Realization

×KENZIE×

"Axel? There's only one bed in here." I glanced around his hotel room.

"Well, yeah, we're a couple. Is that a problem?"

"I guess not?" I sighed and took a seat on the sofa, "I need to check with Wyatt to find out when we need to leave."

Axel rolled his eyes, "Can you do nothing without his approval?"

"He's my boss and this is a work trip. I have to check with him."

"You can fly back with me on a normal flight."

"Axel, don't do this. You're going to make it difficult for me at work."

He sighed and walked over to me, sitting down next to me, "Kenzie, he's your boss. You need to establish a line that shouldn't be crossed."

"I know, but Wyatt is a very needy boss. If I piss him off I will end up losing my job and he will make sure that I never work again. He has that kind of power, you know this."

"Look, I don't want to spend our time together arguing over Grimes," he leaned forward, kissing me, "I can think of other things that I would much rather be doing with you." his hand trailed up my shirt, toying with the buttons.

And then my phone began to ring.

"Leave it," he said, his lips on my neck.

I glanced over and saw Wyatt's name on the screen.

"Wait, I have to take it." I got up and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Bubbles." Wyatt's voice was slurred.

"Yes?" I glanced over at Axel, he was glaring at me in annoyance.

"You with the cowboy?"

"Where are you? Are you drunk?"

"Yes, I am. The keys. Fucking bartender."

I frowned, "Okay, look, Wyatt, I don't understand what you're saying, okay?"

"He took the car for the keys."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, "Do you mean that he took the car keys away from you?"

"I said that."

"Where are you?" I noticed the way Axel rolled his eyes.

"The bar. Are you listening?"

"Okay, Wyatt, which bar?"

He chuckled, "You don't know what you want."

"For fucks sake, Wyatt, give the phone to the bartender." I was starting to get annoyed with him.

"Why? You coming for me?" The suggestive tone of his voice made me roll my eyes.

"Wyatt, I'm serious. Stop playing games."

"You're no fun."

"I'm aware, thank you. Now please give the phone to the bartender or I'm going to hang up and leave you there."

"Hang up." Axel didn't bother whispering.

"Your cowboy sounds a little jealous. Tell him hi."

"Wyatt!" I snapped, losing patience with him.

"Just hang up!" Axel snapped at me.

I turned away from Axel, "Wyatt, come on, it's late. Let me find out where you are so I can get a cab to fetch you and bring you back to the hotel."

He hesitated, "You come and get me."

I turned briefly to look at Axel, I knew he would be pissed off if I left to go and get Wyatt.

"Wyatt, I can't-"

"Please."

I sighed, "Okay, deal." When I was with Caleb, Wyatt had been there for me more times than I could count. I couldn't turn my back on him when he asked me to be there for him.

"Do you promise, Bubbles?"

"Yes, Wyatt, I promise. Hand the phone to the bartender."

I spoke to the bartender and hung up, turning to Axel with a pleading stare, "Babe, I know you're going to be mad, but I really have to go."

"You're kidding? It's night. You're not on working hours right now, Kenzie."

"I know, but I have to go. I won't be long, I swear. I'll just get in a cab, go get him, and bring him right back. As soon as he's in his hotel room, I'll be back."

"Why does it sound like you're telling me and not asking me?"

"Because I am. I'm not asking permission," I walked over to him to kiss him goodbye but he moved away, "Axel?"

"Run off to Wyatt."

I sighed but I didn't have time to waste, so I walked out.

I got a cab and went over to the bar, Wyatt was at one of the tables, his head leaning down on it.

"Wyatt!" I snapped when I got to him.

He lifted his head, a drunken smile on his face, "Bubbles! You came for me."

"Come on, get up."

"Sit a minute?"

I sighed and took a seat opposite him, "Wyatt, I need to get back, can we please just go?"

"Is your cowboy mad?"

"You know that he is. Now can we go?"

"No," he leaned over and took my hand, "Just sit with me."

"Wyatt," I sighed, "I am sitting with you. But I would like to get back to the hotel."

He nodded before getting to his feet.

I got up and hooked his arm around my shoulders to support him, he wasn't very stable on his feet.

Once we got onto the street he let go of me and staggered in another direction.

"Wyatt! Where the fuck are you going?!" I screamed at him as I followed.

He ignored me and headed into the street.

"Are you mad?! You can't walk into the middle of the road!" I snapped at him as I walked beside him to get him across the road safely, "Where are you going?"

"Hyde Park."

"You've got to be kidding me." I sighed heavily, I was in no way patient enough to deal with a drunk Wyatt.

But I followed behind him, following him into the park where he sat down on one of the benches.

I stood in front of him with my arms crossed over my chest, "Is this little sightseeing exhibition going to take long?"

He patted the space beside him, "Shh. Sit."

I sat down with a huff, "Wyatt, I'm really not in the mood for this shit right now." I did take a moment to marvel at the beauty of the park at night, but I wasn't about to let him know that.

"Why do you hate me?" He asked suddenly.

"I don't hate you, Wyatt."

"Is it because of what we did?"

I sighed, "Wyatt, please. Can we just go back?"

"No! Why won't you talk to me?!"

I glanced around, there were a few other people around that glanced in our direction, "Please keep your voice down."

"Sorry. I don't want you to hate me."

"I do not hate you, Wyatt. Can you stop saying that?"

He hung his head backward, looking up at the sky, "Fuck. I'm such a lonely, pathetic person."

I turned to frown at him, even though he wasn't looking at me, "You're Wyatt Grimes. One of the richest businessmen in the world. You constantly have people around you, women throwing themselves at you. How are you lonely or pathetic?"

"The one-night stands?" he scoffed, "That's not a real connection. Those are fleeting feelings, strictly sex. I pick them up because I'm lonely and hate myself, I think that sex is going to fill this gaping fucking hole in my chest."

I hesitated, I wasn't expecting Wyatt to get so deep, "Well, maybe you should look for something real now. Something a little more meaningful."

Wyatt laughed, "Yeah, I'm a billionaire, but I'm going to find something real and meaningful. I'm a piece of shit, no one would actually love me," he turned his attention to me, "Besides, there's only one woman who will ever be able to tame my heart."

"Caleb's mom?" I tried to think back, and although their relationship ended badly, I couldn't remember him having a serious long-term relationship with anyone else.

He shook his head, "No." He turned away again, looking out into the park.

"I'm sorry, Wyatt. I had no idea you felt this way. I always thought you were happy with your life." I slipped my hand into his.

I spent a lot of my life feeling lonely, I knew what it was like. It wasn't a good feeling and I found my heart aching for him.

"I did it to myself. I made myself into this. Anyone gets too close and I shut them out."

"You can change that, Wyatt. You can meet people-"

"You don't get it, Kenz," he sighed, "Nevermind. Just sit with me, when you're with me, I can forget the loneliness."

I nodded, "Okay. I'll stay with you as long as you need me to." I leaned my head on his shoulder and sighed.

I realized at that moment that I was in trouble. I kept so much distance between us for so many years to run from my feelings.

When we started working together, I again tried to hide from my feelings.

But it was no good. I had feelings for him, and even after all this time, they weren't going anywhere.

I felt sick to my stomach at the thought, because I knew in my heart that we could never work out.