Reylo One Shot(s)

What Are You Not Telling Me? (Part 2)

I take my seat at the Starbucks. My laptop alive on the table playing music through my headphones and my taste buds tingling as the cold salty caramel flows across my tongue from the frap I drink.

I smile at the baristas as the fresh faced ones begin taking over from the morning shift. Minutes later I wish the leaving ones a good day and go back to my reading.

My laptop dying draws me out of my book as the music suddenly cuts out.

I close the laptop and begin packing up knowing I've probably over stayed what I meant to.

"Hey."

I look up and see him. "Hey."

"How are you?" Ben asks.

"Um. Fine. Yeah I'm good."

"That's good."

I finish zipping up my bag. "How are you?"

"I'm going great."

My heart is racing and I feel like I'm going to start hyperventilating even though I hold my breath.

"That's great." I let my breath go.

"Thanks. What have you been up to?"

"I just finished reading. What about you?"

"Just got done at work. I got that promotion finally."

"Congrats." He got a promotion and I got done reading a couple chapters. Wow, could I look anymore lame.

"Thanks. I'm going to go buy myself a drink, would you like one?"

I grab my empty cup and sling my laptop bag on my shoulder. "I just had one but thanks."

"No problem."

"I gotta get going." I step around the table to end my misery.

"Rey." He stops me in my tracks. "Have a great day."

"You too." I turn and toss my cup, making a quit goodbye-less exit.

. . .

New Text: Ben
B: It was really nice to see you today.
R: You too.
B: I wasn't expecting to run into you.
R: Neither was I.
. . .
Time passes and he doesn't reply. I go to bed, hopeful for a reply when I wake.
. . .
I pull into the parking lot of my neighborhood park. Grabbing my book and earbuds I head for a nearby bench.

I'm sitting for about 20 minutes when I feel someone sit down next to me.

I look over and it's him.

"Hey." He greets as I pull out my headphones.

"Hey."

"Good book?" He nods to the book in my hands.

"Yeah." I place my bookmark back in it and set it down next to me on the bench with my phone and connected earbuds. "What are you doing here?"

"Not going to lie, I was hoping to run into you."

"Why?"

"Just wanted to see you."

"Okay. Well you saw me." I pick up my book and begin to make my exit. Why would he show up here looking for me? He didn't even reply to my text. He just disappears from my life and thinks he can pop back in whenever he wants? No. Yesterday was accidental, but to come looking for me? "Why?" I ask standing up.

"Because I wanted to talk to you?"

"Okay, you could have texted."

"I know, just I... I wanted to see your face." He stands to level with me.

"You can't just show up whenever you feel like it Ben."

"I know I just-"

"Do you know? Because you ghosted me when we were friends. We both admited we liked each other and then you bailed. Blocking me on everything. Then I move to your side of town and you just popped back into my messages and tried to act like everything was fine."

"I know I'm sorry."

"Are you really? Cause you just did it again 6 months ago. You lie to me to get me to move out then dump me days later and ghost me."

"I am sorry, it was all complicated and too much to handle."

"Then you tell me how I can help. You don't just block me."

"I really am sorry Rey. Please forgive me."

I swallow hard and shake my head. "No. You hurt me. That's what I want you to know. You hurt me and I am not okay with you jumping in and out of my life whenever you feel like it."

"Rey, please, just let me take you out on-"

"Seriously?" A tear falls from my eye. "A date? You think I want to go back out on a date with you? The man who shattered my heart and made me almost homeless?" The tears start building. "You belittled me to all of our friends, spread nasty rumours about me, and decided you were better off without me in your life... Why would I want to see you again?"

"Because your heart started racing yesterday when you saw me... You replied to my text message immediately... We both come to this park to hopefully cross paths but never speak. I've seen you on your bench and you've seen me jogging on the sidewalk."

He rights, I do miss him, but I won't let him know that.

"There are other places I can go to read my book. Enjoy your jog." I walk away.

"So that's it? You're just going to walk away from me?"

"You mean like you've done to me?"

"Look I know you're hurt, I'm hurt too."

"You're the one who decided to leave! You left me! You're hurt by your own actions!"

"You never even tried to stop me."

"Did you forget be crying on the phone? Begging you to rethink your decision?"

"No but-"

"No Ben. You hurt me. You listened to me cry and you still left."

"You're right." He sighs. "Sorry I bothered you." He turns to leave.

I watch him for a moment then heavily sigh. "Ben." I call after him and wipe a tear from my eye. He stops and turns. I take a seat on the bench again and he comes over and joins me. "I just..." I fiddle with my hands in my lap. "You cant do this to me again."

"I know."

"If you do this again, I'm done, I'm gone."

"I won't."

"I've heard that before."

"Wow. Okay."

"What? It's true. This has happened twice."

"Yeah and each time you move on pretty fast."

"I'm not going to sit at home alone and cry. I have a life to live, whether you're part of it or not is up to you and your actions."

"What can I say to make this better?"

Tell me there's not a day go by where you dont think of me. Tell me deep down inside you still love me. Tell me there's hope for us. Tell me...

"Tell me the truth."

A/N: Remember that do who ghosted me and left me heartbroken?.... Yeah he's back. 😅 Makes for good chapters though.