The Risks we take

Twenty

Reed

Sweating. Nausea. Can't sleep. Can't eat. Fever.

I'm withdrawing from a drug I've never even had as mine after 6 days. I'd called him her boyfriend and she didn't even deny it this time. Just blinked. Staring at me. That was one of the most civil conversations we'd had and it came from me knowing she wanted to scream at me. And I only followed her because anything was better than nothing from her. Having her scream at me or yell or whatever she wanted was better than nothing. But for 6 days, I'd had nothing. No accidental run ins. No texts, no posts online. Nothing.

I was kind of hoping after that she'd text me to check in. She could tell something was wrong. She didn't yell despite glaring at me all night. Just said it was exhausting her. She looked it. Like she hadn't been sleeping either.

I stared at the glass on my kitchen counter. The ice cube sat in it slightly melting. Whiskey still in the bottle waiting for me to finish it off. I'd bought it after the wedding. Dropped Savannah home and grabbed it from the store. Emptied half the bottle the same night. Almost a bottle a day. But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to drown it out tonight. The nausea was hitting so much harder. I wanted to numb it all. A job the Jack Daniels hadn't been able to do but I kept drinking until I'd passed out.

I knew why my gut had been stopping me from pouring when my phone lit up on the counter with her name. I reached for it so quickly, the bottle tipped, spilling whiskey across my counter.

"Sloane?"

"Reed?" She sniffed. Voice broken. "I uh- god you're so stupid Sloane. Sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"What's wrong princess?" Where the fuck did I put my car keys? She took a shaky breathe over the phone, wind blowing through the microphone. "Where are you?"

"I don't- I don't really know. Sorry for calling. I know it's late. Go back to sleep-"

"I wasn't asleep Sloane. Tell me what's going on. Where are you?"

"I don't-"

"Send me your location pin." She was crying. I could hear her little whimpers down the phone as I ran up the stairs, taking 3 at a time, pulling my wardrobe open, pulling a sweater off the hooks before running back down the stairs and out of my door, turning the key in the door before the motion activated lights even picked up that I was there. My phone buzzed by my ear and I pulled back to see exactly where she was. "Do you need me to come get you?"

"Uh- No. I can-"

"If you say order an Uber right now-"

"I- how did you-"

"There's a diner, on the left hand side if you walk to the corner of where you are, you should see it. I'm on my way but go down there. Go inside. Tell them you're waiting for me."

"You know where I am?"

"Princess, you're in a really shitty neighbourhood okay? I don't want to stress you out more but the sooner you're in that diner, the better we'll both feel."

"I'm in just a tee shirt Reed." I'll kill him. Whoever the fuck has left her in the Bronx alone at 1am in just a tee shirt is going to die a long, horrible death. That's a promise.

"The owner's my bio mom Sloane. She'll sort you out. I've got you a hoodie here. I'll be 10 minutes."

"You're bio mum?" God I love her accent.

"Mhm. I found her last year. We're not super close but it's a hell of a lot better than you standing on the street right now."

"I didn't know you didn't know her."

"My dad adopted me when I was 5." She went quiet on the other end. "Are you going?"

"It's so cold."

"I know princess." I put my foot down, not caring what limits I was breaking, I'd pay the fucking fines. I heard a bell, followed closely by Kiara's welcoming call. She stammered that I'd told her to wait there and my mother started fussing telling her to come in that she'd find a blanket and get her some coffee and I somewhat relaxed, able to focus more on getting to her alive.

When I got to the diner a few minutes later, I burst through the door, instantly seeing her sat, wrapped in a blanket eating a slice of pie with my mom sat opposite her them both talking quietly.

Mascara stains streaked down her cheeks, eyes red and puffy and sure enough, she was only wearing some guys tee shirt. I bit back my rage. She needs you right now Reed. Focus.

"Here." I bent down to her side, pulling the hoodie over her before she even looked up at me. Pulling the hood over her head, her green eyes looked up at me, instantly filling with tears. "You're okay."

"You came."

"I told you if you needed me I would didn't I? No matter where or when." I pressed a lingering kiss on her forehead, breathing in that all too familiar scent of peaches that made me want to change my own routines to whatever hers was just to cover myself in it too. My mom put a hand on my shoulder and I turned my head to her.

"Get her home Reed. She's had a shit night." I nodded, pulling the blankets off her. She didn't say a word other than a quick thank you to Kiara as I closed the door and ran round the other side to get in myself. I'd have to come back in a few days to thank her properly.

"I need to know your address Prince-"

"That's the first place he'll go." She whispered and I nodded, half acknowledging that it would be my place, half acknowledging that I'd need to call Theo to ask him to help me hide a body soon. Maybe even Logan would help in all fairness.

"Okay. My place it is." I grabbed her hand, holding on tight as I pulled out the parking lot.

"Reed?"

"Yes Princess?"

"What did you mean by I didn't break your trust?" Oh lord.

"Well exactly that. You didn't break my trust. I trust you."

"Oh."

"You broke my heart. Not my trust."

"I broke your heart?" I nodded. "How?"

"We can do this tomorrow Sloane. You need-"

"I need to know Reed. I haven't slept in a week." I sucked in a slow sharp breathe, pulling into the drive and turning to her. Why were we always having in depth conversations in the front drive of my place after she's had a crap night?

"I love you."

"What?" I smiled at the shock on her face. Genuinely confused. Frozen. "I- You-"

"Want me to say it again?"

"No. You're a liar. It doesn't- you said- what the fuck is going on? Is this some kind of sick joke? Pick the girl up from almost being sexually assaulted and tell her you love her when it doesn't-"

"It does Sloane. I know I've stupidly somehow convinced you it doesn't. I know you think I'm being stupid right now but know I do because there is no way something should just hurt this much if I didn't love it first. I haven't slept a solid night without drinking myself blind since you left that hotel room and told me it meant nothing to you. I hate that it's taken me this fucking long to work it out."

"You love me?"

"I love you."

"And you're not lying?"

"Do I look like I'm lying Sloane? I would rather set myself on fire and drink a gallon of gasoline."

"Stealing my phrases." She scowled.

"Come on, let's get you to bed. I'll find you some pants."

"I'm not wearing one of little miss sunshine's pair-"

"My pants Sloane. Boxers or jogging bottoms. I don't have anyone else's clothes here and even if I did, I wouldn't be putting you in them." I pushed my car door open but she grabbed my hand, keeping me sat right there. "Sloane-"

"I love you too."