Page 14 of Rain Delay

“There’s no fucking way,” his tone is dry, laced with anger. “No fucking way.”

“Well, hello to you too!” I say, holding his gaze.

He shakes his head, running a hand down his face. “Absolutely not. This…This can’t be happening.”

My eyebrows scrunch, following behind him as he walks down the stairs. “Oh, so no hello?”

He set his keys on the kitchen counter, giving me a quick glance, and continued to walk right past me.

This is not how I expected a reunion with him to happen. He was cold, not giving me a chance to talk. “So, no hello… Got it.” I interject, keeping on his tail.

His head snaps in my direction, those green eyes locking on mine. “You seriously didn’t know?”

“No…” I shake my head. “I didn’t…”

He studies me for a second, shoving his hands in his pockets. “So let me get this straight,” he says, his voice flattening. “The team assigns me some fucking social media manager, doesn’t bother telling me who it is, and you just – what? Show up on my doorstep like it’s nothing?”

I lifted my chin slightly. “I was given an address and where the spare key would be located. That’s it.”

“This isn’t happening,” he muttered.

“Huh?”

“We can’t do this. You. Me. Not gonna work.” He moves his hands between the two of us, shaking his head again.

My stomach drops. “Do what?”

“Whatever the fuck this is supposed to be.” He gestures between us again. “I don’t know what they were thinking, but this is not going to work.”

The words hit me hard. I didn’t know what to expect seeing him again, but I definitely didn’t anticipate him behaving like this. Acting so cold and rude, like everything was my fault.

I went wherever paid the bills. Even if it was my ex-boyfriend’s house.

“Okay, first,” I hold my hand up. “I didn’t request to work with you, Wyatt. In fact, you’d be the last person I’d want to work with.”

He huffs. “That’s not the fucking point.”

“So then please enlighten me, because I’m failing to figure out what the point is.”

“The point is we have history,” he snaps. “And it didn’t exactly end well, in case you forgot.”

“Hard to forget when you were the one that fucked everything up.” I blurt.

A heavy exhale leaves his lips. “Great. So you understand why this won’t work.”

“I think you’ve said that a good twenty times already. Heard you loud and clear.” I told him. “You walk in, see me, and immediately want nothing to do with me?”

“I’m being realistic, Eliana.” The way he spoke my name was bitter. As if saying it was some kind of curse word; forbidden from coming out of his mouth.

“No, you’re being an asshole.”

His eyes narrow. “Excuse me?”

“Did I fucking stutter? You heard me, Wyatt.” I lean against the kitchen counter. “This is my job. I got hired to work with you, and that’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to make it work. I’m not going to walk away from it because you’re uncomfortable.”

He groans quietly. “It’s not about being uncomfortable –”

“Then what is it, Wyatt? I would love to hear your explanation on this.”