Page 68 of Billionaire’s Game

“Well, I’m done listening.” I marched back into his bedroom and resigned myself to wearing the seventies costume I had come in the night before.

To my surprise, Magnus followed.

“So that’s it then? You’re just going to leave.”

“Apparently, you just want to fight. I’m not in the mood for fighting, so yes, I’m going to leave.”

He shook his head. “I care about you, Lesli. More than you realize, but for the life of me I can’t figure you out.”

I ignored him as I began to get dressed. The room was tense with emotion and I could feel it in the air. It made me decidedly uncomfortable.

“I’m just asking for a chance. I feel like I’m always begging you or chasing you.”

“Then stop begging me. Stop chasing me,” I said viciously. I was getting frustrated, not with Magnus but with myself.

“I can’t. It’s not that easy for me.”

“It’s not that easy for you to stop chasing someone who doesn’t want anything to do with you?” My comment was a low blow. I knew it was nasty, but I felt like an injured animal and I was just lashing out, rather than face being hurt.

He called me on it. “Stop lashing out and just talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in your head.”

“I don’t want to talk. I’m just not interested in this—” I gestured toward him.

“Not interested in what?”

“A relationship. You. All of it. Ok? That’s it. Can we just leave it alone now?”

“No.”

“Why not?” I said, turning on him angrily.

He said softly, “Because, against my better judgment, I’ve fallen for you, Lesli.”

I felt like my whole world had shifted out of focus. My eyes became blurred by tears and a million emotions welled up inside me.

“I got to go,” was all I was able to say.

“Aren’t you going to acknowledge what I just said?”

I laughed harshly and said, “You’ve fallen for me, but you’ve been dating my friend. Ok. Likely story.”

“You know my relationship with Violet was just friendly. I was just a placeholder while she waited for her boyfriend to see her with a rich dude on the news.”

“My heart goes out to you,” I said again in a nasty tone. I got my bag and stomped out toward the door.

“Lesli, come on... just talk to me. Stop running from me. Tell me what you’re thinking. Tell me what you’re feeling. I know you care about me.”

I had my hand on his doorknob when I felt his hand on my shoulder. I wanted to turn around and tell him that I felt the same way, that I wanted something to happen between us too, but I was scared. I was too scared of being happy. I was scared that if I let him into my heart, he would find a reason to leave me. And I didn’t know if I could handle that.

“Lesli, don’t leave. I love you.”

And with those words, my next action was sealed. I couldn’t accept Magnus’s love. I was too afraid. I was too afraid that one day he would stop loving me and take those very words back.

And so without a word of acknowledgment, I turned the knob and left. I shut the door behind me and slowly made my way to the elevator. I prayed that he wouldn’t follow me and he didn’t.

As I stepped into the elevator, I placed my head against the wall and let the tears fall. And as the elevator doors shut, so did the future I had that would contain love.