way he was sitting. He looked so stiff, sitting in the chair with perfect posture.

It was clear that whatever he had come to say was making him uncomfortable. Steve always played the soldier in unfamiliar situations.

"I realize that what I did earlier was wrong," he sighed, closing his eyes. "It wasn't fair of me to accuse you like that. What you do in your free time is your business."

"Tony though? Really?" I mocked. "Of all the people, you thought I was sleeping with him?"

"You two were talking in innuendos," Steve explained, tilting his head toward me. "Anyone would have thought you-"

"We were talking about the knives," I groaned, throwing my body back against the bed. I rested my arm over my face, covering my eyes. "And no. No one would have thought we were talking about sleeping together. No one, except you ," I exclaimed, pointing my finger in the air.

"Well it sounded like that's what you were talking about," Steve huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Even if we were, how you reacted was not the way to go about addressing it," I scolded. "I mean seriously, you're like, what, a hundred years old and basically throw a temper tantrum like a child?"

"Technically I'm thirty-one," he corrected, sounding annoyed.

"Technically, you're ninety-seven," I said sarcastically, leaning on my elbows, and raising an eyebrow as I stared at him.