Chapter twenty-four: Argue

O L I V I A

"How was it?" Jane asked as the three of us stepped out for our half-hour lunch break. It opened in the lounge where we would play foosball and other games when we didn't feel hungry. That day was not one of those days and we were instead making our way to the cafeteria past that.

"How was what?" I asked her.

Even though the fight had happened yesterday, there was still an evident tension between her and Brian. Usually, when the three of us would walk, Jane would be in the center, and Brian and I would walk on either side of her. Today, I was in the center. And I was not liking it one bit.

"You know, your 'thing'," she questioned.

"Again?" I groaned. She had all but hounded me for the details yesterday. "I already told you. It was nice, Jane."

"Duh." She deadpanned. "I want details. Yesterday, you showed up in the same clothes that you were wearing on Monday. I wanna know."

"Brian," I whined. "Save me."

"Nuh-uh," he tsked, not even looking up from his phone. "Sort it out yourself, ladies."

"Wise decision," Jane snapped at him. Brian ignored her and she seemed to get even more agitated by that. "Olivia," she turned back to me, "Just tell me."

I scrunched up my nose. "You're so nosy."

"Tell me," she insisted. I sighed.

"See," I racked my brains for an excuse, "It was a nice hangout with my friends from the reunion, and then it was late when I reached home. I didn't have a fresh change of clothes and so I ended up ironing and wearing the same clothes as Monday."

I breathed. Yeah, that checked out.

"I don't believe you," she accused. "You would've told me this to get me off your back yesterday itself."

True.

I couldn't think of a reply so I merely shrugged.

"Where were you?" She asked suspiciously. My hands sweated. Ummm.

"Jane, isn't it your turn to order for the three of us today?" Brian jumped in.

She scowled at him. "No, it's no-"

"Actually, it is!" I shot Brian a thankful smile. "Go, Jane."

"Bu-"

"Go," we said in unison. Brian even went as far as making a shooing gesture with his hands. I curbed the urge to chuckle at that.

"Fine," she gritted out. "I'll be back soon. Go bag us a table."

With a laugh, we handed her our IDs and she strut away with a moue to get us our lunch. Brian and I found an empty table for four in the back and we settled ourselves there.

I sighed. "Finally, I got you alone."

"Uh-hun?" Brian said teasingly. "You naughty girl."

"Ewww." I scrunched up my nose in disgust. "Think before you speak. You're so not my type."

He brought a hand to his heart. "Ouch."

"Brian." I rolled my eyes. "Dude, focus."

"Hmm? What?"

"How did you ask Jane out?" I questioned.

"I don't remember," he spoke, evidently lying.

I groaned. "Brrriiaaaannnn."

"Oliiivvvvviiiaaa." He paused and then gave me a mild glare. "Look what you made me do."

I laughed.

"I think I can fix your love life," I told him. "The question is, do you want me to?"

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "How?"

"You have to tell me what happened first," I said simply.

"Fine," he huffed. "Last Thursday I asked her if she would like to go out to have dinner with me but she refused."

"Details, Brian," I prompted.

He exhaled. "We were leaving the office late that day. It was almost eight. Jessica had us doing some extra work since you were on a leave. When we were in the parking lot, I said, 'I know that Olivia is not with us today, but we can still go get some dinner together if you want.'"

I blinked.

God, I hope there is more to that.

"And?" I asked.

"And what?" He scoffed. "She rejected me!"

I facepalmed. "You are such an idiot."

His face reddened. "What?"

"You call that asking her out on a date?" I asked disbelievingly. 

He deflated at my tone. " . . . yeah?" 

"Wow." I shook my head. "No wonder you're single as fuck."

"Hey!"

"You asked her out on a day when we go to have dinner as a team," I broke it down for his puny brain. "And you didn't even mention that it was a date!"

"Well, she knew and she still refused," he muttered.

I highly doubt it, you neanderthal.

I raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"She asked, 'as in a date?'" he said, "And the way she said it made me sure that she didn't want it to be so I said 'of course, not'. Then she nodded, said that she had some stuff to do, bid me bye, and left."

"Oh, my God." I shook my head. "You need to grow some balls, my friend."

He gave me a dirty look. "I acted as I saw fit."

"She would've said yes had you been brave enough to admit that it was a date," I told him in exasperation. "And you know what? You wouldn't even have had to do that had you chosen any other day to ask her than a Thursday."

