The silence was awkward. I didn't know what to say. He had poured himself a cup of tea as well and now we were sitting in the cozy study. I made sure to look at everything but him. I didn't want to meet his eyes. It was so weird.

"So are you ready to tell me why you came back crying?" Mr. Reeves asked.

He was always so direct. And it was how he assumed that he had the right to know about my personal life for me. It actually irked me. I knew nothing about this man, nothing that couldn't be found online anyways. He had no right to try and pry into my life like that.

"With all due respect, sir, I would prefer if we didn't talk about my personal life," I said, hoping my voice came out as steady as I thought it did.

I didn't feel so calm on the inside. I was seething. I was angry. Not particularly at my boss. No. I was angry at Chris, I was angry at myself, I was angry at the entire situation. I hated the fact that my mind was trying to rationalize what happened.

Chris had tried to rape me. There was no justification to that. It didn't matter that our relationship had hit some hurdles, it didn't matter that I was going against his wishes and living with a man we both knew wanted me. No, it didn't matter.

He had no right to try and force me into something I didn't want. He had no right!

"Your hands are shaking," Mr. Reeves said softly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked down at my hands and indeed, they were shaking. The tea in the mug I was holding was threatening to spill over so I dropped the mug on the small coffee table that separated me and my boss. I looked down at my hands and tried to get myself to relax.

I had come to get some tea, hoping that it would give me the sleep I so desperately needed, the escape I so longingly craved. But nope. It seemed like whatever had happened wanted to haunt me and stop me from having peace.

"Kayla..." I heard. I looked up. It was my boss, of course.

There was a worried look on his face, or were the dim lighting and the trauma I had just faced making me see things? He too had placed his mug on the coffee table and he was staring at me intently. The ever poised look had disappeared. He actually looked like a man with emotions.

"Mr. Reeves?" I answered, a little more breathlessly than I had intended to.

"Maybe you should talk about it. Even if you're not telling me what happened, you should tell someone else. It would help."

I don't know what exactly happened but his words caused some sort of undoing in me. My hands started shaking badly and my vision blurred again. I had no desire to let him know I was crying. I didn't want to seem like some helpless chit whose only solution to all her problems was to cry.

So I swallowed the sobs and kept my head down as the tears continued dropping into my lap. But there was no hiding from Mr. Reeves. I heard rustling then I felt gentle hands on my shoulder. I flinched a little but leaning into him was an almost automatic response.

He sat next to me on the loveseat and put a comforting hand around my shoulder, then brought my head to lean against his chest. In that moment, it was like a dam burst.

I couldn't stop the sobs, they were ugly, loud and messy. I knew I was going to regret this in the morning but for now, I needed someone to listen to me. I had nobody. In that moment, it was a weird thought, but he was all I had.

"He tried to rape me," I said in between sobs.

Mr. Reeves hands, which had been going back and forth on my shoulders stilled suddenly. Maybe I should not have said anything. I should just have let it die.

"What did you just say?" Mr. Reeves asked in a really quiet voice.

His tone was low but he sounded lethal. I was scared in that moment. I tried to sit up but he did not let me. The only thing he did was tighten his grip on my arms. It didn't hurt but I definitely felt the pressure.

"Mr. Reeves..." I started.

"Did you say he raped you?" he asked and I shivered a little.

I sniffled then shook my head. "No! He did not go through with it. I guess he reconsidered..."

My tone was a little defensive and I felt like an idiot for trying to even defend the man that had tried to take me by force. And I knew Mr. Reeves probably thought same. But if he did, he did not tell me or show any indication of that.

He pulled away from me (kept his hands on my shoulders though) and made me look him in the eye. "Promise me something," Mr. Reeves started, "Promise me you're not going to go near him ever again. Promise."

I stared at him like he was crazy. It didn't seem like it was about me anymore. With the way he was reacting, it seemed like there was something deeper to the story.

"I..." I couldn't bring myself to just say the words.

I had been with Chris for three years. This was the first time something like this was happening. He had hinted at sex multiple times and I had closed my eyes to whatever he did outside because I knew I wasn't giving him what he wanted. But he had always treated me right and this was the first time he was trying to force himself on me.

"Promise me, Kayla. Promise me you won't go near that rapist ever again."

"Mr. Reeves..." I started. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to feel.

"Please Kayla, promise me!"

"I promise," I choked out and immediately after, Mr. Reeves relaxed. Then he pulled me into his arms again and rocked me a little.

It was strange but I didn't mind. I had never felt as safe as I felt in his arms anyone else. What was happening? I closed my eyes and leaned into him slowly. Then I felt him kiss the top of my head and rock me some more. It felt surreal.

I almost wished I could stay there, in his arms, forever.

***
Word count : 1113

uhm, hi?
im extremely sorry for this late late update
pls don't stone me 😭😭😭 just give me your thoughts about this chapter

essie xx