It Wasn't Meant To Be

Chapter 54

Reed's POV

(play the song above for the feels:) )

It was a fine afternoon when I was sitting in my office; reading some papers but no matter how hard I tried, I could never concentrate on what I was doing, my mind kept circling around Violet and I groaned in frustration. I got up from my chair and went to my balcony, helping myself to a glass of whiskey, overlooking the New York skyline. There was absolute silence but I enjoyed every single bit of it; sometimes we all need some peace in our lives but there was none of it for me; I'd admit something without any fault, I was lonely inside. I was about to get back to my chair when my door burst open and there stood in all her glory, Maya, Astrid Hensley's sister. The guards all swarmed behind her and my secretary also tried to convince her to go back, "What did you do to my sister this time!" She bawled, shaking the walls but I was unfazed as I had no idea what she was saying, "I have no idea what you're saying Maya, I haven't talked to your unhinged sister in ages." She tried to attack me but the guards stopped her, "She's not picking up her phone and so is her husband Mark." I rolled my eyes, "Ever heard of vacations, maybe she' not in New York." She scowled, "Are you fucking crazy? She would have the liberty to tell me that she was going on vacation, that's some basic human decency." I chuckled, "When has your sister had that?" She squirmed against the restraints and the guards, "Reed please understand that this is unlike her, she calls me literally five times in a day." 

"Stop worrying, I'll find out about your sister, I have a feeling Mark has something to do with this." I wasn't sure where Astrid but I was worried, a feeling that I did not want to feel but there was a time when I thought that she and me could be a "thing" like the romance you saw in movies but it was a fleeting joy that didn't mean anything now, I would sell that ounce of joy away. I kept warning Astrid about Mark even after she cheated on me, telling her that I would accept her now as well. But she didn't listen. "Reed you have to help, even though you must feel terrible for what she did to you but please you have to help me!" I told the guards to let her go and then I called my security team, "I want you to find about Mark James' residence, right now." With that, I hung up the phone and went back to my laptop, my heart was beating madly against my chest, I was anxious, would she be okay? Whatever the case, I wanted to care less but I couldn't.

Flashback:

"Reed, you're so slow, come on, we haven't got all day." I huffed as we climbed the cliff; Astrid kept forcing me to come on but I thought it would be better to just stay on the bottom part, close to the beach but she wouldn't budge. But I loved her crazy and nonchalant self that gave zero fucks. I could be lying if I said that I wouldn't like this trouble but I did, every moment spent with her was amazing and I needed her because she was my serotonin. "Phew, are we-almost there?" She laughed, "Just a bit more." In a few seconds, I didn't regret this journey, a beautiful view of the sun-lit dusky sky held us breathless, the sun was almost going down creating a heavenly glow on Astrid's face. I found myself staring at her for the longest, until she caught me, "What are you looking at?" I snapped out of my thoughts, "N-nothing, it's just that you were looking like a goddess." She smirked, "Oh really?" This was my first "real" relationship and I didn't want to blow it, "Everything about you is heavenly." 

"Hmmm, tell me more?" I laughed, "Are you just saying this because you want me to compliment you?" I asked. She laughed hysterically, "Yeah and a bit more." I moved closer to her, "Your eyes, don't get me started, they glow like the stars on a dark moonlit sky, and your smile alone could light up the world of the dead, your hair," I removed a lock of her hair away from her face, "they feel like soft Chinese silk and everything about you feels surreal." I felt her gulp as I caught her off guard, "Thank you Reed, that was just-just."

"Wow." I completed her sentence for her. We laid down on the grass, watching the sky turn dark, counting stars and just having the time of our lives. There was no place I'd rather be...

Present

"Sir we found the location, it's in Downtown Brooklyn, an expensive apartment complex." I hummed on the phone, "I want you to break in the building, be stealthy and keep updating me on the condition of a woman named Astrid Hensley." I tapped my fingers impatiently on the table as I waited for a response, there was nothing I could do but I didn't want to go there on my own as well, I had a strange feeling about this time, like it would be different this time and there would be nothing I could do to help it. As soon as I was about to pack my things to leave, I heard the phone ring, "Sir, we have bad news." My heart stopped beating, "What-what is it?"

"Sir there is only one woman in the house, and she is dead." 

Violet's POV

"Mother and Father, I am going to my apartment to get my things, I'll be back in a while." The nodded, "Alright then, I hope we see you for dinner." There was a sad smile on her face and I sheepishly smiled back, "Yeah I hope so too." I got in my car and drove off, away from my parents' house that felt like a mental asylum at times and I wanted to get out of it. And I did. I wouldn't come home for dinner, I'd stay at the apartment for a while, especially tonight. Reed must need some company or he'd go insane. His parents rarely ever talked to him and I think it was for the best that I would be with him, even if as friends or enemies, I'd be there. That was the least I could do. It was a gloomy night and I wanted to get away from this mess, so I took the longer route home.

After a few minutes, I reached the apartment complex and after parking my car, I walked towards the elevator, pressing the number "10" after a long time and I secretly missed this. I strode to the apartment door and fumbled for my keys and as soon as I did so, I saw Reed's body lying on an awkward position on the couch, which almost made me scream. "Reed!" I ran towards him and crouched down to his position, "V-violet is that y-you?" I tucked my hair strand back, "It's me Reed, please get up, please tell me what's wrong." He groaned, "Please-don't ask, it hurts, and I don't want to cry." Panic rose in my throat, "Reed please, get up for me, I am here, I am here as long as you need me to be, please tell me what's wrong." He groaned as he got up, his coat was thrown on the floor and his curly hair were more tousled than ever, in a nutshell, he looked terrible. "I am so cold." I rushed to my room where I had a spare blanket and I wrapped it around his body, using the back of my hand to check the temperature, he was burning hot. 

"Reed please tell me what happened?" He coughed, "Violet, A-astrid died." There it was, he exploded a bomb on me, my role model, my boss and somebody I once really used to look upto, albeit the hell she put me through, I felt terrible for her. I gasped, "H-how?" 

"She was killed by her husband Mark, who suspected that she was cheating on him with another businessman from his rival company, Jacob McCann. I could perfectly understand Reed's condition, he once loved her and the pain of losing someone whom you thought was your whole world hurts. It hurts like hell. "I am so sorry, I can't imagine how you're feeling." 

"I know I'm not supposed to feel this way but I do, even if I broke up with her, I think about the times when I used to be with her." I sat beside him on the couch, "What about Mark? And don't worry, your feelings are perfectly valid." He looked tired, "He got arrested and her body's in the hospital cold room, her funeral is tomorrow." 

"I think I'd go there alone because I have to go to my parents' house tomorrow to drop off some things." He hummed a positive response as he held as head, 'I'll go get some medicines." I opened the medicine cabinet and took out the required pills and handed them to him with a glass of water, "Here, it'll help." He took them and downed them in a second, "Thank you." 

As soon as I put the glass down on the table, I saw Reed getting up to go to his room, I really wanted to comfort him but I had no idea, so I grabbed his arm. "What-" Then, I hugged him. Me, Violet Carlot, a no skinship person, hugged Reed Wilson. It was hella awkward and his body became really stiff before he slowly brought his arms down and patted my back. "I'm sorry, I know you really loved her once." He didn't reply and we stood there for a long time, did I regret this?

No.