57. Confrontation
"Reyna."
He's not proud of having followed her into her praetor quarters but it seems there was nothing else to be done. She'd been avoiding him ever since the Seven has arrived and were greeted at Camp Jupiter and he's sick of it, sick of looking at her and catching her eye for a second before she looks away, sick of not talking or knowing what's making her laugh or shoving ice cream from that one ice cream store in New Rome she loves so much in her face and then kissing it off.
He's sick and tired of it.
She came back here months ago and he's missed her ever since, there's no denying it. He tried to act normal and okay but he's not and he's not sure what it is about this infuriating girl but she drives him crazy without even needing to be near him.
Reyna whirls around, dagger out and pointing at him even though there's ten feet of space between them and when she sees him she doesn't relax, she tenses further even as she gets up from her slight crouch and lowers her blade. Slightly.
She doesn't play coy, or try to pretend things that happened didn't happen. Reyna's never been like that, she's always been straightforward, and after a life of being skirted around, lied to and generally treated like a child who doesn't know anything, Leo appreciates that.
"What are you doing in here, Leo?"
"We need to talk."
And even if it's been months since he's seen her, even though they're not dating anymore, he still knows her and he still sees her take a split second to regain her bearings and swallow down any words she doesn't want to say coming out of her mouth.
"No, we don't."
"Reyna-"
"I'm not doing this." She turns around, still tense, and puts both hands on the edge of her desk, gripping it tightly. "I want you to leave."
"No."
"No?"
"I'm staying."
"I'll leave."
"No you won't."
"How do you know-?"
"Because I know you."
His words pull her up short and it takes her another second before she speaks again. "I don't like confrontation, Leo, you know that. Please."
Her voice cracks a bit, and he winces at having brought her to this, to pleading, but he doesn't care. Because she's been looking at him and looking away too and he knows- he knows with everything that he is- that he's not the only one who's holding on to them.
He was the one who pushed her away, pushed her to move back to her old home. He needs to be the one to make the first move to fix it.
"You don't. Know me." Reyna takes a deep breath. "Not anymore."
"Yes, I do."
"I can't do this." She turns and meets his eyes, dead on, for the first time in months. "I can't be around you and I can't look at you and I can't talk to you. Leave, now. Please."
"Rey," he whispers, and she flinches. "I'll leave, but you need to know something."
Her eyes are guarded, her face wary. She doesn't trust him not to tear her down with a few words and he wonders how she ever thought they would be able to meet after she left and not destroy each other with their mere presence?
"What?" She asks finally.
He swallows. "I'm still in love with you."
Before she can tear him down and break him he turns and leaves, ignoring anybody he passes who calls his name in concern.