Say You Love Me [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER TWO: EVERYTHING IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

Rhea heaved a huge sigh of relief and sagged against the closed door as Adam left without using any of his usual charm on her. It was starting to get on her nerves that every time he was around she felt so uncomfortable that she could barely say a decent word to him. And she was also fed up of his supposedly undying love for her.

It was not that she did not like him. She did. In a big way. But had never thought of him as anything except her elder brother. Just like Zach Cooper. She had grown up as Ashton’s Cooper’s daughter and was closest to Zoey. But had been brought up with Adam and Zach, the one she considered her brothers. The only family she had after her own father Slade Palmer had disowned her like she was dirt.

And when Adam had so openly told her that he wanted her, she had felt insulted. It had been something beyond her imagination and her already poor opinion of the male species had not helped. She had been so shocked by his vehement declaration on her birthday party that she had not known what to make of it.

Had it been a spur of a moment thing? Finally, when she got no news from him for almost a week, she had tagged Adam as one of the philanderers who would stop at nothing to get a woman just to satisfy his whim.

And then bang! Everything they had worked for in their relationship had broken. Her trust in him. Her love for him. Her respect for him. And even when days later, he had phoned to apologize it had been too late. Rhea Palmer had already constructed a barrier around her heart which had helped her survive the loss of her best friend.

And that barrier had been as rock solid as ever. She could still remember last year when Adam had visited her in her apartment for another ardent proclamation of love for her birthday. She had had enough! It had spoilt her birthday and two days later she had fled to New York for some peaceful moments. Thankfully, Zoey had followed her and she had not been alone in her new venture.

Adam Crighton had been the last person on her mind since she had been busy working as internship in the modelling agency of Adam’s late grandmother Anastasia Forrester after just completing her degree.

It had been a pleasurable experience and even if apprehensive to be back, she wanted to be home for her birthday to celebrate with the ‘gang’. How she wished Adam would forget his so-called love for her and become who he had been once again. Life was so less complicated then.

She jumped guiltily as she saw Zoey watching her closely and she quickly straightened her body which was still against the closed door. It was relief which had her legs so jelly like, nothing to do with seeing Adam after almost a year.

“Hey!” she cried to Zoey masking her real turmoil which was raging inside her. She had no reason why her heart was beating so loudly against her chest and her hands were moist with sweat. “Is that breakfast I’m smelling?” she asked glad that her voice sounded normal.

She was ravenous especially after having jogged before coming back to Adam’s house. When Zoey had asked her to drop by Adam’s house, she had been unwilling remembering the ardent declarations of the past year. That was why she had headed straight next door to her home only to be confronted with her father.

“What are you doing here?” she had cried shrilly at the unexpected figure watching her. The latter had frowned dismissing her presence like she did not even existed and she had phoned Uncle Ashton. It was what she had been expecting. Slade Palmer had not uttered a word to her for a very very long time and she had no inkling whatsoever to talk to him. Uncle Ash told her that her father was back in town for a while and was using her house; the one which Uncle Jake had gifted her for her eighteenth birthday.

Since she no longer had the capacity to argue with her father and they could never co-exist, she had no choice than to head for Adam’s house in the early morning. But not before packing a few essential things she might need for the road. Thankfully, they lived a few blocks away and she could go back to her own house anytime.