Reese hated how she was holding all this anger towards him. She needed to do as Phillip said and let it go. They were done, he was dead to her, so why did she allow herself to hate him so? Why was being in a room with him, alone, making her want to gouge out his eyeballs? This should be easy. Pick a damn song to show the expert class he was teaching and be done with him, but it wasn’t that easy. He wanted to show off both their skills and she had no problem doing that, but he wanted to do it together in a couple’s dance like they used to do all the time. And that was a huge problem since she hadn’t touched him in years and the thought of their bodies touching again had her on edge.
“Why are you scowling at me?”
Reese scowled even more. “Because I don’t like you, and I don’t want to be in this room with you.”
He laughed as he came off the wall, his brown eyes locked on hers. “I always loved how blunt you were, never really hid what you were thinking.”
She watched him walk towards her, tucking his phone in his pocket before standing in front of her. He was close enough to kiss or even for her to backhand him, but she decided against both as he said, “I miss that about you.”
Pushing him away, she said, “You don’t have the right to miss anything about me. Shut up and let’s get this done.”
“Why are you so mad? Shouldn’t you be over all that by now? It was eons ago.”
She glared. “How can you not expect me to be angry with what you did to me?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It wasn’t a big deal. We had a fling. It had to end.”
She swore she was about to have steam coming out of her ears and look like one of those crazy cartoons. “Are you flipping crazy? It was no fling. I loved you, and you loved me. You told me so countless times. How dare you say that?”
This wasn’t going to work. There was no way she was going to be able to dance with him. No, she was going to break his kneecaps and throw his body out the damn window!
Holding out his hands in a calm-down motion, he said, “Whoa, calm down, killer. I know that you loved me, shit Reese, I f**king loved you, with all of me, but it came down to what was more important. My family or you, and it was my family.”
Reese felt tears sting her eyes. “That’s fine, because I completely agree, but you should have never made me believe that I was it, that I was yours! You should have told me you had a wife and child!”
He shrugged. “You’re right, but it wasn’t that easy. I had to have you. I was attracted the moment I saw you. Your body was, and still, is killer. Your face was gorgeous and when you moved, I couldn’t breathe. I know it was wrong of me but if I had told you about my family, you wouldn’t have slept with me. I needed to have you.”
She blanched as she looked into his hard, brown eyes. “You’re f**king right!” she screamed. “I would have never loved you. I would have never done anything. You would have been completely off limits, because I’m no f**king home wrecker! But you made me one! You broke my heart, and you made me into a whore! You chased me off from the one place that held my dreams because I couldn’t bear being seen as your other woman. You ruined me, Kevin, when all you were supposed to do was love me and help me reach my goal and dreams. I thought you were that person, and I was wrong. So damn wrong.”
She shook her head as she looked away. She felt the tears wanting to fall but, thank God, she didn’t allow them to. She had cried enough over Kevin Edds, and she wouldn’t allow herself to do it any longer. Instead, she looked back at him like he was the most disgusting piece of trash in the dumpster. She had thought so highly of him, she thought she knew him, but she was wrong. “You used me. You misled me into thinking that the things I felt and the dreams I had for us were within reach when they weren’t. So yes, I am still mad. But don’t you even think for a second that it is because I am still in love with you. Because believe me, I’m not. This moment right now solidifies that. I am disgusted with myself for ever loving you. I wasted my love on you. I allowed you to ruin me. I hate that, but let me tell you right now,” she said, taking a step towards him, “I’ll never make that mistake again.”
Saying those words were what she needed. This was what she needed. This moment to tell Kevin Edds that he was dead to her. She felt like the weight of the world was taken off her chest, and she could breathe again. She could live her life without ever thinking of this man again, thinking of the what ifs. This man used her, and it took him saying the things he had to make her realize that. She had done no wrong back then, it was all him, and knowing that help her cope with all the anger she had in her. He was out to get her, he was the villain in their love story, and she was glad to no longer be a part of it. It was like she was closing the book on them, and she was completely fine with that.
