Reclaimed Hearts: A second chance, forced proximity romance

Unlikely Allies

Regardless of where I needed to be later and what my makeup and hair needed to look like, I rushed through getting dressed. I yanked the tank top over my head, and slipped my legs into my favorite black comfy shorts, the outfit I had picked out to ride to the mansion in. Then, I raced back to the main part of the house.

But all that greeted me was Marshmallow, laid on the couch, rolling over for me to scratch her belly as I passed by.

Reid and Noodle were nowhere to be found. A small squeak of a floorboard from upstairs alerted me to where they could be.

Reid’s room. The second floor held all the main bedrooms, except the guest room I was staying in. Though it was only a summer house for the Bennetts, it was still a Bayside house. It had four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a library, a movie room, an outdoor pool, an indoor sauna, a large living room, and one heck of a kitchen. The pantry alone was almost the size of my bedroom back at home.

I made my way up the stairs, careful to announce my presence with some heavy footsteps this time. Even though Reid obviously knew I was here, I didn’t feel the need to create another heart attack situation. For either of us.

My heart rate was still elevated, but I had calmed down enough to come up and have a real conversation. The part of my brain that wanted to make this entire situation logical had shut down, but at least Reid and I could discuss him being home and what it meant for my job.

Noodle bolted out of Reid’s room before I reached the door, almost knocking me over. He doubled back to sniff the scented lotion on my legs. I had also taken the time to put on some deodorant and the tiniest hint of lip gloss.

Livvy always said to make yourself look good, so they know what they lost. It must have stuck.

“Hey,” Reid called from his room. “Come on in.”

I stayed in the doorway, though, still hesitant. I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment, the watermelon lip gloss all but disappearing in an instant. Words escaped me. For the first time ever, I had no idea what to say to Reid.

We used to talk for hours on end, whether in person here on the island, or over the phone. While we had only seriously dated last summer, we had been friends for a few years prior. During the school year before last summer, we spoke almost every day. Sometimes, I talked with him more than my friends here on the Cove.

But after our breakup, all communication ceased. The text I sent him on his birthday had been the only message until right now. And he had never even answered it.

Whatever I had thought our reunion would be like, this was not it. At all. The last thing I expected to be wearing was a towel, while standing soaking wet from the shower. And my first words to him in almost a year were not supposed to start with a scream, either.

“What are you doing here, Reid?” I started, wanting to get the hard part over with. “Your mom said you weren’t coming back this summer.” Truth and facts were the easiest to stick to right now. The more I spoke, the more I expected myself to ramble on and on, which, in the end, could make me say something I didn’t want to say.

Or something I did.

I was mad at Reid. Hurt. Confused. Broken-hearted. The way he ended things still pained me. I hadn’t forgiven him for breaking up with me, especially for such a stupid reason as being long distance. It had been a copout, and we both knew it. I just didn’t know what the excuse was for.

Seeing him now was like sticking a knife into my heart. A tiny, itty bitty one that stabbed over and over again, like a tattoo gun. I hated it.

Reid took a t-shirt out of his suitcase and shook it out before slipping it on a hanger. He laid it on the bed and repeated the action with another shirt.

“That’s true.”

I blinked. Was he not understanding my sub-context here? Did I need to spell it out? I watched as he unpacked four more shirts and added them to the pile, the hangers all facing the same way, before he transferred the lot to the closet and hung them up, separating them by exactly three fingers width.

He was acting like I hadn’t said anything worth expanding on at all. Pretending like everything between us was completely normal, that this whole situation was normal.

He was acting like we were still friends. Or, at least, friendly.

I didn’t know what to do about that. All I wanted was an answer. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Mrs. Bennett said he was staying home with his friends.

My mind spiraled with all the what if’s and but’s and excuses I could come up with. Every fake answer fell into an imaginary list in my imagination.

“So…”

He paused as he exited the closet. “My plans changed. But, like I said, I’m happy to see you. I thought maybe—” He cut himself off and lifted a hand to scratch at the back of his neck, then tugged at his right ear a few times.

“Are you… are you staying?” I glanced between him and the almost empty suitcase on the bed. Obviously, he was planning on sticking around for a while with all the clothes and stuff he brought. What a dumb question.

Reid chuckled and took out the two pairs of jeans, refolding them before putting them in the dresser drawer. He was only a few feet away from me now. Something inside me wanted to turn, run down the stairs, and hide.

