Lighting a Match in the Rain

Chapter Twenty-Five

My eyes stuck to him as he drove fast down the road. I was starting to like that smirk of his that enhanced the mischievous glint in his eyes. It was much better than that frown he'd been expressing all day.

"So," I started, pulling one of my legs up in the seat and angling my body more toward him. "Are you going to tell me what happened today?" Apparently, he thought ignoring me was the best option because his mouth remained closed and his eyes were glued to the road. "You can trust me, you know."

Lowering his dark brows, he quickly glanced at me. "Your best friend has a blog that she posts everything on," he reminded me. "Her favorites of which are about me."

Squinting my eyes at him, I leaned back in my seat and shrugged. "It just so happens that I don't tell my best friend everything anymore."

Sure, I told her most things. But I didn't tell her how much I've enjoyed having Reed as part of the council, and now as my vice president. Or how much I'm starting to tolerate and like having him as a friend, even if not a super close one. Kinsley didn't know that we danced together at the art show, or about the little twinge in my chest that his close presence gave me. She didn't know that we cooked dinner together at his house and spent the evening laughing in each other's presence.

Reed didn't respond.

Maybe he was trying to change for the better, and that's why he and Ricky fought. Maybe he didn't want to help him commit crimes anymore. I'd reminded him multiple times that his reputation didn't define him. What if he'd actually taken that into consideration? Sebastian changed. So, he totally could too.

What if he was worried about all of his demons getting in the way? Everyone knew him for all of his mistakes. How could he get away from that, after all?

"Everyone has demons," I told him, deciding to stare out of the window since he wasn't paying me any attention. "All of mine look like my ex-boyfriends, but I know they are nothing compared to yours. It's okay to have them, and even to struggle with having them sometimes...maybe if you explain to me what's wrong, I can help," I suggested.

He was quiet for so long, I'd thought that he was just going to keep ignoring me, but after a few minutes, he finally spoke up. "Why do all of your demons look like your ex-boyfriends?"

Taking a breath, I tried to hide a smile. This wasn't where I'd wanted the conversation to head toward, but maybe if I shared some of myself, he'd share too. "They were just never able to be the person I needed them to be," I told him. "They were the opposite, actually."

"How so?"

"Sebastian, well, let his dark side take over and Owen just couldn't give me the deepest parts of him that I wanted. He couldn't love me like I loved him, so it didn't last long...After that, I vowed not to fall in love until I was proven I was loved in return," I explained with a shrug. "I like to assume the best from people, but honestly, a lot of the time, it's just hard to trust people anymore."

He took a long, deep breath. "I hope one day you find a love you don't have to question."

I looked over at him, not expecting those words. His eyes were on the road, but once he felt my stare, he glanced at me and slipped me a small smile that tugged his closed lips. "Thank you," I spoke but it came out as more of a whisper.

"You're right. People are hard to trust," he agreed with my past words, turning the car down another road. "I thought I could trust Ricky...but he pissed off the wrong guy and then bailed..."