To Love, To Fight, To Win

Chapter 13

I brushed up against Reif and looked at him with doting eyes while we walked toward my apartment at a comfortable pace, making sure that it seemed we hadn't done something illegal or anything like that.

Reif looked at me and took his hand from mine, ignoring the scowl on my face while I narrowed my eyes in warning. He placed his arm around my waist and pulled me toward him before he placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

I rolled my eyes and scowled but didn't say a word while I looked forward and away from him, earning a small chuckle from the male beside me. I closed my eyes just a tad and leaned my head closer to his shoulder, biting back a tired sigh.

"Did you think I was going to leave you alone, Riles?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, tucking his head closer to his chest while he stared at me with a small smirk on his face. "I wouldn't do that to you, you know that right?"

I rolled my eyes and pressed my lips into a thinner line. "Very funny, Reif," I grumbled while I pursed my lips in annoyance and wrinkled my nose in disgust. "I didn't know that you were going to do that and was worried about whatever you wanted to do to me."

Reif hummed and slowly nodded while he bit back a small smile, amuse. "I know," he said and squeezed my side, biting back a tired sigh before he cleared his throat and grew serious. "Now, how was the date, Love?" he asked and cocked his head while he studied me with a small smile on his face, changing the subject. He raised an eyebrow in question while he studied me with the smile growing larger. "Did you have fun?"

I rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line and biting back an annoyed sigh. "Shut up, Reif," I grumbled and narrowed my eyes with a small scowl on my face, and Reif snickered and nudged my arm, teasingly. "Why do you have to ask me those types of questions?"

"Because this was a date, Riles, and I want to make sure that you had an amazing time tonight."

I rolled my eyes and nudged his side, and he snickered some more while he squeezed my side. "Very funny," I said coldly. I sighed and leaned my head closer to his side and moved further inward to him when we passed someone, closing my eyes and trusting him with my life. "I had fun, but I would much rather be home and in bed than going on a date with you."

"Awww, don't hurt me like that," Reif said with a small sniffle and a pout, and I could tell that he was amused and not upset at all. "Why do you have to say something mean like that? That hurt."

'Because it is the truth." I rolled my eyes again while I scowled and opened my eyes. "Don't try to take me out on an actual date, Reif," I warned, my voice barely above a whisper. I looked at him and narrowed my eyes while I stared at him. "I will say no if you do. I hope you know that." I gave him a pointed look and raised both eyebrows in unison.

Reif laughed and slowly nodded while he pulled me closer to him. "I know," he said before he cleared his throat and grew serious. "However, you still have to act as if you are doting on me right now." He flashed me a small wink and a smirk, and I rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line.

Oh, God...

"Very funny, Reif," I grumbled while I rolled my eyes and scowled, and he shrugged with a small smile on his face.

"I know," he said and placed a kiss on my head, and I had to bite back a small gag so that I wouldn't accidentally throw up. "I thought it was." He flashed me a small wink with a small innocent smile on his face, and I rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line before I bit back a tired sigh and closed my eyes just a tad. "You do love me, though."

"No, I don't," I said and shook my head. "You think that I love you, but I don't." I opened my eyes and looked around to make sure that we were still safe before I nudged him to go down an alleyway, and Reif did what I told him to do and started to walk down the alleyway. "I can't stand you."

"Mmmmhmm, sure," he said and rolled his eyes, sarcastically. He pulled me closer to him and rubbed my back with his thumb, leaving a trail of something behind its wake. "You are the one that is wanting to be like this," he said and pulled me even closer to him even more. He looked around before he looked at me, pressing his lips into a thin line.

Worry flashed through his eyes, and I could tell that he wondered why we were going down this way when we could have taken the road that we had been on all the way down to my apartment building.

"I can get in the other way," I said and shook my head, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat and licked my lips. "I don't know if there are people in front of my apartment building or not, and I don't want to find out."

Reif pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly nodded. He didn't say a word and looked around before he looked at me. His whole body was still tense, and I could tell that he was worried about someone else being in the alleyway with us, even though we were both trained fighters and able to take care of ourselves if it comes down to it.

I rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line, while I turned to look away from him, without saying a word. My whole body was still tense, and I knew that I would be tense until we were somewhere safe like my apartment with the doors locked and blinds drawn.

"Do you think they know where you live?" Reif asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question, and the worry grew deeper in his eyes while he stared at me, studying me with something in his eyes that I did not like.

"Probably," I said and shrugged and grimaced. "I hope not, but that isn't something that I will not be surprised about if they do." I bit back a tired sigh and moved a hand through my hair while I shook my head and pursed my lips in annoyance. "They probably know where you live, too."

Reif silently swore and set his jaw, and he grabbed me tighter. His whole body grew tense while he looked at me, and I could tell that he did not like the fact that they would know where he lived too. "Are you going to try to run?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he changed the subject and raised an eyebrow in question. "Or are you going to stay put?"

I bit back another tired sigh and shook my head while I pursed my lips in annoyance. "I don't know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper because a part of me wanted to leave and make sure that they never find me ever again. "But what I do know is that we will talk about this later when we get back to my apartment. Ok?"

Reif hesitated before he slowly nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line, releasing my side just a tad. "Promise?" Reif asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he looked at me from the corner of his eye.

I hesitated before I slowly nodded in confirmation. "Promise," I said before I picked up my pace, and Reif followed my lead without either of us saying another word.

Oh, God keep us safe.

Please, because I had no idea what I would do if I wasn't...