Page 54 of Malicious Desires

“Do you have anything to admit to me, Reece?”

“About what?”

“Who you’ve been sneaking off to see at all hours of the night.”

“You keeping tabs on me father? Got cameras in the dorms?”

He scoffs mockingly. “There are cameras, yes, but those are not concerned with your whereabouts.”

“So you’ve got some fucker on my arse then?”

“Do not curse at me, Reece. And people have seen things. You’ve been associating with the enemy.”

Fuck. My father's henchmen have seen me with Jasper or leaving his dorms. I’d been contemplating telling him–and my mother–about Jasper–but that’s not possible with this reaction. If he finds out I’m with Jasper, that we have done a helluva lot more than associate with each other I’ll be cast out, denied my name. That might not be a bad thing, however, with that comes poverty as my father would cut my trust fund.

“Well, father, your henchmen must be mistaken. The only enemies I’ve associated with are the ones you’ve required me to eradicate.”

“That best be so, Reece. You know the consequences of disobedience.”

I nod, biting down on my lip so I don’t scoff at his choice of words. Disobedience sounds as though I’m a child who misbehaved, not an adult capable of making my own decisions.

“Yes, father,” I mumble. “May I go now?”

“You may be excused. And mind yourself in public. Eyes are everywhere, and I will find out about any miscreant behaviour.”

I wait as he moves around to the other side of his desk and sits in his foreboding chair. I can feel his seething gaze on my back as I go to leave. There’s only one person I want to see right now, but I don’t dare go to his dorms. I need to lay low on seeing Jasper for a while, even though it will kill me slowly.

Chapter 31

Jasper

On break from uni, Nancy is over, and we’re sitting on my bed. She’s telling me about the new guy she's been seeing, but I’m not actually listening, spaced out instead, thinking about Reece. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen him and almost just as long since we’ve texted. Stupidly, I miss him.

“Jasp, are you even listening?” Nancy asks rather loudly, causing me to mumble out a stunned ‘huh’ before biting down on my lip, admitting, “Sorry Nanc, no I was lost in my head.”

“Thinking about him?” she questions me. I’m annoyed that I don’t even need to hear his name to know exactly who she’s referring to.

“Yeah, I know I shouldn't be thinking such salacious thoughts about my enemy. And I most certainly should not be committing sins of the flesh with him but I can't fight it anymore.”

Nancy smiles widely at my admission. That unnerves me. “You're in love with him, aren't you?”

I shake my head. “One cannot love the one they're born to hate, Nancy.”

She scoffs at me, shaking her head also. “That is a fallacy, Jasper. There is but a fine line between love and hate, and you've crossed it, my dear friend.”

I sigh deeply, exhaling with my admittance, “I don't love him.” Nancy frowns at me, her pout mirroring my own. “I cannot love him, and be the man my father wishes I be.”

“You need to live and love the way your heart chooses. Do not let others, especially your parents, choose your path.”

Again I sigh, this time sliding across the bed to hug her. “I love you, Nancy. You're the greatest of friends.”

“I love you too, Jasper,” Nancy responds, her tone mellow. Our love is different; platonic.

“Why couldn't I love you like a man loves a woman?” I verbalise it more as a statement than a question.

“Because that isn't your desire, Jasp. Your sexuality is not that way.”

I laugh softly, divulging, “I don't know what my sexuality is.” Nancy doesn’t appear shocked by my confession, so I continue stumbling on my words, “I…it has always confused me with how I feel about and how I'm attracted to others.”

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