Page 66 of Zero
“I see you guys have met Nitro and Fabi—”
My friends parted like the red sea to reveal Bailey Smith.
“Hi.” She greeted me.
I dropped my arms and turned on my heels for the door.
“Zero!” Beast called. “Zero, wait!”
“I have nothing to say to her.” I tossed over my shoulder.
“Rei, please!” Bailey called.
Her footsteps echoed after me and she was able to run around me and braced her palms to my chest.
“Why are you here?” I snapped.
“I wanted to talk to you.” She replied.
“You couldn’t have pick up the phone all the weeks I tried.” I pointed out. “And now suddenly you’re going to fly—what?—ten hours to talk? Bailey, what do you want?”
“You.”
I scoffed and stepped around her to leave.
“Rei. Wait—wait a minute!” She caught my arm.
“We’ve had this conversation, Bailey.” I tossed a hand up while shrugging my other from her grasp. “We’ve had this conversation and you don’t want me. Remember?”
“You don’t call me Hoshi anymore?”
Irritated, I grabbed her arm and dragged her along the corridor to Beast’s office and closed the door. “You asked me what Hoshi means.” I licked my lips. “It meansstar.I started falling for you the moment I saw you. It was my fault for seeing you as the star that would lead me to some semblance of happiness. I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have put that on you.”
She bowed her head then turned away from me to look out the window. “I was scared.”
“Of me?”
“No—of me.” She replied softly. “My brother and I had a good life with our father after our mother passed away. Then we lost him too. It took Justice and I a while to pick ourselves up again. I’d finally gotten my restaurant up and running and making good money. Justice is happy with his career. I was happy—at least, I thought I was. Then here you come—you, with your beautiful eyes, and your gorgeous body, and your kindness—”
I said nothing.
“I’m not used to that.” Bailey admitted. “When it comes to men, other than my father, it’s one disaster after another. Locking myself into my head is my way of protecting myself. It’s a knee-jerk reaction. I wish I could say I fell for you the moment we met. But that would be a lie. Do you remember that night we danced together?”
I cleared my throat. “Ja.”
“That’s when I started falling in love with you.” She walked over to Beast’s desk to set her small purse on it then faced me to lean her ass on the edge. “The way you held me—as the time went by, I developed this courage but then again I lost it all and I hurt you and that was never my intention. I thought about it, and I realized I wanted to dance with you again for as long as you’d hold me. And I wasn’t sure how to tell you or if I should tell you. Before I could decide the entire world erupted in flames.”
“What you’re trying to tell me is that you love me?”
“Yes.”
“We still have an ocean between us.” I told her.
“Give me a reason to stay.” Bailey gripped the edge of the desk until her knuckles changed colours.
“I can’t ask you to give up your business and your friends.”
“Rei, my business is in good hands.” She shrugged. “Sarge and Bev agreed to step up to run the place. Nitro is now a silent, silent—very silent—partner. It’s not like I’m starving for money.”
