Free Web NovelChapter 117: We Can’t Be
The knock on the door untangled Skyla from her burdened thoughts. With a sigh, she got up and answered it. Zyair was standing there with his hand on the door frame, seeming even taller than he already was.
"Come have dinner, you must be hungry."
He had already cooked dinner while she was battling her feelings for him and planning on how to stay away.
"OK!" She answered softly and followed him to the kitchen island. Both of them sat down to enjoy the fried chicken and veggies Zyair had expertly cooked.
One look at her and Zyair knew something was wrong. She wasn’t smiling or blushing anymore which she usually did in his presence. She was quietly eating but her eyes were focused on somewhere else.
"Skyla! What’s wrong?" He couldn’t hold back his concern.
She shook her head, "Nothing, just thinking about getting back to work tomorrow."
"Don’t lie. Tell me what’s wrong?" He wiped his hands with a tissue and placed his mask back on before turning to face her.
She was sitting still like a statue, frozen in her thoughts so he touched her chin, making her face him.
"Talk to me, will you?"
His tentative gaze held hers disturbed one.
"Why are you helping me Zyair? Just because I helped you or is there something else too?" She probed while he still held onto her chin, not letting it go. His vulnerability peeked at her, she was his only weak spot.
"What if I say I like you? And want a chance to explore more of this relationship. Once you are ready, whenever you are ready."
She quietly pushed her chin out of his hand and tore her eyes away. Her action was like a whetted knife stabbing directly into his heart.
"I am married, don’t you know?"
"Seriously Skyla? You are going to give me this sham of a marriage logic. That’s not marriage, that’s abuse and control. You deserve better than that." Zyair crossed his arms, and lines of agitation crowded his forehead.
"I have my reasons to continue it," she responded in a small voice, putting her fork down. She had hardly eaten.
"Reasons? I thought there was only one reason. What are you hiding Skyla? Does he threaten you?" Zyair’s nails pierced the skin of his palms, and his eyes hardened. He was not a fool to remain oblivious to the fact that Doran was using some kind of threats to hold her to his side.
"Does it matter?" She pushed her plate away and placed her elbows on the island, clearly frustrated with the situation at hand.
How could she ever tell him? Nothing good was going to come of it.
"Yes, it does. It matters to me, everything about you matters to me." Zyair’s anger was rising with every passing second. Not on the woman in front of him but on the man who had destroyed her life. Made her the way she was, not trusting anyone, afraid, battling anxiety and whatnot.
"It shouldn’t. Leave me be," she muttered with finality and tried to escape towards the room. He judged her action and caught her wrist, holding her in place.
"I can’t Skyla. My heart won’t allow it."
She had slowly seeped into his dark frigid heart, her warm and bright personality had not only lighted it but kindled emotions he never thought could exist for him.
"Please! Let me go. Whatever this is can’t continue. I will never get romantically involved with you. Can’t we go back to the way things were before? Where I didn’t have to cross that line with you and we comfortably worked together. Why are you making this difficult for me?"
The pain coated her face resulting in a stinging ache erupting in his chest. It intensified and spread to his whole body. But he didn’t want to hold her against her wishes and knew she needed time.
He let go of her wrist but the action hurt him as the connection between them was severed.
"You know very well, we can’t. Just sleep on it and think about what I said," he requested in barely a whisper. If only she would know how much she meant to him. If only she would let him show her.
"Good night!" She whispered with a sniffle and ran away to the room, locking herself inside. She slid down the floor with her back pressed to the door.
Her knees came together and her arms cradled them as Skyla buried her head in her thighs and silently cried.
Zyair sat there speechless for a while. She didn’t answer his last question and told him they couldn’t be. The rational part of him knew it was because of Doran but there was an insecure part of him too which said she would never want to be with a man like him. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
He was a son of a whore and she was the epitome of innocence.
Didn’t she clearly reject him and his advances? Should he give up?
Could he give up?
His heart hurt, his head ached, and no matter what he tried he couldn’t get her out of his system. How was he to give up on her?
With a wounded heart, he finally gathered himself and cleared the dishes. He then proceeded to collect and iron her laundered clothes.
He took extra care in pressing her pantsuit. The teal colour suited her immensely and made her hair stand out. He loved seeing her in this.
His hands caressed every part of the fabric as if he were trying to imbue it with his essence. He neatly hung it on a hanger and carefully hooked it to her door handle so she would find it in the morning.
Zyair then stayed just outside her door with his hand pressed on it, trying to hear if she was crying. He couldn’t hear any sound from inside and he prayed that she had gone to sleep. The last thing he wanted was for her to cry herself to sleep. For he was sure she already did that on most nights.
"Good night, Skyla," he whispered before sighing heavily and walking away to his room. He shut the door in frustration and tore away his mask only to throw it away. She was just a breath away and he couldn’t even hold her.
Angry at himself, angry at his shitty luck and angry at the world Zyair flopped himself onto the bed and tried to sleep which evaded him.
