Wicked Games

20 - Eliana

Chapter Twenty | Eliana

Reid has been super quiet the last twenty-four hours. Ever since he left the room to talk to Ivan, he came back a shell of himself. His face looked to be in utter shock before he thought he could cover it up without me noticing. I tried to make him tell me what Ivan had told him, but he said that it was nothing important, and that I should get some rest.

I don't believe him.

Ivan obviously told him something very important because he has barely said a word to me.

At the moment, I'm ignoring Reid's glares as I put on my boots, place a bulletproof vest over my chest, and then slip on my coat before checking to see if my guns are secure in my holsters. 

"You shouldn't be on this mission, you're still recovering from being poisoned." He states, and I pause what I'm doing to give him my attention.

"I'm fine," I tell him, but no matter how many times I reassure him that I feel absolutely peachy, he doesn't believe me. "Why don't you tell me what Ivan told you the other day?" I tilt my head and give him a tight smile.

Reid is sitting in a chair in the corner of the hotel room, nervously bouncing his right muscular leg that is covered in a pair of black cargos, and my mouth waters at the sight of him. His black t-shirt clings tightly to his body, moulding against every single muscle, and I quietly groan to myself.

He runs his fingers through his dark brown, wavy hair.

"I'll tell you when we're home." I squint my eyes at him and cross my arms over my chest.

"Why are we keeping secrets from each other all of a sudden?" My voice is low, and he can tell that I'm not impressed with his decision not to tell me what Ivan said. "You don't like Ivan and now you're all buddy buddy, keeping each other's secrets?"

Reid's face goes stoic, and it frustrates the fuck out of me. He stands to his full height and closes the distance between us, towering over me with his six-foot-six frame. His gaze travels down my body, and I focus solely on his blind eye because for some stupid reason, all though he can't see shit out of it, it gives me more than what his functioning eye does. It's like I can read it more; like it's calling out to me.

The cloudy white colour, which was once green, is like a blank cinema screen that plays every single memory Reid has experienced.

"We always made pinky promises not to keep secrets from one another, Reid." I turn my gaze back onto the functioning eye which is heavy with tiredness. He's still very much in shock about how he could have lost me. And in all honesty, I don't think it's hit me completely, it's like I'm numb to it all. Just another thing to add to the list of traumatic shit I've been through. 

"Yeah, well we're not children anymore, are we baby?" He rasps, grabbing a hold of my right hand and lacing our fingers together. "And did you not hear me the first time? I told you I will tell you when we get home."

"But I don't understand why you can't just tell me now?" I'm being pushy and annoying, I know it, but I can't help but feel like Reid is trying to protect someone who shouldn't be protected, hence why he is waiting until we're out of the war zone to tell me. "I'll just go and ask Ivan, I'm sure he'll tell me." Reid's sharp jaw clenches.

"You're not gonna ask him anything, little butterfly and he ain't gonna tell you anything either." I huff and pull my hand away from his.

"I'll meet you in the van. Don't forget your vest." I speak before storming out of the hotel room and toward the lift. 

I'm hyperaware of my surroundings since being poisoned, and I haven't told Reid, but I haven't eaten since. Reid brings me food, and he checks it for me, but I can't bring myself to actually eat it, so when he's distracted by something else, I throw it away. And almost as if my stomach can hear my thoughts it begins to rumble.