CHAPTER 21 - YOU AND I BELONG TOGETHER

Riley sat at the café, wondering why was he there in the first place. It's true that pain drives out pain, but really, she was the last person he should ever turn to, to heal his broken heart.

When he'd gotten her message saying she was in town, he'd ignored it, but she'd insisted on meeting, and in the end he'd budged, wondering what was so important that she needed to tell him in person. Aside from 'let's try again', that is. She knew he wasn't willing to give it another shot, so she couldn't be so silly to fly all the way to Boston only to convince him, could she? Ugh, forget that, Lydia was crazy enough to do just that. Even if she claimed she was there for business.

It had been almost two years, why did she all of a sudden decide she wanted him back? Sure, she'd tried to convince him not to leave her when he'd decided he would, and she'd tried to convince him to get back together in the first months, but then she'd given up, so why try again now?

Riley sighed, leaning over the table as he passed a hand over his face. He hadn't been sleeping much lately, and how could he? With the way his heart kept aching, his mind chanting her name, it was impossible to even only think of sleeping. He was so tired, so worn out, he had no idea what was keeping him up during the day at work.

Even his colleagues noticed it, for how poorly they knew him, considering he'd barely started something less than a month ago. With the state he was in lately, dealing with his ex was really the last thing he might ever want to do, but he'd let her engulf him in her claiming she had some important things to tell him that she couldn't say over the phone, so he'd accepted, and now there he was, bored, waiting for her to arrive.

He barely touched his drink, feeling like vital strength had abandoned him once for all. He knew that rationally he was overreacting, but ... well, he'd never been good at keeping his emotional reactions in check. He wasn't Jason, he couldn't shut his heart like nothing, he'd never been able to. Sure, he wasn't the emotional type that cries a lot, but for sure was, he'd never suffered that much. And to think it was his Honeybee to break him like that.

Riley sighed, exhausted, wondering why didn't he just leave, considering there was nothing Lydia could have to tell him that he was willing to listen to, but right when he'd decided she wasn't worth his time, he heard someone clearing their throat and, looking up, he met those bright green eyes that seemed to mirror his, that ginger red mane he used to play with so often, that wide smile that was so sweet ... till it turned into psychotic, that is.

Lydia wasn't sick, she wasn't a psychopath or anything, she just was really paranoid when it came to her boyfriends, better said, when it came to him. Her friends had told him playfully that he shouldn't get on her wrong side, because her ex once dared cheat on her and she pretty much made his life impossible, till he just had to move in. It was weird how the stories about Lydia would make even the bravest man flinch, while her big smile only shouted sweetness.

Riley had been great with her, she was the sole one he'd ever really loved – well, aside from this teen that broke his poor heart recently – and aside from being overanxious and sometimes controlling, Lydia was really great. The only issue was the way she went from a bit dubious to downright paranoid when it came to the eventuality he'd cheat on her. Being jealous, Lydia brought it to a whole new level. That's why he broke it off, feeling asphyxiated.

And now there she was, standing in front of him, as beautiful as ever in her white sheath dress. Riley couldn't help but blink, having to admit he didn't remember her so ... stunning.

"Hello, darling." She greeted in a thick British accent – due to her having lived in England for long, but she was actually as much American as him, she just liked to show off the fancy accent – as she leaned down to kiss his cheeks lightly, then she sat down across from him that was still dumbfounded. "It's been a long time, don't you think? How are you, darling?" Lydia asked with nonchalance as she grinned widely at him.

Riley blinked his eyes to pull himself together. Was she bipolar or what? Only a few days ago they'd fought over the phone because he kept saying he didn't want to see her but she insisted to at least grab a coffee together. Well, given her paranoid ways, she may as well be bipolar, Riley mused.

The weird thing was, he'd once loved that woman, really, really loved, like ... he was head over heels for her, like ... he'd seriously thought she was the woman for him. And now? Now he felt absolutely nothing. Well, nothing but annoyance and confusion, that is.

"What did you want to tell me?" He bluntly asked, barely giving her time to order some coffee for herself. Lydia's grin didn't falter, she only gave him her angelic look – the one Riley had seen only when shit was about to hit the notorious fan – that could fool anybody else, but to an attentive eye, it looked pretty psychotic. She wasn't crazy, not in the clinical sense, but surely she looked like it sometimes, Riley mused.

Can you even remember why did you love her? He asked himself. Mmh ... not really. He loved her once, she did have some qualities, right? Maybe he was just too tired and too annoyed to recall them. Or maybe his heart just refused to connect the word love to anybody else that wasn't his Honeybee.

You're pathetic, you know that, right? His inner self retorted. Riley sighed, lightly shaking his head to remain present to this weird meeting with both mind and body other than just the latter, as it often happened with everything he did lately.

