Luke's POV.

I don't like going home.

I usually spend my nights at the pool house when I don't feel like going home.

Reign insists on coming with me, not to have sex but for a free peace of mind, her words not mine.

She doesn't talk to me for the entire ride there because she thinks I fucked some blonde at the party.

I don't explain myself again cause her being jealous is kind of a good look on her.

When we get to the pool house, I head straight to the cellar for some booze.

I sit on the kitchen counter and drown myself in the bottle, I consume alcohol more than one person should in a day but it relaxes me and it helps numb a lot of things.

Reign walks in, she looks at the bottle in my hand then at my face.

She taps her fingers on the counter, opening her mouth to say something but then she cuts herself off and sighs.

The drinking bothers her, I know that much but we're not exactly at that level where we try to change each other's habits and I don't think we'll ever be.

"Still pissed?" I ask, to ease the tension.

"I told you I wasn't pissed." She says, still staring at the bottle.

"You look pretty pissed to me." I chug, keeping my eyes on her.

She walks around the counter, taking the bottle from my hold and eyeing it like she's never seen a bottle of liquor before.

"Why do you drink so much?" She avoids eye contact.

"Is it just me or have I answered that question before?"

"Yeah but I feel like it's more than the fact that you can't sleep at night." She hands me the bottle and finally meets my eyes.

"Why don't you believe in love?" I ask, "I feel like there's more to it than the fact that you just don't like romcoms." I bring the bottle to my lips.

She releases a small laugh, looking to her side and shoving her hands in her back pockets.

"I guess we're both not ready to talk about it, huh?" She looks at me.

I place the bottle on the counter, snaking my arm around her waist and pulling her in-between my legs.

"Can I admit something?" I smooth her hair away from her face.

"Sure." She doesn't sound sure.

"I don't wanna share you either." I whisper, holding her chin between my thumb and forefinger. "I really don't so, new rule, no fucking with other people?" I question, more like request.

She nods.

"No, use your words."

"No fucking with other people." She says in a lazy tone.

"You do realize that you're giving me the right to punch whoever-"

"Luke, no, I'm not." She cuts in, shaking her head.

"Reign, yes, you are." I hold her closer in a possessive way.

"I need some air." She sighs defeatedly, untangling herself from my arm and heading towards the glass doors, she walks outside and slides the door shut.

I continue consuming my drink.

This is why I never thought about dating or even considered having any regular hook ups, things get complicated way too quick.

I hear the sound of the rain splattering from outside, I take my phone out and decide to check my unread messages.

I find a lot of messages from chicks I used to hook up with.

I click on the first one and... Nope.

I shake the image out of my head, throwing my phone on the counter and slouching back on the stool.

I tap my index finger on the bottle.

It's too quiet.

I don't think I saw her come back in and the windows are blurry with rain drops so I can't tell if she's still outside either.

I leave the bottle on the counter, walking to the door and sliding it open, I spot her outside beside the pool, standing in the rain.

She's probably one of those people who like to 'feel' the rain instead of running away from it.

She doesn't even notice me, she doesn't even move.

Okay.

"People do get struck by lightning, you know!" I shout over the splashing noise but she doesn't respond.

There's something off about the way she's standing, she looks like she's lost in thought or something.

"Reign?" I call. No response.

Damnit.

I sigh, walking into the rain.

I clutch her shoulder, turning her to face me.

Her hands are clenched into fists, she's drawing in breaths like her lungs are running out and her body looks frozen in place.

"Reign, what's wrong?" I hold the side of her face, studying her body language.

"I c-can't bre-breathe." She chokes, sounding panicky. "Get it off," She looks at her arms like they're on fire.

"Get what off?" I'm confused.

She places her hand around her neck like she's running out of air, she inhales and inhales, the hand around her neck shaking and her lips quivering.

"Reign, you're scaring me." I tell her but then I remember that this had happened before, at Shane's party.

As soon as it started raining, she froz-

Oh, shit.

I lift her off the ground, carrying her back inside the house and laying her down on the floor as soon as I make it in.

