Page 15 of His to Have
four
Ayanna
Ipaced the length of my bedroom, frustrated as hell. My hands ran through my braided hair, tugging at the roots just hard enough to keep me from losing my damn mind. Exasperated, I yanked off my glasses, and threw them onto the bed. All I could think about was Teo motherfuckin’ Donatelli.
I rubbed my fingers against my throbbing temple, trying to ease the tension that seemed to surge with every thought of him.
“I swear to God, I am going to kill him,” I muttered, grabbing a throw pillow off the bed and hurling it across the room. The cushion hit the wall with a dull thud, doing absolutely nothing to make me feel better. But it was the only outlet I had at the moment.
“How is he just gone… UGH?” I ranted to no one.
The words barely left my mouth as I flopped onto my bed, throwing my forearm across my face. The ceiling stared back at me, offering no answers, no solace, just a plain, empty stretch of nothingness for my spiraling thoughts.
I didn’t know what pissed me off more, the fact that he had kept the whole marriage thing from me for so long, or that, now, I couldn’t stop thinking about that night. The one I pretended didn’t happen. The night that ruined me for any other man.
I rolled over, grabbing my phone just to stare at it. I halfway expected Teo to already be on my line, but I should have known better. That man was calculating. His presence would be felt, whether he reached out or not. I contemplated calling Corey, just to prove everyone, including myself that I had control over my life. But deep down, I knew calling Corey wouldn’t change anything. It would just be a temporary distraction. But a distraction I truly needed, because I needed a minute to escape.
As my finger hovered over Corey’s name I considered if I wanted to deal with his neediness. Closing my eyes, I thought better of it, pulling my finger away from his contact, and doing something even more reckless. I dialed Teo.
The moment I hit “call,” I regretted it almost immediately. My chest was tight, and my pulse raced as the line rang. Every second that passed, I considered hanging up, but then he answered, on the second ring.
Before I could lay into his lying ass, his voice came through in a mumbled whisper. “Give me just a moment.”
He wasn’t talking to me, but to someone in the background. The feminine voice that came from the other end and his movement in the background only added to my irritation.
Was it wrong that I was annoyed? Probably. Especially since my frustration wasn’t rooted in logic. It wasn’t like I had any say in what Teo did with other people, and yet... hearing some woman’s voice on the other end of the line, right after finding out we were supposed to get married? It pissed me off. This wasn’t jealousy. I convinced myself of that. I was mad because of the lie.
When he returned, I expected a call, but Teo had a different idea. “I’m video calling you.”
I frowned, my grip tightening on the phone. “Teo, I didn’t say I wanted—”
“I wanna see your face Yanna,” he interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Answer it.”
A moment later, his gorgeous face flashed across the screen, the video request staring back at me. My thumb hovered over the button, as I considered whether I wanted to look at him or not. Teo had a way of unraveling me with just a look. Hell, sometimes with just my name.
I knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to get in my head, and the worst part was, it always worked. But I couldn’t let it. Not this time. Not again. I bit my lip, my thoughts spiraling.
God, why is everything with him so complicated?
Taking a deep breath, I reluctantly accepted the call to face whatever emotions his intense gaze would evoke. When his face appeared, looking calm, and collected, I knew this conversation was going to be anything but calm.
How was he looking at me like he didn’t know this news of our marriage? Like this arrangement hadn’t turned my entire life upside down? It was infuriating to see him so composed when I felt like my world was crashing down.
He leaned against some unfamiliar wall in a room I didn’t recognize, his expression unreadable. But me? I was a mess.
“The fuck, Teo!” My fist slammed against the bedside table before I could stop myself, making everything on it rattle. My heart was beating so loud, I could hear it in my ears.
He didn’t even flinch. His eyebrows raised a little, but that was it. His gaze stayed locked on me, watching the storm brewing inside me. “You’ve got a lot of nerve. I know you know about this marriage bullshit, and didn’t bother to tell me.”
The words rushed out before I could hold them back. My voice was sharp, and full of anger.
He said nothing. Just stared at me with that same calm face which only fueled my rant.
“And then you sit up in my face today, looking at me like everything’s cool—like everything is normal. How the hell are you gonna act like this isn’t some life-changing shit? Like... A. There’s a threat on my life. And B. We’re supposed to get married!”
I didn’t stop, even as my chest tightened with frustration. “And C,” I snapped, “Where the hell are you?”
There was a pause—a long one—and for a split second, I thought he might actually flinch. But no, of course not. I got a reaction, just not the one I wanted. He fucking smirked at me. And I thought I may actually fling my phone across my bedroom.