Being so close to him, the smell of his cologne bringing back every memory of last summer… It was too much. He overwhelmed me, and I didn’t know how to process it. It was one thing to break up with someone and then be gone from their lives physically. Being back, in person, and right in front of me was another.

“I am,” he said softly, leaning against the dresser and staring directly at me. Was he not having the same reaction I was? Did he not feel the same inside? Was being this close not affecting him at all?

Then again, he was the one who broke up with me.

“Okay…,” I drew out. I guess I needed to state the obvious then. “Well, I have to work the Mansion Masquerade tonight.” Why I mentioned that, I didn’t know. Maybe to tell him that even though he was here, my life still went on as normal? That him being here didn’t change the plans I already had?

I desperately needed something to cling on to. So far, Reid was great at pretending nothing was different between the two of us. Like he hadn’t spent the last ten months shutting me out and leaving me behind.

It couldn’t be that easy, though. I had struggled. Mrs. Bennett mentioned Reid struggling too. But maybe… maybe it wasn’t because of me. Maybe he really let me go and forgot everything about last summer that easily.

I gulped down my growing emotions. If he was going to act like he moved on, then I could, too.

Reid pushed away from the dresser, zipped the empty suitcase shut, and brought it to the closet, hoisting it onto one of the top shelves and out of the way.

His t-shirt bunched on his arms as he did, and seeing the muscles ripple didn’t escape me. I didn’t remember him having such defined biceps and triceps last summer.

I ripped my eyes away before he turned and looked at me again, shoving his hands in his pockets and swaying on his heels. “Have you had lunch?”

Did I… did I what? Lunch? He really was in a world of his own, wasn’t he?

“Um, no?” I replied truthfully. I didn’t even realize it was lunch time. The digital clock on the nightstand proved him right. It was almost two, which meant I had to get ready for the event and leave soon. Set up wouldn’t take long, but neither Grandmum nor the organizers would tolerate tardiness.

“Great. I ordered a little something. The plane didn’t offer much either, so I was starving. Want to have lunch with me?”

I stared at him, completely bewildered.

“Gennie’s. Delivery. I got you a turkey and Swiss sandwich and those chips that you like,” he continued, looking at me with expectation. His warm onyx eyes had a sparkle in them, almost mischievous like.

My favorite. He ordered my favorite sandwich and chips, without even consulting me. Just like he would have done last summer.

Before I could answer, chaos erupted downstairs. Both dogs started barking and, from the sound of it, were either chasing each other around or wrestling. Reid and I both glanced toward the noise.

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll go take care of them,” I suggested, giving myself an out. He had already taken a step in my direction, and I couldn’t let him get much closer.

The closer he got, the more I wanted to wrap my arms around him and nuzzle my face into his neck. I wanted to feel his arms wind around my back, holding me and blocking out the world. With him, I was safe. With him, I was loved.

But now? Now I didn’t know what to do. What to think. The best option was to keep my distance. Besides, now that he was here, my job would be over and I wouldn’t have to see him. At least, not much. I hoped. We still shared a group of friends here, which is how we became close to begin with.

I pounded down the stairs, finding the dogs tearing up the living room while fighting over a toy rope.

“Out! Both of you, outside!” I ordered, still not sure if they understood what I said. But as soon as I opened the sliding door, they bolted, and so did I. The fresh air and the smell of the salt water coming from beyond the beach filled my lungs, providing me with the calmness I desperately needed. I closed my eyes and tilted my chin toward the early afternoon sun, drinking in the warmth, allowing it to spread through me and wash away any worries building up.

Whatever was about to happen this summer would be fine. I could be a big girl and manage having Reid around. We had been friends before; we could do it again.

Even if I knew what he looked like when he told me he loved me. Even though I knew what his lips tasted like when he kissed me. Even if…

I shook my head, stopping myself from going any further down this Reid rabbit hole. It wasn’t healthy for me to keep thinking about him this way when he so obviously wanted to move on.

I let the dogs work out their energy, only turning back toward the house when the doorbell rang. The Bennetts had a special system that also made the chime ring out in the backyard, so they didn’t miss anyone at the door while outside.

Thinking the lunch Reid ordered had arrived, I whistled for the dogs, but they paid me no attention. I left them outside, knowing they would be fine in the fenced-in yard.

But just before I made it to the kitchen, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Reid was unpacking a large bag with the Gennie’s logo on the side over on the kitchen island. The front door was still open, as if he didn’t have the hands to close it while dealing with the food.

Which also meant he didn’t notice the guy standing in the doorway with a mischievous, sly grin on his face.