"Why are you so rude with me?" Lydia asked, seemingly offended. He gave her a disbelieving look. This came from the hyena that had broken all his plates – throwing some at him – when he'd broken up with her? Maybe she really was bipolar and he'd never noticed.

She brought a hand to her heart, seemingly hurt, and gasped, leaning back on her chair. "I thought we were good. It's been two years."

"Then why do you seek me now, Lydia?"

She pouted her lips in that way that he used to find so sexy once, but this time he didn't even blink. She wasn't a great pretender, she just really was this weird, changing mood in a split second, she could be your best friend and your worst enemy, and, her friends sometimes joked, you'd rather not try the latter. Oh, Riley knew that. She'd pretty much trashed his apartment in London when he'd broken up with her. Lucky thing she didn't go as berserk as she did on her ex.

"I just miss my sweet boy." Lydia explained, her lips still pouty. Riley frowned. She sure was creative with nicknames, but that was what she called him most when talking to other people about him.

"Do you, now? It's been almost two years." He stated.

She sighed, leaning over to grab his hands. "Yes, and it's been horrible. I miss my Cutie Pie so much."

He rolled his eyes. "You seriously flew all the way here only to get back with me? I thought I'd been clear."

Her pout vanished, and for a moment, just for a moment, a pretty scary glare made its way on her face, but it disappeared in a split second, replaced by an angelic grin as she squeezed his hands, leaning over some more, to be closer to him. "Come on, love ... I'm sure you miss me too."

Riley snatched his hands away from her. "Of course not. It's been two years. I've moved on."

This time, the glare remained on her face, her bright green eyes became slits, even Riley was taken off guard and slightly gulped, because she really looked scary now, especially as she hissed: "With who?"

He didn't have a girlfriend – regretfully – but even if he'd had her, sure as hell he wouldn't have told Lydia. She was really a psycho sometimes. "No one. I've just moved on from ... what I felt for you."

He didn't want to be rude nor hurt her, but it was necessary to be blunt, otherwise she would read the wrong hints and believe he was hesitating. She'd done that the first months after the breakup, when, he'd only taken barely half an hour to grab a coffee with her, as friends, and he'd found her waiting for him at home a few hours later, with her signature angelic grin, as she claimed she knew he wanted to restart but was just too afraid to say it out loud. The more he thought of her stunts, the more Riley realized that maybe she really was crazy.

Lydia tilted her head to the side, her glare vanishing in favor of a disbelieving look, as if she couldn't believe he really would forget her. "You can't be serious." She claimed.

Riley rolled his eyes, pulling back, needing to cut it off before going back to the usual banter about how she knew he was still thinking about her, he couldn't be that blind, he sure knew she was the one for him, how many times did she need to point it out? It was obvious that they were meant to be together.

Hence, he saw to be clear since the beginning: "Let's settle it once for all, Lydia, if you're here only to convince me to get back with you, then you went all the way for nothing, because it's not happening. Ever."

She gave him a mild glare, but soon grinned angelically – the creepy kind of angelical that made even Riley flinch a little. "Riles, baby, you can't be serious." She claimed, sounding as if she was talking to a child that didn't know what he was doing. To some extents, one might have even read a bit of a threat in her way of saying it.

He gave her a dirty look, hating it when she acted all motherly with him. It was sick, but sometimes she liked that kind of fantasy too. "I am very much serious, Lydia." He stated, leaning back from her touch. "We're over. No chance of going back. I told you that two years ago, it's still the same now."

But of course, she didn't want to believe it. It had happened the same two years ago, why should it be any different now? But he was ready for the long tirade, just less keen on enduring it. He remained there, bored out of his mind, annoyed, exhausted, as she went on babbling about the reasons why they should get back together. She'd even received a job offer from a nice company there in Boston, that's why she was there, so if she accepted – and she had every intention of doing that – they'd see each other more ...

"Especially because ..." She admitted with a grin, biting the corner of her lips – mostly because she knew that used to drive him crazy – a mischievous glint in her green eyes. "... we'll be very close ..."

Riley arched an eyebrow at her, baffled. What did that ... oh, no. She wasn't crazy enough to do that, was she? It was true that they worked for the same company in London, same department even, but she wouldn't really move all the way to Boston only because ...

"Actually, it'll be just like old times, Cuddle Cakes. I'm your direct superior." She admitted with a very impish grin, a glint that might have seemed almost evil in her eyes. His green ones widened as he recalled how hellish work was after they broke up ... she couldn't be serious. Was she a stalker or what?

She went on explaining how she'd been contacted by his new company to get a job, after they'd known she'd quit her last one, and when she'd realized that job was in Boston, well, she couldn't miss this chance, could she? Because she'd been wanting to get back in touch with him since ages, and this was the best chance she could ever get.

