Yours Truly

22. Ugly Truths

Trigger warning: mentions of r*pe/s*xual assault. 

Rowan patiently waited for time to pass by and tried busying himself with the work he had to finish. By the time he was done, it was already well after ten p.m. and he was exhausted. Sighing and trying to gather himself to talk to Sera with a clear mind, he sent her a text asking if she was still awake and if it was still okay for him to come. While waiting for her reply, the door to his office opened and Jamie came in smiling like an idiot.

"I don't have the energy nor the time to deal with your bullshit." Rowan found himself saying as he got up from his chair, putting on his jacket. The words spilled like venom from his lips, like they usually did whenever he was frustrated. He hated to admit it but the way Sera's attitude shifted toward him made his chest tighten in pain. The sweet and bubbly girl was gone leaving in her place a stubborn and feisty one. She doesn't look at him with a light in her eyes anymore, they turn sharp and angry whenever she looks at him, and it was all his fault. 

"I didn't even say anything." Jamie defended, "Yet." He added after a moment, a smirk adorning his lips.

"What happened with your girl?" He continued. Jamie asked the question and busied himself with the pen holder on Rowan's desk right after as if he was actually interested in inspecting it. Feigning nonchalance was truly one of Jamie's many favorite talents.

Rowan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and shrugged, grabbing his phone and keys. Rowan's favorite way to deal with annoying people is to act as if he is in a hurry, it gives him the perfect excuse to avoid conversations he doesn't want to have. He couldn't bring himself to care that Jamie had already busted his little tricks.

"I'm going to see her right now." He patted Jamie on the back as he passed him on the way out, avoiding talking about anything that concerned her private life. His fake girlfriend and her family problems were no one's concern but his.

Rowan could hear Jamie talking loudly from behind him but he was already out of earshot, so he couldn't tell what he was saying. He sighed again and drove to the address Sera had sent him a minute ago.

❁

She was about to vomit from how nervous she was. Sera paced around her living room, running her hands in her hair a couple of times. She knew that she was okay with telling him, but now that Rowan was on his way, it felt too real. She hasn't spoken about this to anyone, no one knows except her family, and the idea of telling someone else, Rowan especially, terrified her. Her mind wandered to such dark and negative places, expecting the worst reactions from him, expecting him to change how he viewed her completely. 

Sera halted her steps and stood in the middle of the living room, zoning out completely after she thought she allowed her mind to think of the absolute worst, the thing she was afraid of most but kept denying; What if Rowan doesn't believe her just like her family didn't?

Her eyes stung with unshed tears and she squeezed them shut just as the doorbell rang. She took a deep breath and went to open the door. The moment she did, she came face-to-face with his hard chest. Even after all the times she had seen him, she still stood flabbergasted at his size and height. She bent her neck to look at his face and was met with his usual scowl. 

"Hi." She whispered.

"Hey." It seems he isn't in the best mood.

Regardless, she opened the door wider for him to come in without saying a word.

They sat in her living room and she felt the tension in the atmosphere instantly. 

Oh God, this is going to be bad.