Why Do You Love Me ── MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER

xvi. one time

.·゜゜·　　·゜゜·．

REINA'S POV

I have been particularly touchy in the last few days, I'm not ashamed to admit it. Maybe it has to do with the fact that my boss is being particularly annoying with his demands from me, or maybe that Liana actually did get her period and I'm now dealing with a moody teenager who thinks staying at my house is an excuse for her to live out all her fantasies, or it might even be the fact that I haven't seen Matthew in over a week and I'm angry at myself for missing him.

It's most likely all of the above.

I've been fairly obvious about it too. All my coworkers have been avoiding me, I can tell, and even Liana has gone out of her way to wake up before me so she'll be ready to head out the moment I wake up. Not complaining because I usually like to be by myself anyway, but it does bother me that my feelings are so transparent recently.

I wasn't like this. I prided myself in keeping up this facade of being put together and okay all the time. But recently, it's become harder and harder to keep that facade up. It's like there's just one crack in my wall, and everything is leaking out of that one crack.

I blame Matthew for that one. Ever since the hedge maze confession, I've been working on patching that crack, but day by day it's become harder.

I just wanna be the same Reina I was a few months ago, and it's so frustrating to know I'm straying further and further away from who that woman was.

But that's a problem for another time. My focus right now is on work.

I flatten my hair, trying to look at least a little put together after getting scolded for the last twenty minutes by my boss, and right on time, the elevator dings as it opens. I'm fully prepared to strut back to my office with utmost confidence and then let myself aggressively type on my computer until I feel better, but my plans are put on halt as I spot a scene the moment I step out. There's usually a commotion at the receptionist desk, Tabitha holds no shame in her title of being the office gossip, but this time is different. The only occupants at the desk are female; all six of the people stood there are women. And the men of the office seem to be upset by what's taking place. Obviously something there is captivating the girls' attention, and in typical alpha male fashion, the men are upset about it.

Time to see what it's about.

I step further onto the floor, until I make it to the receptionists desk, where the girls attempt to make themselves look busy. I see a few not so subtly taking glances in one direction, so naturally I follow their gaze to see what it is. Turns out it isn't a what, it's a who.