Page 173 of Isolation

“Reid, I—”

“No, Raven! No more excuses. I love you. I have loved you since we were born. Enough already. I am not even asking you to say it back. I am just asking for a chance. Just try. If I am truly your soulmate, then why can’t you at least try?”

“It’s complicated, Reid. I just can’t.”

“Then I can’t be around you. I can’t watch you with someone else. It will kill me.”

“There is no one else,” Raven shrieks. “If you haven’t noticed there hasn’t been anyone in the last two years. I don’t care to be with anyone.”

I pull Raven into my arms by her waist. Raven looks reluctant but stays put.

“Rave,” I say softly as I put my forehead to hers. “You told me that you can’t live without me. I can’t live without you either. You are telling me that you don’t want to be with anyone else. I don’t want to be with anyone else either. So why can’t we be together and try to make each other happy? Maybe in the beginning it will only make me happy, but I know with time I can make you happy too. You just have to give this a chance. If you don’t plan to be with anyone else then what do you have to lose?”

Raven is quiet. Her eyes are closed, forehead resting against mine.

“I thought you and Milo being together would have been my deal breaker. It wasn't. If I can come back from the fact that you slept with my brother, I truly know that I can never move on from you,” I admit.

Deep down I know what this is about. I figured it out after she moved back here.

Raven has something unfinished with Milo that she never quite let go. She didn’t want to come back here or face him because she didn’t want to risk betraying me again.

I wanted her to come back and face him. I wanted to see if they still had something.

However, after we finally kissed, Raven exploring any sort of possibility with Milo is too risky. There are only two ways that can go down.

Raven was seventeen when she didn’t want to sacrifice our friendship over Milo. At that time Milo was a mess. Now, she might spend time with a more grown up Milo and perceive the risks of losing our friendship differently if she values an adult relationship more.

The only solace I can take is that Milo doesn’t feel that way about Raven. He is married to his job. However, the sting would still hurt.

The second path is Raven getting over the pull she has with Milo. She has already lived years without him. She is capable of living without him as long as she doesn’t explore more.

She needs a final push to choose Option B.

Your soul mate knows what to say to make you hate them. They also know what to say to make you fall freely into their arms.

Everything I am about to tell her is true. I am simply choosing to verbalize her inner most desires with words that will resonate.

“Rave, you are my family. You are my everything. If we are together, you’ll never be alone. I am buying a condo after I come into my trust fund. If we are in a relationship, we can move in together. Mia also asked to live with me. We can be a family again. If you decide to be with me, you’ll have everything you ever wanted. If you don’t even want to consider what we could be, then you’ll lose everything right now.”

Raven has a glossy look on her face. I finally have her attention. I can see the wheels turning in her head.

Raven’s body language is finally complacent in my arms.

I don’t waste a second.

I reach over and kiss her cheek.

I press another kiss closer to the corner of her mouth. This time I hover right above her lips. I am breathing heavily.

Raven is staring at me through glazed eyes. I kiss her lower lip gently and linger. I slowly lick her lower lip and Raven finally stirs.

“Reid,” she puts one hand on my chest to push me away. I don’t budge.

“Rave, just take some time to think about it,” I say hoarsely. “Use all of your crazy analytical skills, the pros and cons list you need to make, and anything else you need to do. I’ll be gone all day tomorrow. I’ll give you the space you need. I am not asking for much here.”

Raven doesn’t respond.

I kiss her lower lip again. This time one of my hands palm her face while the other pulls her waist to bring her closer to me. I start kissing her like a maniac. My hand goes in her hair sifting through. My tongue is exploring her mouth.