Taking another step towards him, she looked up and smiled as she said, “Now let’s get this done and then do this class. When you walk out my doors to the van that holds your family, know that this is the last time we will ever see each other or talk. When you see me in the dance world, look the other way, because we have nothing to say to each other. Love your wife and only your wife; don’t ever do to her what you did again. I don’t know how she stays with you, maybe she doesn’t know, but that isn’t my problem, it’s yours. You have to live with that and live what you have done to me, but I don’t think you care, so let’s get this done and never see each other again.”
“Why are you scowling at me?”
Reese scowled even more. “Because I don’t like you, and I don’t want to be in this room with you.”
He laughed as he came off the wall, his brown eyes locked on hers. “I always loved how blunt you were, never really hid what you were thinking.”
She watched him walk towards her, tucking his phone in his pocket before standing in front of her. He was close enough to kiss or even for her to backhand him, but she decided against both as he said, “I miss that about you.”
Pushing him away, she said, “You don’t have the right to miss anything about me. Shut up and let’s get this done.”
“Why are you so mad? Shouldn’t you be over all that by now? It was eons ago.”
She glared. “How can you not expect me to be angry with what you did to me?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It wasn’t a big deal. We had a fling. It had to end.”
She swore she was about to have steam coming out of her ears and look like one of those crazy cartoons. “Are you flipping crazy? It was no fling. I loved you, and you loved me. You told me so countless times. How dare you say that?”
This wasn’t going to work. There was no way she was going to be able to dance with him. No, she was going to break his kneecaps and throw his body out the damn window!
Holding out his hands in a calm-down motion, he said, “Whoa, calm down, killer. I know that you loved me, shit Reese, I f**king loved you, with all of me, but it came down to what was more important. My family or you, and it was my family.”
Reese felt tears sting her eyes. “That’s fine, because I completely agree, but you should have never made me believe that I was it, that I was yours! You should have told me you had a wife and child!”
He shrugged. “You’re right, but it wasn’t that easy. I had to have you. I was attracted the moment I saw you. Your body was, and still, is killer. Your face was gorgeous and when you moved, I couldn’t breathe. I know it was wrong of me but if I had told you about my family, you wouldn’t have slept with me. I needed to have you.”
She blanched as she looked into his hard, brown eyes. “You’re f**king right!” she screamed. “I would have never loved you. I would have never done anything. You would have been completely off limits, because I’m no f**king home wrecker! But you made me one! You broke my heart, and you made me into a whore! You chased me off from the one place that held my dreams because I couldn’t bear being seen as your other woman. You ruined me, Kevin, when all you were supposed to do was love me and help me reach my goal and dreams. I thought you were that person, and I was wrong. So damn wrong.”
She shook her head as she looked away. She felt the tears wanting to fall but, thank God, she didn’t allow them to. She had cried enough over Kevin Edds, and she wouldn’t allow herself to do it any longer. Instead, she looked back at him like he was the most disgusting piece of trash in the dumpster. She had thought so highly of him, she thought she knew him, but she was wrong. “You used me. You misled me into thinking that the things I felt and the dreams I had for us were within reach when they weren’t. So yes, I am still mad. But don’t you even think for a second that it is because I am still in love with you. Because believe me, I’m not. This moment right now solidifies that. I am disgusted with myself for ever loving you. I wasted my love on you. I allowed you to ruin me. I hate that, but let me tell you right now,” she said, taking a step towards him, “I’ll never make that mistake again.”
Saying those words were what she needed. This was what she needed. This moment to tell Kevin Edds that he was dead to her. She felt like the weight of the world was taken off her chest, and she could breathe again. She could live her life without ever thinking of this man again, thinking of the what ifs. This man used her, and it took him saying the things he had to make her realize that. She had done no wrong back then, it was all him, and knowing that help her cope with all the anger she had in her. He was out to get her, he was the villain in their love story, and she was glad to no longer be a part of it. It was like she was closing the book on them, and she was completely fine with that.
Taking another step towards him, she looked up and smiled as she said, “Now let’s get this done and then do this class. When you walk out my doors to the van that holds your family, know that this is the last time we will ever see each other or talk. When you see me in the dance world, look the other way, because we have nothing to say to each other. Love your wife and only your wife; don’t ever do to her what you did again. I don’t know how she stays with you, maybe she doesn’t know, but that isn’t my problem, it’s yours. You have to live with that and live what you have done to me, but I don’t think you care, so let’s get this done and never see each other again.”