She turns on her side, clutching her shirt at the collar and breathing heavily.

I sit on the floor, watching her as she finally calms down, her breathing going back to normal.

I release a breath I didn't know I was holding, running a hand through my damp hair and feeling my heart hammering against my chest.

"I'm sorry." Her voice cracks.

I don't know what to say so I don't say anything.

"I'm so sorry." She starts crying.

I move closer, pulling her into my arms and she cries in my chest.

"I thought I'd get rid of it, I was so stupid." She mutters. I still don't know what to say so I don't respond.

We sit there in our wet clothes, in comfortable silence, with her curled up on my lap and me holding her while replaying that scene in my head again and again.

"Your heart's beating fast." She informs, looking up at me.

"That's probably because you scared me shitless, I thought you were having a heart attack." I say, "The majority of people who get heart attacks die on the spot." I add.

"It feels like a heart attack." She says more to herself.

"What was that?" I finally ask, looking down at her, she sits up.

The look she gives me tells me that she's about to tell me this one thing about her but then her gaze drops and her lips shut tight, her eyes looking so far away.

"Don't worry about it." Her tone sounds dry.

"But I am worried about it, Reign, c'mon." I push.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." She gets up and walks away from me.. again.

*****************

I find a joint in my drawer, I decide to light it since I still can't sleep and it's passed midnight.

I sit on the floor, leaning my back against my bed as I smoke it.

My phone vibrates and I read a text from Ariana.

"Garrett who?"

"What?"

"That's what I asked myself after Damien fucked me in public."

I scrunch my face.

In public?

"With Damien? Seriously?"

"Best orgasm of my life."

"Bruh, get off my phone."

"Love you too:)"

My door creeks open and she peeks her head in, she walks in wearing nothing but a yellow t-shirt, she closes the door behind her.

She saunters to where I'm sitting and settles beside me.

"Hey." She hugs her bare knees.

"Hey." I extend the joint to her and she takes it.

"I showered." She says, taking a drag off the joint.

"I can see that." I smile.

"I'm a bitch." She exhales smoke, passing the weed back to me.

"You really are." I nod.

"Hey!" She punches my shoulder, "You were supposed to say no, Reign you're not a bitch." She mimicks my tone.

"No, Reign you're not a bitch." I say in a blunt tone.

"Ha ha." She rolls her eyes, "Apologizing makes me uncomfortable but I understand that I kinda scared you and that you want to know why something like that happens but I can't tell you because I'm not good at telling people stuff about me." She explains what I already know.

"There was no sorry in all of that." I point out, putting out the joint on wooden floor.

"Sorry." She murmurs.

"Hmm, I didn't hear it." I pinch my earlobe.

"Or I can just tell you something much better than sorry." She suggests.

"Which is?"

"I think you might be my new favorite person." She says, hesitantly.

Well that was unexpected and kinda random.

"Because of the sex?" I ask just to be clear.

She purses her lips, her eyes darting to the ceiling like she's thinking.

"I don't know, I haven't figured it out yet." She squints her eyes at me.

"You figuring out your feelings will be the biggest what the fuck moment of your life." I say.

"True." She giggles.

"The biggest what the fuck moment of my life was when I realized that I never really hated you, I just enjoyed getting on your nerves and exchanging cuss words." I chuckle.

"Not me, I hated your guts for real, your presence genuinely pissed me off." She laughs at the memory.

"Key word, hated. Does that mean that you don't hate me anymore." I wiggle my brows at her.

She flutters her eyes, kinda like in shock.

"I- I don't know?" She questions herself, staring at the floor.

I smile to myself because I know she's having a what the fuck moment in her head right now.

"How do you feel about me going down on you?" I ask. She widens her eyes at me.

"Uh, that was random and why are you asking me that?" She looks uncomfortable.

"Because I want to do it and I can't stop thinking about doing it." I say honestly.

"I don't know, I've never... You know." She stutters, I exhale a laugh.

"Would you like me to?" I ask.

"This question is making me uncomfortable, bye." She tries to get up.

"No, stay, I won't ask again." I grasp her arm.

She stays.