Heartless

Chapter 24

"Sit down." he growled impolitely, standing up to make his way around the desk.

I did as he asked as we both stared each other down intensely. The tension in the room was undeniable as he leaned back against the desk, standing directly in front of my seat.

"You met with Zach again, even after told you time and time again that you shouldn't. Why would you disobey me?" he said angrily, leaning down to face me.

I sighed, realising that Warren and Keith will have been reporting back to Reed, informing him of my every move.

"What do you have against Zach?"

"Answer my question." he said through gritted teeth.

"Fine, yes I met with Zach because I refuse to let you control my life Reed. He's my friend and I don't understand your problem!" I yelled, standing up to face him as he remained towering over me.

"My problem is him...I don't like seeing you with another man. I refuse to let you be with him." he said, in a much quieter tone.

Our faces were now extremely close and my heart began beating intensely. I hated the effect he had on me, I could barely control myself.

"Be with him? You are just as bad as the girls!" 

"What are you talking about?"

"You all think that there's something going on with us. Why can't I just be friends with a guy without everybody making assumptions?"

"So nothing's going on?" he asked with his gaze still fixed on me.

"No! But even if there was, that's nothing to do with you. You've chosen to be with Evelyn and I'm allowed to be with whoever I want."

He then shut his eyes tightly, took a deep breath and clenched his jaw, as if he was trying to process what I'd just told him.

"I know you're right...but I don't know if I'll ever be able to accept it." he whispered.

He then held his hand against my cheek, leaning closer to me as we held eye contact.

"Reed, we can't keep doing this. You really hurt me with what you said last night and you're constantly changing your attitude. One minute you hate me and the next-"

"I could never hate you." he said. "But you should hate me. I'm sorry...."

"Even though I shouldn't, I forgive you...but I'm serious, we can't keep doing this." I said.

"You know I have to get married." he said sadly.

"It's your life, your choice Reed. You don't have to do anything." I said softly.

He then took a step away from me and walked back over to his chair, taking a seat before turning back to face me. I sat across from him, waiting for whatever he was going to say.

"There's things I've not told you." he said blankly.

"What do you mean? Like what?"

"Things about my family...my parents, my older brother."

"You have a brother?" I asked softly.

"I did, his name was Kyle. He and my parents were killed when I was 16." he said, looking down in pain.  "My father raised me, teaching me to one day take over his legacy, his gang...which I eventually did...but one day, a man with a grudge against my family broke into our home. He kidnapped my brother and killed my parents before Dawn and I managed to escape. We were the only ones left and then Jocelyn, who was our maid at the time, practically raised us from then on."