Willow
We step into The Grayson’s home, and I am quite surprised by the minimalist decor. Reid’s father, Ridge, is a hotshot lawyer who had his sights set on the mayoral position, yet their wealth didn’t show here. I suddenly feel overdressed and see what Reid meant by going all out with my attire.
“Don’t worry, just be yourself,” Reid says as if he could sense my unease while removing my coat. I sigh; how does he switch from asshole to caring in the space of 5 minutes? The man has some major issues.
“Reid, honey,” A woman exclaims while walking towards us.
She was of average height but a classic beauty with brunette curls that fell just below her shoulders. Her tanned skin shows she loved the sun, and wrinkles proved that she laughed a lot in her years. I see where Reid gets his eye colour from as well.
She walks up to him, and he kisses both her cheeks, but what I find strange is the dopey smile on his face. He must truly lo
Willow Reid hasn’t started his car yet, so we remain sitting in silence. I know what was running through his head because I was thinking the same: he was about to kiss me, and I would have let him. I’m pretty sure this changed things between us as we were bordering on the line we were not allowed to cross. Should I wait for him to speak first? Then he sighs and starts the car. “I was wondering,” he begins when turning into the winding road leading away from his parent’s place. “If your parents abandoned you in a park and you grew up in an orphanage, who named you?” I look over at him and chuckle, so that’s what he’s been thinking about? “It’s a stupid story. The park bench on where they found me was next to a willow tree. The plaque on the bench said that a Creed family from New England donated it.” I say, recounting what the orphanage matron had told me. He turns his head and smiles at me, “That’s not a stupid story a
Willow** SELF HARM TRIGGER WARNING, DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE EASILY TRIGGERED** I wipe my tears away and step into the lobby of my building. I have to stop feeling sorry for myself, especially when it comes to men. For the last few years I have been doing fine all by myself, so I know I’m stronger than this crush. Yeah, just gotta think positive from now on and put Reid Grayson out of my mind. “Specs!” I hear behind me and sigh; damn Noah and that nickname. I turn around and glare at him, but he holds up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I called your name but you didn’t react at all.” He says. What? Was I that deep in thought? I sigh and look at him, noticing the sincerity in his eyes and immediately feeling guilty. “Sorry, Noah. Going through a lot at the moment.” I responded. He frowns at my answer, then as if noticing my tear-streaked face, his eyes widen slightly. “Blimey, okay I get it. But don’t think for
Willow It’s been three days, and Reid hasn’t come into the office at all. Was he that serious about avoiding me? In any case, I have tried not to give him any further thought after what happened between us on Sunday. It was his decision to run away when things got a bit too hectic, and for some reason, I felt grateful. For instance, I wouldn’t have become friends with Noah if we didn’t end things in front of my building. Speaking of which, Noah and I have been going out for coffee almost every evening after I get home from work. He truly isn’t what I expected; for one - the man has a mini stuffed toy collection hidden in his condo! It’s the most adorable thing ever. He even offered me one (which I readily took because it was a mini Totoro, so don’t judge me, okay.) I tease him about it often, and he actually humours me instead of getting upset. Mel has been too busy, so I barely see her now. I didn’t want to tell her about what happen
Willow “I still call bullshit,” I say to Noah after we ordered our coffees. He crosses his arms on the table and chuckles while shaking his head. “Listen, I’m a guy, and I can tell when another bloke is sizing me up in front of a woman; that tosser wasn’t happy seeing you with me. Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on, or do I have to drag it out of you?” He asks. I didn’t really feel like getting into it right now, but it would be unfair of me not to tell him a little bit about myself when he basically spills his guts to me all the time. I let out a sigh. “Okay, but promise me you won’t laugh.” He puts up his hand in a Scout’s Honour gesture, and I already feel myself dreading this conversation. During my story, Noah doesn’t interject at all... Noah sat quietly and listened from Reid’s proposal to the disaster of a gala, his mother’s birthday dinner and the aftermath. When I finally got to the part where I met him in
Willow It’s been a week after Noah and I were out and about with the paps snapping away at us. Since I’m not a major star, it never made the tabloids, so I’m not sure what Noah was thinking. He’s a rockstar, so your usual run-of-the-mill businessman or lawyer wouldn’t read gossip magazines. Where was this heading again? When I arrived at work, Michael called in to say that he couldn’t come in to work due to feeling under the weather, so I had to rearrange his entire schedule. It kept me busy for the entirety of the morning as I made the decision to give him at least two days to rest up. It was so odd, in the years I’ve been here Michael has never fallen ill. I hope he gets better soon. When I had a bit of time after the morning rush, I decided to call Zack to arrange a meeting with regards to the N*****x contract. If I didn’t do it now, he would always think of me as a pushover. He answered on the second ring. “Willow! Fancy hearing f
Willow Reid didn't bother to show up to work the following day. Mel has let me know that he's asked to work from home for a while; was this because of what happened yesterday? Well, in any case, the atmosphere at work has eased up a bit since the Simons case has come to a close. The sentencing will come up in the next few weeks since she was found guilty, along with Seth as an accessory. I felt sorry for Mr Sawyer, but he knew that this needed to be done. He even admitted that Seth has always been a loose cannon, so maybe a bit of prison time will sort him out a bit. Anyway, it was Friday, and I would meet up with Noah later on for a farewell drink since he would be leaving tomorrow. I wished we had more time to spend together, but I think he's becoming sick of my moping. Michael lets us know that we can close up an hour early, but while I'm getting my things together, I get a chill down my spine as if I'm being watched. I didn't see
**TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE. PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER IF YOU'RE SENSITIVE TO THE TOPIC OF SUICIDE AND / OR SELF HARM** Willow I’m sitting next to Noah on my sofa, but he has been quiet for a while now. I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or whatever is on his mind, but seeing him like this worries me. I touch his knee, and he instinctively looks at me. “Please, talk to me,” I urged, hoping he would open up to me again. He lets out a long winded sigh then looks up at the ceiling. “The closer I get to leaving for the tour, the more anxiety grips me. Last year I promised that it would be my last one, but here I am again - a hamster in a wheel.” He murmurs. “This time will be my last, though. I can feel it in my bones - either the band is breaking up, or I leave. One way or another, it’s over.” His last comment sends a chill up my spine; what was he planning? “Well, this time when you return, I
Willow Hm, something’s strange; there’s a heavy arm draped around my middle, and a familiar cologne invades my nostrils. Clive Christian? WAIT. Last night’s events played over in my head - Drinks with Noah, mention of therapy, blades in his pocketbook, blood…. So much blood… and Reid Grayson’s face as he took care of me. I asked him to stay with me last night, but I didn’t expect him to sleep next to me though. He lay on top of the blanket to give me some sense of privacy, something I’m grateful for. Careful not to wake him, I lift up his arm and slowly get out of the bed. I tiptoed to the bathroom, but when I headed back, Reid was sitting up in the bed and smiling at me. “Good morning, Miss Creed,” Ah, I’m back to being Miss Creed again, then? “Good morning,” I say, sitting on the edge of the bed. I didn’t want to think right now, because if I did, then my mind would wander to Noah. “Did you sleep well?” He asks, gett