Open Heart AU 1 (Ethan Ramsey x Valerie Valentine)

Midnight Confessions: AU1 Chapter 27

Ethan

A loud knocking at my door pulled me up from the comforts of the couch after a long day. Even though I know who's on the other side, the news that comes with her is being left to my imagination...

Until Now.

I opened the door and a small woman came hurdling into the apartment in such a whirlwind that it took me a moment to register that she wasn't in front of me, but rather now behind me, frantically pacing up and down, drenched from the rain that had be pouring all evening.

"Valentine. How can I help you?" I raised a brow as I closed the door.

"You can't help! That's the issue!" she said, out of breath, stressing about something. And her reaction to whatever it is is enough for me to be concerned.

I approached her with a furrowed, anxious brow and held her shoulders, stopping her from moving any more frantically than she had already done so since entering not even 30 seconds ago..

"V." I tried to catch her glance and once I did, it became obvious she had been crying, her tears mixing with the water droplets that were dotted across her face.

"Ethan...I...There's something I should have told you, but I was scared...and I didn't understand it, I don't understand it for god sake, but I need to tell you now." She stated, speaking quickly and nervously.

I raised my brow again and said "I'm all ears."

She gulped and pushed her hair back, removing her gaze from mine briefly, allowing a fresh set of tears to roll down her cheeks before looking back at me.

"June...The other week, when you and Baz came into the office and she and I had been talking? I had accidentally knocked her bag from her shoulder when I stood up from the desk, and when it fell to the floor, a file came out... My file."

"Your File? Valentine, what do you mean?" I furrowed my brow.

"My employee file. She had it, Ethan. And when I asked why, she said you had needed it, which I knew wasn't true! So when I explained to her that I knew that was a lie, she said that she wanted. She wanted someone else on her side on the diagnostics team so she read my file and manipulated me so I would be on her side..."

I closed my eyes and sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"...she said you two don't see eye to eye on anything so she wanted to level the playing field out in the room...."

She gulped before continuing and I raised my eyes up to her and she watched my eyes intently, trying to read them before continuing.

"...because....because....she knows we have a history."

Valentine

His eyes widened.

Shock radiated from his eyes but was not portrayed on the rest of his face.

"Excuse me?"

At those words, my heart started to beat even faster than it had been, my pulse ringing out in my ears.

"She knows about whatever it is we had...or have, Ethan...." My shoulders sunk.

I haven't even came to the worst of it and he started to pace himself, running his hand over his chin, not looking at me in the eyes for a very long moment.

"Ethan...please...say something..." I tried not to let my voice shake while I spoke.

His voice was level, but his angry tone laced it. One that I have learned to easily distinguish between his other 'tones'