Bodyguard: Ace Cain

|36| Under Contract

|Under Contract|

After crying for hours, I woke up on the cold ground, unable to remember when I had fallen asleep. My heartfelt painfully heavy, unlike anything I had ever experienced before, and I was certain I never wanted to feel that way again. Ace had abandoned me without properly explaining why, and it felt as though my heart was shattered like pieces of glass.

I couldn't stay on the floor indefinitely, though getting myself together was difficult. My body felt weak from neglecting to eat, and my emotional state was a complete wreck. To make matters worse, I desperately needed to use the restroom. The situation was becoming increasingly aggravating as time passed, and I felt trapped, unable to act freely.

I dragged myself to the door and called out to whoever was standing guard.

"Hey, you!" I yelled as loudly as I could. "I could use some assistance!"

After a few seconds, someone responded, "Reign, you're awake!" They sounded far too cheerful for such a bleak predicament.

Their cheerful tone helped me identify who I was speaking with though. "Tyler? Is that you?" He always had a positive outlook on everything.

"Yeah, long time no see," he laughed. "You've been sleeping for hours."

I had so many questions racing through my mind, but my urgent need to use the restroom forced me to put them on hold. I hadn't heard Tyler's voice in a long time. Even though Hailey and I had reconciled, I still preferred Tyler. Although we never really had a one-on-one conversation, I felt now was as good a time as any.

"Tyler, this might be a lot to ask," I explained, "but I need to go to the bathroom urgently, and, um, I can't walk."

It didn't seem to be an issue for him, as I could hear him unlocking the door. His eyes widened when he saw me lying on the ground, clearly taken aback by my appearance. It had been a long three days, and Ace breaking up with me made things even worse. My hair was disheveled, my cheeks were stained with tears, and I was sure that I had lost all color in my face.

Instead of commenting, Tyler scooped me up and carried me to the restroom. My head rested against his chest, as simply holding it up felt too exhausting. We walked down a long hallway, the sound of his footsteps echoing with every step. Although we didn't know each other well, it was clear that Tyler wanted to make an effort to engage me in conversation.

"Have you eaten anything?" he asked, echoing the same question Ace had asked me. It seemed they were definitely in sync with one another.

I exhaled deeply. "Not exactly," I replied. "I'm afraid I'll be drugged again," I admitted.

He nodded. "Yeah, I probably wouldn't trust Noel either," he conceded. "But you still have to eat. What would Ace think?" His tone became more serious, and the cheerfulness faded as he scolded me for being reckless. This was the first time I had heard him speak so solemnly, and his voice was surprisingly soothing.

However, the mention of Ace bothered me. Tyler had no idea what had transpired between us; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought up his name. He knew that Ace and I had shared something special, but I wasn't sure if he had been present to hear our earlier conversation.

My hand tightened its grip on his shirt as I fought back tears that threatened to spill over once again. "I'm sure he wouldn't care," I admitted painfully. "At least, not anymore."

Tyler looked down at me, puzzled, but he didn't say anything else. When we reached the restroom, he gently set me down. I rushed inside as quickly as I could to use it. Once I was finished, I looked in the mirror, and it wasn't a pretty sight. A splash of water on my face didn't help much, but I ran some water through my hair to make it look better. The puffiness in my eyes was unavoidable; I was sure it was due to my weeping.