I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to be with him.
As I stood outside the old, run-down building on the edge of town, clutching my phone, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was about to do something I'd regret. But wasn't that always the case with Reed? Every encounter felt like stepping off a cliff, not knowing if I'd fly or fall.
I'd always been the good girl. Responsible. Reliable. The kind of girl who stuck to the rules and avoided trouble. But now, here I was, waiting in the dark for a boy everyone warned me about. A boy who'd made me question everything I thought I wanted.
My phone buzzed. It was a text from my boyfriend, Matt, asking if I'd made it home safely from the library. A lie I'd told so I could be here, waiting for Reed.
I stared at the screen, my heart twisting. Matt was safe, reliable. Everything about him made sense. We were supposed to be together. But the second Reed had come into my life, all of that seemed to fade into the background.
Headlights flashed down the street, and I looked up to see Reed's old car pulling up. The roar of his engine sent a shiver down my spine, and I gripped my phone tighter. This was a mistake. I knew that. But my feet stayed rooted to the spot.
Reed stepped out, his dark eyes catching mine, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips as he leaned against the car. He was every warning sign I'd ever been told to avoid. Sharp edges, hard stares, and a past he kept hidden behind layers I could barely begin to understand. And yet, there was something about him that made me feel more alive than I ever had.
"Ready to go?" he asked, his voice low, as if he knew exactly what kind of effect he had on me.
I swallowed, glancing once more at the empty street behind me. My head screamed at me to turn around, to walk away and go back to the life I'd carefully planned out. But my feet moved forward, almost against my will.
"Yeah," I whispered, slipping into the passenger seat beside him.
The car roared back to life as we sped off into the night. As the city lights blurred past, I glanced over at him, my heart pounding. I didn't know where this was going, or what would happen when the illusion broke and reality came crashing down. But for now, with Reed, it felt like I was living. It felt like I was finally free.
I knew this wouldn't end well. But maybe, for once, I didn't care.