Before I can respond to that, he steals all my words by pouncing.
By getting closer to me.
In a flash, no less.
One second, he was standing at the opposite wall and the next, he’s standing right in front of me with hardly any gap between our bodies.
I straighten up, my eyes going wide. “Get away from me.”
Putting a hand on the wall, above my head, he dips his scruffy jaw and rasps, “I see why he loved you.”
I stiffen. “Don’t talk about him.”
His eyes swipe across my features. “Why he went for you.”
“Reign –”
“But I hope this dress was a gift.”
I’m thrown by the abrupt change of subject. “What?”
“It’s for him, isn’t it?”
“No,” I lie.
“Because you came here for him.”
“I came here with my friends, okay?”
“I’d believe you, you know.” His lips pull up once again and of course, in a smirk, as he continues, “If you didn’t reek of a little thing called desperation.”
I flinch. “Get away from me right now.”
“And that’s why I hope it was a gift. Because I’d hate to see you waste money that you don’t have. For something you’ll never get.”
Of course, he’d say that.
I knew he’d find a way to taunt me about my lack of money, or rather my family’s lack of money. Mostly because he loves doing that. To remind me how poor I am.
I’m pretty sure if I stand here long enough, he’ll also remind me how my father works for his father and how rich he is.
Asshole.
But still I can’t help asking, “And what is that?”
He leans down then. “Him.”
My nails are drawing blood on my skin. “Get away from me. I’m not going to ask you again.”
“I mean, don’t get me wrong,” he keeps going, his eyes swirling over my face, his voice all rough and low. “It was pretty fun to watch you out there. Pretending to be all aloof and unaffected, pretending that you don’t care, that you don’t notice. When we both know that you do. You did.”
“He was noticing me too, you know,” I tell him.
Even though it’s completely ill-advised.
Completely thoughtless and reckless.
To say that Lucas is still interested in me.
“Well,” he says. “You can’t blame him, can you? You look pretty as fuck.”
“You know what, I –”
He shrugs. “But I don’t think he’s going for desperation these days.” I flinch again and he goes on, “So really, I’m saving you all the trouble here. I’m saving you from getting your heart broken again.”
Yeah, right.
He’s saving me.
Him.
The guy responsible for breaking my heart the first time.
The guy responsible for breaking up me and Lucas.
“Why do you hate me?”
I can’t believe I asked that. But the question is out there now.
And I need an answer.
It has always been this way, see.
He’s hated me since the first time he saw me, and he hates me still.
Only I don’t know the reason.
I don’t know what I could’ve possibly done to him to make him hate me to a degree where he took the love of my life away.
Darkness flickers through his features, making them taut for a second or two before he replies, “Take my advice, return the dress and forget about him.”
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
His eyes sweep over my features again.
As if for the last time.
And then he steps back. Shoving his hands down into his pockets again, he says, “It was nice seeing you again, Echo. I hope we don’t have to do it again.” Then, “And it’s been two years, two months and twelve days.”
With that, he leaves.
And I stand there. All trembling and heated and sick.
With hate.
Because that’s what he does.
Reign Davidson, my childhood nemesis, my ex-boyfriend’s best friend, the guy responsible for breaking us up, makes me sick with hate.
He makes me sick with loathing.
He makes me want to get back together with my ex just so I can win against him.
And you know what, I will.
I will win against him.
If it’s the last thing I do.
To be continued in…
Coming November 15th 2022