Against All Odds?

16. A Thousand Reasons

-♡♥︎♤♥︎♡⁃
                                     𝗝𝗔𝗬𝗗𝗘𝗡

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 Kathy call me from behind just as Aleesha is about to say something, a surge of frustration consumes me. I'm tempted to follow Aleesha just so I can hear what she wants to tell me and ignore Kathy, who's quickly approaching.

"Goodbye," Aleesha says, and despite my urge to respond, I find myself tongue-tied. I don't want to say goodbye—I want to ask her to wait while I get rid of Kathy, but I don't. Instead, I watch her turn away, her head hanging low as the distance between us grows.

I exhale sharply in frustration, standing still —unable to tear my gaze from her, even as Kathy reaches me.

"Hey, you," Kathy smiles, wrapping her arms around me as though we're close. Instinctively, I gently disentangle myself from her embrace, and a tinge of sadness flickers in her eyes immediately.

"I'm sorry," she says sincerely. "I just can't help it when I see you."

Letting out another sharp breath, I thread my fingers through my short curls, gripping them briefly before dropping my hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to drop something off for my uncle," she replies.

Remembering that her uncle is a police officer, I simply nod.

"And you? What are you doing here?" she asks, her eyes flickering briefly to Aleesha, who's now almost disappearing into the distance, before returning her gaze to me.

"I came to take care of something. Listen, uh, I gotta go," I say, turning on my heel. But just as I'm about to walk away, her voice stops me.

"I know we already talked about us, but I just don't know how to get over you. I'm doing the best I can, and I hope you're not upset that I came at you like that. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Her eyes soften, much like her voice, and I can't help but soften a little.

"You're a good person, Kathy, and I know you've got a big heart. I hope that one day, you'll find what you're looking for," I say, giving her a subtle nod as a goodbye before walking away.

Though I was attracted to her years ago, I don't feel the same way about her anymore. In fact, I don't feel that way toward anyone now—except Aleesha. Unlike with others, I don't just want to have a casual fling with her; she's so much more to me. She's precious, and I don't want to hurt her. I can't deny that the thought of being with her intimately hasn't crossed my mind; I don't want to just make love to her body, but to her mind as well. 

Growing up in a family where love between my parents wasn't shown, I grew up thinking true love was impossible. The idea of finding someone to love, giving them my all, only to end up broken-hearted like my dad still scares me. Even after all these years since their divorce, seeing him devastated and using work as a distraction torments me. I don't want to end up like him!

I don't want to give my all to someone, only for them to tear me apart; but with Aleesha, she makes me want to risk it all. The pace at which my feelings for her are growing has only quickened, especially since her return, and it scares me.

I know she's forbidden—she's Corey's sister. And even though he and I aren't speaking, I still feel the need to be loyal to him. Remembering how protective he is of her, I know I can't hurt him again.