His Half Brother Wants Me

Yolanda's POV

"Every single picture looks nice, Yolanda. Great job." My boss, Reed Statham, praised me as we scrolled through the pictures I'd taken for a brand earlier that day on my laptop.

"Thanks, Reed." I smiled, my heart warm with mirth.

Like it always did whenever he gave me a compliment.

That, among many other reasons, was why I had secretly been in love with him for almost a decade.

Nine years ago, we met on my first day of high school, when the seniors had given us an orientation talk.

He was the president of the photography club, and the instant fifteen-year-old me saw the charismatic eighteen-year-old self giving a speech on the podium, I had fallen head over heels for him.

Immediately, I collected a form for the photography club, and the level of attention that Reed had given me, as I filled it, had only made me even more smitten.

When he graduated high school, I was inconsolable for days.

Eventually, I resolved to move on from my little crush.

However, the universe seemed to want us together because I met him again at a campus event in my first year.

Back then, Reed was in his final year.

It felt like a blissful occurrence of deja vu.

To get him to notice me, I learnt photography on my own, then started volunteering at his company as one.

Desperate to remain close to him, I continued to volunteer at his company, even after he graduated and his company moved locations, months later.

I didn't mind the two hour bus ride I had to take there almost everyday, provided I got to see Reed.

Fortunately, my choice paid off.

We became so close, that the other employees started spreading rumors of us being a thing.

Pleasantly enough, Reed didn't seem repulsed by any of those rumors.

I even thought he had finally fallen for me, but my expectation was crushed, when he introduced his girlfriend, Penelope, to me.

She was admittedly beautiful and based in Florida.

After graduating college on top of my class with an accounting degree, I went on to reject job offers from several multinational accounting firms.

Instead, I opted to work as a photographer at Reed's startup media firm.

Being in love with Reed made me center most of my life's decisions around him, and honestly, I didn't regret it one bit.

Especially since I absolutely loved being a photographer.

Reed later ended things with Penelope, a month after I officially became his employee.

Following their break up, he was single for over a year, and I took it as a sign from the universe to grab the bull by its horns and profess my feelings to him.

I even went as far as mapping out a plan.

First, I would ask him to hangout after work and we would go wherever he wanted.

After that, I would lay my heart out, hoping for the best.

However, on the day I chose to do it, I was utterly gutted when he broke the news of him and Penelope rekindling their relationship.

Truthfully, I wasn't even his type.

He preferred blonde girls with blue eyes.

Exactly like Penelope.

Being a brunette with hazel eyes, I was the complete opposite.

"Yolanda?" Reed's velvety voice caressed my ears, pulling me out of my mind.

"Yes?" I replied, inwardly hoping I hadn't been mindlessly gaping at him all these while that I was distorted from reality.

"A cent for your thoughts?" He asked, concern evident in his voice, "Is something going on with you?"

How was I supposed to not harbor feelings for him when he treated me like this?

I want you to love me just as much as I love you, Reed, I thought, staring at his enchanting emerald eyes.

"No," I replied instead, "It's nothing important."

"Are you sure?" He asked, seemingly unconvinced.

"One hundred percent."

"I will choose to take your word for it then," He replied, "Before I forget, there's something I want to share with you."

My heart scudded at his utterance.

In the nine years we'd known each other, he had never said something like this, with a serious expression.

"What is that?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I am proposing to Penelope soon," He replied, and right there and then, the delusion that he perhaps wanted to confess his love for me, dissipated instantly.

My heart plunged into the deepest part of my belly, as I mulled over his utterance.

To say I never saw this coming wouldn't be far from the truth at all.

Nowadays, Reed rarely ever spoke about Penelope, and I had even thought that they were no longer dating.

Just for him to spring this sort of news on me.

At that very moment, the reality that my love for him would forever remain a secret, struck me like a wicked stepmother.

I couldn't even think straight anymore, as Reed's air-conditioned office suddenly felt like a furnace.

Now I realized why some people said that being heartbroken was one of the worst calamities that could befall a person.

The fact that Reed and I hadn't even dated, and yet, it felt like my heart was about to shoot out of my chest, made me feel even more pathetic.

"Oh," I said, a painful tide of despair eroding my insides, "That's really huge. Congratulations."

"Thank you so much, Yolanda," He smiled, clearly oblivious to my inner turmoil, "Wait, I need to show you something."

I didn't trust myself not to burst out crying if I spoke, so I settled on nodding.

Reed then brought out a small green leathery box, and opened it.

Lo and behold, it was a gorgeous, clean-cut diamond ring, that had certainly cost a fortune.

But the more I looked at it, the heavier the despondence weighing on my chest got.

"Wow, it's gorgeous," I chose to be truthful.

Had I listened to my best friend, Zoey, when she advised me to move on from Reed, a few years back, I wouldn't be in this sad situation.

However, I didn't want to listen to the harsh truth, so we got into an argument and stopped speaking for a year.

Later when we settled our differences, she never brought him up again.

Now, I couldn't even imagine telling her that Reed was proposing to Penelope.

Even if she didn't show it, she would probably make fun of me in private.

Honestly, I felt more anger than pity for myself.

I mean, why had I chosen to remain in my bubble of delusions, thinking Reed would automatically develop feelings for me someday, instead of living my own life?

The whole matter was no one's fault, but mine.

After all, Reed never gave me any signals, not to talk of mixed signals, but I had chosen to be stupid.

"Do you think she will like it?"

Despite the despair festering within me, I nodded, "Definitely. Excuse me, I have to start editing the pictures."

"Right, that's true," He replied, closing the box, "We will talk more about the proposal later because I still haven't figured out how to go about it."

Being present while the love of my life proposed to the woman he loved, would absolutely destroy me, and I knew I couldn't have that.

Regardless, I nodded, "Sure."

Immediately I got to my office, I broke down in tears, as I wept for the time and opportunity I had lost because of my idiocy.

Never in the past two years since I had gotten my own office had I been so grateful for it, until now, as I was able to freely cry, without worrying about an office mate.

When I was done weeping, I opened my laptop and typed up a resignation letter.

I couldn't stay beside Reed anymore.

Honestly, I couldn't believe I had spent almost a decade of my life, single and fixated on a man, who would never see me as an ideal romantic partner.

Moving on from Reed, was definitely going to be the hardest thing I had ever done in my entire life.

As I slotted the printed letter into an envelope, my phone started to ring.

Checking the caller ID, I saw my mum's details displayed across the screen, so I swiped right.

Sniffling, I began, "Hel-"

I wasn't allowed to complete my statement as a strange woman's frantic voice wafted into my ears, with a news that almost made my heart stop.

"Yolanda, please come to the hospital right away. Your mother collapsed."