No, she couldn't be serious. She didn't really get a job here only to get back with him. Good God, was she seriously nuts? At first, in London, they were only colleagues, then she got promoted, he was happy for her, but then problems started arising ... because she controlled him, had him report to her office more than anyone else, and not for naughty ideas, but only to make sure he wasn't too much around those 'bitches he called colleagues'.

In the end, she got fired for abuse of power – she'd mistreated one too many of her subordinates – and Riley had a bit of relief ... till she started hassling him because now she couldn't control him 24/7, and 'how could she know he wouldn't go behind her back and hook up with one of the bitches that ogled him?' That brought to the notorious breakup after a few months, when he really couldn't take it anymore. Now he ought to re-live the same again? Oh, no, no. It couldn't be possible.

Riley sighed, leaning over the table, trying to be as calm and kind as possible as he explained: "Lydia, we cannot work in the same office. It would be ... weird, and awkward. There is a very relevant past between us and ... it would be conflict of interests for my ex to be my direct superior, don't you think?"

She grinned widely, leaning over as well, grabbing his hands in hers, he wanted to back away, but fought against it ... whether she was actually nuts or not, it was best not to get on her wrong side. Especially now that she was his boss apparently.

"Riles, baby ... we've been like this before. And it worked just fine." Fine? It was freaking Hell on Earth! He wanted to reply, but bit it back. Alright, maybe Lydia really wasn't in her right mind. How the hell couldn't he notice it before? Duh, she seemed so ... normal when they were together. Aside from her paranoid and controlling attitude, she truly became a hyena only when he dumped her.

"Lydia, this can't work." He breathed out, once more snatching his hands away from her, despite her pout. "We won't get back together, and working side by side with my ex, even worse, having my ex as my boss, is gonna make the work environment insufferable. You know that. Should I quit this job barely after a month only because of you?"

There was a lamp in her eyes. A lamp of wrath that he was sure would lead to nothing good, but he shrugged it off. His ex was only weird and maybe a little too asphyxiating, but not a psychotic stalker ... right?

She masked that lamp with a pouty look she always used when he got mad at her, giving him her best sweet girl look, even getting her eyes teary, only proving him that she might not be that sane after all.

"I came here because they offered me a job. I only thought ..." She sobbed, well, faked a sob, Riley knew that trick as well. After three years together, he knew her back and forth. He knew every trick she used to confuse him or calm him down when he got mad. He used to be a sucker for that pouty look she was giving him now, that's why she used to exploit it that much every time they fought. But this time he wouldn't fall for it, not at all.

Lydia took out a tissue and wiped away her tears – those tears he knew for being crocodile ones. "I-I only thought it would be ... nice to get back in touch. That's all. You think I want to ruin your life!"

He sighed, passing a hand over his face. Not this again. He really wasn't in the mood for such things. "I only think it's better for us not to work in the same office. That's all. It'd be awkward."

"But it never has been!"

"We were together back then. Now we're not."

She gave him her best puppy face, the one he could never resist to once. "But maybe we could be." She stretched her hand to grab his, but he retrieved it, standing up.

"There's no way I'm getting back with you, Lydia, stick that in mind."

Her eyes got teary, and he wasn't sure whether it was a show or not this time. "But I love you." Damn, she sounded too sincere.

He closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't want to be so ruthless, but if he gave her even one hope, he wouldn't see the end of it, and really, right now he couldn't endure anything aside from work, light had been drained out of his life, he didn't have the mental disposition for this. "I'm sorry, but ... I don't love you anymore, Lydia. I quit loving you over a year ago. Nothing's gonna change that."

She looked up at him, with her pouty lips, tears streaming down her cheeks, innocent look ... whatever man would fall for it and take her back, but really, a paranoid, asphyxiating girlfriend was the last thing he needed right now. Besides, if he really wanted a girlfriend, he had someone in his hometown that would hopefully change her mind sooner or later.

It was a mere moment, though. He got distracted for a mere moment, but it was enough for the pouty look to change into determined stare, her green eyes shining with seriousness as she stated: "I am gonna change that, Riles." She gave him her signature angelic grin, the one that looked pretty creepy this time. "You and I belong together, Cuddle Bunch. You'll realize that too."

He was tired and worn out ... that's why he read an implicit threat in her words, right? She was paranoid and asphyxiating, yes, but not a psychotic stalker ... right? Well, that grin didn't seem much reassuring. He sighed and left her there. Dealing with a lunatic ex girlfriend was really the last thing he needed right now.

Actually, if there was anything he needed, it was his Honeybee. Just that.

Please,don't forget to vote,comment and maybe share :)

Also,if you want,you can add me on Facebook: LoneWolf Wattpad or follow me on Instagram and Twitter: Thewritingwolf