She just… she wanted to be done with all of this.
"I am a grown woman, damn it. I don't have to do what I don't want to," she said as she walked to the table to pick up her phone.
"I will not be coming to your place tonight. I am going home." she sent the message and smiled as the tension in her chest immediately reduced.
She didn't have to see him, be around him or even be reminded of him tonight.
Just perfect!
*******
Reyona ignored her ringing phone as she drove home with Aria's latest song "Truth or Dare" playing on her stereo.
She knew who was calling and since she could guess what he was going to say, she decided not to pick up yet.
She was going to call him back when she was ready.
Preferably after she had soaked in the ambience of her familiar home that would be free of a lurking man or kids trying to tug at her heartstrings.
Where no one would try to pull her in further than she already was.
As she took the last turn that led to her home, she was already anticipating how she was going to have the best sleep she had had in days.
Right after…
Her eyes widened in shock when she saw the familiar car in front of her house.
What the….
Reyona parked away from the driveway, giving his car enough room to turn and leave as fast as possible.
He came out of his car just as she was coming out of hers.
"Why were you not picking up?" he asked as he walked towards her.
"What are you doing here?" Reyona asked as she felt her relaxed mood disappearing by the second.
"You promised," he said simply, as he stood a few paces from her.
Reyona could see the frustrated look on his face as he tucked his hands into his pockets and said "You are backing out now?"
Reyona rolled her eyes and said "Who said anything about backing out? I just…"
"What?" he asked when she stopped talking.
Her rising anger faded as she sighed and said "I just need some time to myself, okay?"
"Why? Is it something that I did?" he asked as he ran his hands through his hair.
"No, of course, not. I can't just be there tonight, okay? I want you to respect that," Reyona said as she grabbed her bag and proceeded to walk past him.
"And what if you feel this way tomorrow too? And next tomorrow? You just might never come back." he said in a low tone.
"Okay, what is this?" Reyona snapped as she turned to him again. "Why are you making this sound like it is a permanent arrangement or something? It is just a temporary stay. A month at most and I am leaving. Yes, I have given my word and I will stick to it, but for tonight, I am staying here. At my place. Now please excuse me."
"I knew I was going to regret this," he said as he ran his hand through his hair again.
"Regret what?" Reyona asked before she could stop herself.
"Suggesting that fake marriage. Just… going about all of this the wrong way."
"Okay, what on earth are you…"
"I thought I would give you all the time you needed to get over that asshole. I thought it would be fine if I could just be close to you in any way. I thought I could get you to hate me a little bit less, but I can see that I am wrong. I am losing my mind around you, Reyona, but you wouldn't even have dinner with me."
Reyona was stumped for a moment as she stared at him.
She had heard Toria and Celia say it before.
Now that she could think of it, he had said something like that before.
But not in the way he was saying it at that moment.
Not with the utter frustration he had on his face at that moment as his words tumbled out like they couldn't wait to be uttered.
"I like you, Reyona," he said as he moved closer to her, his voice less agitated now. "I like you a lot," he said again as he reached her. "Please give me a chance to prove it to you."
"No," Reyona blurted out as he got so close to her that all she was able to breathe in was his scent.
Her statement was more to herself than to him.
Something was happening to her.
"I promise to…"
"Don't promise me. Don't say anything to me. Don't touch me. Please, leave." she said as impassively as she could.
Reyona's whole body was going haywire at his nearness, and she just knew she was going to do something she would regret.
When he stood there without moving, she closed her eyes and repeated "I told you to leave."
She expected to hear his footsteps leaving, but all that greeted her was silence and that damned scent was not decreasing, either.
She slowly opened her eyes and, true enough, he was still standing there.
He shook his head slowly as a new look entered his mesmerising eyes. "No, I don't want to. I want to stay right here." he nodded almost to himself as her breath caught when he moved closer to her.
"I…"
"And you know what?" he said in a whisper as he slowly reached for her. "I think you want me to stay too."
That pressure building inside her roared to flame as he curled his hand around the nape of her neck.
Her breath got choppy as he tilted her head a bit and made her look straight into his eyes. "Say it, Reyona."
"Damn you," She said as her bag dropped, and she grabbed his head to join her lips to his in a searing kiss.
The sound of her keys falling to the ground sounded like a gong in her mind.
Yet it was not enough to pull her mind out of the haze it was.
"Damn you," she repeated as a new fire raced through her when he wrapped his arms around her and brought her flush against the furnace of his body.
Reyona was lost.