The College Bully (Love Came In #2) ✔️

Chapter 26

I'm so so sorry for the late update, this one was a bit tough to write, but HOLY CRAP 6K READS????

You guys are brilliant. I hope you all know that each one of you is awesome 💗

*****

The car ride back is deadly silent.

I can feel the anger coming in waves from Reece beside me as I observe his hands turning white on the wheel of my car.

After seeing me standing in the court hallway Reece had almost lost it - he'd dragged me out to the parking lot and into my jeep, with him getting into the driver's seat and asking James to come back in his car. I had tried my best to get him to talk to me but he had been unresponsive with a look on his face that almost had me scared.

I blow out a breath softly as we suddenly stop in front of Reece's building after driving here as fast as he had. Reece gets out of the car and so do I, and I follow him as he heads us into his apartment building and then the elevator. It moves fast and delivers us to the hallway outside his house, although it feels like the ride lasted much longer than a few seconds because of the thick air of tension. As soon as Reece opens the door, I try to say something but the look he shoots me has me quiet. Strangely, I don't like the distance between us. Reece keeps the door open and chucks his keys with almost a little bit of anger on the large dining table.

James heads in close behind and shuts the door. "Look Reece, Dad is fine, nothing would've -"

"Stay out of this James. I mean it." Reece says quietly, a finger pointed at his brother in anger which makes him throw his hands up. "And you," he turns to me, still a good few feet away. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Look whatever I did to upset you I'm sorry, I just wanted to know if you'd be okay, I knew dad would be there for the hearing so I figured it must've been important so I...I didn't think I just -"

"Yes you didn't think Iris, you didn't think about your safety, you didn't think about what could've happened, you didn't fucking think." Reece is almost shouting now, pacing the large living room. I feel the urge to cower but I don't, instead taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry that this has you so mad but I'm not going to apologize for trying to be there for you -"

"I didn't fucking ask Iris! I'd rather you don't be there at all, what if he would've seen you and known who you are and what you mean to -" Abruptly he ends his sentence. His eyes are hard as he looks away from me. "That man can be manipulative. Being in prison has changed him, he only thinks about himself most of the time. He is the kind of man that would've leveraged you, or worse." He folds his arms with a hard look on his face. "I don't need you or want you to be there when this shit is going on."

"Reece, you're being -" James starts and takes a step forward.

"Not a word from you James. This is my decision and it's for everyone's good."

My stupid eyes well with tears frustratingly. "Fine." I utter in a deadly quiet voice. I know when I'm not needed, so I swivel and open the door, bolting towards the elevator before either of them can say anything.

As the elevator panels close my eyes clash with Reece's grey and dangerous-looking orbs, warning me that I'd pay for running away. I avert my eyes as the doors shut and take me away from him.

****

Reece

I sit down at the breakfast bar in my kitchen as James slides a cup of coffee my way with a few toast slices on a plate.

"Huh, you didn't burn it, what a surprise," I say and look at him with a raised eyebrow, at which James shoots me an unimpressed blank look as he sits on the opposite side with his own plate. There is also eggs on a frying pan which he places near us and serves on both our plates. The shock must have been showing on my face because James rolls his eyes. "Amanda taught me a bit when I went to visit her, don't look so horrified it'll taste fine. Mostly." He shoots a quick grin at me.

I scroll through my phone to check for messages as we eat, seeing nothing from Iris and expecting not to either. A little while after, James slides his now empty plate a little away from himself, and I can feel his eyes on mine.

"Just say whatever you want to," I grumble and close my phone, placing it to the side.

I look up just in time to see him shrug nonchalantly but his shrewd eyes give him away. "Just figured it's high time I ask you what's going on between you and Iris."

I meet his eyes with a challenge in mine. "Don't even go there right now. And before you start lecturing me on what I said yesterday, you know you agree with me, she wouldn't have been safe there, if Dad would've seen her he would know and he wouldn't just do nothing about it-"

"Look I agree that her being there wasn't the best...I mean, situation, but it's not like she knew this would be a risk, she genuinely cares about you, Reece." He blows out a breath and I can see, for the first time, that he also cares about her because there's a glint of annoyance in his eyes which I almost never see unless he actually gives a shit about something.

My eyes narrow on his. "James, don't tell me you fucking - "

He immediately gets the gist of what I'm asking. "What? No, dude, of course not." He starts laughing. "You think I want to be murdered by you? The first time I saw her and you in the same room I knew there was no stopping whatever explosive thing you guys have between you." He sighs, and I lean back in my chair and look away. "Look I know what you're trying to do - you think she's safer without you in her life so you're finding ways to push her away, but that never ends well, trust me. When I pushed Amanda away but she kept coming back, I realized real quick I was lucky to have her as my best friend but I knew that if I'd pushed more, I'd have lost her forever...don't take that risk with Iris, Reece. She's amazing, and you deserve her no matter what you think about the matter."

It was the most I'd heard James speak in a go since some time. I absentmindedly traced the pattern on my wooden table as he got up and took both our plates to the sink, thinking about the green-eyed girl I'd never really stopped thinking about.