LOVE THY ENEMY - REECE WALSH.

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑵

———{1️⃣}———

Reece stirred from his uneasy slumber, his head pounding like a drum. The aftermath of his decision to drink alone was hitting him hard. On top of that, he had a scheduled interview to discuss his condition following the previous night's game. Everything was going well until the inevitable question about Tatiana emerged.

He cleared his throat and looked to the ground for a second. "Ah, she's a nice girl that I went to school with.. But not really my type." Reece gave one last smile before the interview ended and he finally had the chance to go see his daughter Leila. He didn't want to lie about his feelings for Tatiana, but he also didn't want to let the world know he was serious about a girl before he had the chance to tell Leila's mother, Freda Puru.

It was a big thing and he had to talk to his daughter's mother before making any decisions like that out of the mutual respect and understanding they had for each other even though they were no longer romantically involved in one another. Reece felt bad but he knew Tatiana would understand why he worded things like that. Tatiana knew how Reece truly felt about her...

———{2️⃣}———

Tatiana stirred awake in bed and reached for her phone, a smile gracing her lips as she scanned through the notifications. However, her expression quickly shifted to anger and disbelief as she came across images and videos of Reece in bed with another woman. "What the hell..." Tatiana murmured, her eyes narrowing as she took in the sight before her. Without further delay, she picked up her phone and dialed Reece's number, her sigh soft yet brimming with frustration.

Reece spoke into the phone cheerfully, "Hey, love." His joyous greeting was met with a sharp eye roll from Tatiana. She immediately lashed out at him, "What the fuck, Reece?!" Reece assumed that she was upset after seeing the interview and suggested discussing it over lunch. "How can we have lunch when I'm still in Brisbane?" Reece was taken aback by Tatiana's revelation, his smile fading quickly. Confusion registered on his face as he responded, "Wait, what?" The reality that the girl he had been with the night before was not Tatiana began to sink in.

Reece let out an awkward chuckle, realizing that Tatiana's anger wasn't about the interview after all. His eyes widened, and he said sheepishly, "Uh, so you're not mad about the interview...?" Tatiana's disappointment was evident as she let out a sigh at his words. "What have you done, Reece?" she asked, her voice laced with disapproval before turning her tv on.

Tatiana switched on the television and footage of the interview Reece had conducted moments ago began playing before her eyes. Tatiana's expression grew stern as the reporter on the television screen repeated Reece's words: "Ah, she's a nice girl I went to school with, but not quite my type." The statement hit Tatiana like a punch to the gut.

Tatiana's heart ached as she watched the interview playback, her emotions transported back to her high school days. She felt a mixture of anger and pain as she realized that Reece was once again concealing his true feelings about her. Memories of past deceits washed over her, stirring up feelings of betrayal and disappointment for the male.

"Reece, can you hear me?" Tatiana breathed out, waiting for his response over the phone as tears welled in her eyes. Reece responded to Tatiana's voice. "Yes, I can hear you," he said, his tone softer now. He detected the hint of tears in her voice and instinctively knew that something was wrong. "Good." She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "So you can hear this clearly when I tell you that I want nothing to do with you." Tatiana said in a serious tone, breathing out. "You really hurt me, I'm not doing this shit again with you."

Reece's eyes widened as Tatiana's words hit him like a punch to the gut. He felt a pang of guilt and shock as she expressed her desire to cut off all contact with him. Her serious tone resonated with him, and he could hear the hurt and anger in her voice "Ana, wait..." Reece tried to intervene, struggling to find the right words to respond. However, Tatiana wasn't finished yet.