"Whatever," he grumbled. "It's better for me to forget her, anyway."

"What? No! You can't!" I protested. "You guys are my ship."

"Too bad." He shrugged.

"Brian, come on!" I whined.

"Nope."

"One more time?" I pleaded.

"Not happening," he said obstinately.

"Just one more try!"

He glared at me. "Nah."

"Bri-"

"What are you groveling to him about?" Jane grunted, dumping our trays on the table and sliding in a chair beside me.

"Nothing," I said in a clipped tone at the same time Brian said, "She wants me to ask out a girl I like."

My eyes widened at that and from the corner of my eye, I saw Jane freeze before she visibly forced herself to relax.

"Oh," she said in an indifferent tone. "Will you?" She asked as she gave us our trays. I took mine hesitantly, my eyes on Brian, hoping he would look at me and see the warning they held.

"What's it to you?" He said coldly as he took his tray. One could practically see the change in Jane's posture after that. It went from vulnerable to defiant in seconds.

A blind bat can see better than a boy.

"Like I truly cared," she scoffed. "I asked that just for the sake of making a conversation."

"Whatever," Brian mocked. He unwrapped his burrito and bit down on it heavily. Jane stabbed her salad in anger. I just looked around, my appetite lost. I just slipped my packed burrito into my purse. I would eat it later. I sipped on the coffee while they ate, the silence grating on my nerves.

Safe to say, it was an awkward lunch.

* * * * *

"Bye!" I waved at my colleagues as we parted ways in the parking lot. We had worked overtime. Again.

They waved back to me and then stomped off in opposite directions, still pissed from the conversation at lunch. The iciness in our cabin after that had been chilling. 

I sighed as I made my way to my vehicle. They needed to fess up. In Sam's language, 'just kiss and make up' already! Denial is so overrated. I unlocked my car from a distance as usual. I was moving to open the door when it happened.

A hand clasped tightly around my ankle from under the car.

I screamed at the top of my lungs. I dropped my purse, kicking my leg out frantically. My captor immediately let go. I sprinted away from my car as fast as my heels allowed me to go and stopped abruptly when I registered the faint chuckles over the roaring of blood in my ears.

Very familiar chuckles.

I had barely registered that when heard the squealing of tires and the next moment Brian was driving towards me insanely fast. His car came to a screeching halt when he stepped on the brakes. The chuckles stopped immediately as Brian wasted no time and jumped out.

"What is it?" He demanded, looking left and right. "Are you alright, Olivia?"

"Yeah," I replied dazedly. I was breathing heavily and my veins were on fire.

I tore my gaze away from the bottom of my car where I could see a vague outline of a shoe. I looked at Brian and tried to smile. He was about to say something when the clicking of heels on the concrete floor made him stop.

"Liv!" Jane wheezed as she joined us, stopping right in front of me. "Goddammit, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm so sorry," I apologized sheepishly.

"Why'd you scream, then?" She demanded, out of breath.

Definitely not because of the football player under my car.

"I, uh, saw a lizard," I lied. "It was right on my windshield."

"Oh?" Brian released me and walked over to inspect. He picked up my purse and brought it back to me when he came back. "It's not there now. You're alright," he said assuringly.

Jane shuddered. "I hate those creepy reptiles. No wonder you screamed."

"Try not to do that so loudly next time." Brian grimaced. "I think you raised the dead with this one."

I cringed. "I'm sorry."

"No problem." He laughed.

"I thought you were being assaulted or something." Jane chortled at the extremities of her own imagination, bringing up her hand. It held a bottle of pepper spray. "I was so ready to use this thing."

"Thank God you didn't have to," I muttered as I watched Brian and her laughing. I didn't think they even realized it yet or else they would've stopped.

"Okay," Jane wiped at the corner of her eyes, "That's enough. I'll get going."

"Yeah," Brian said. "Me too. Bye, Olivia."

"Bye, Liv."

"Bye, guys."

Brian climbed back into his car, driving past Jane just as she rounded the corner and disappeared out of view. I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply before I leaned back against the pillar.

"You can come out now," I told him lowly. And he did. He rolled out, his face flushed and glistening with a layer of sweat. He dusted his clothes and grinned at me. I looked at him impassively.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him. Inside, I felt livid.

His grin faltered just a fraction at my cold tone.

"I came to see you," he said. "You told me you'd be late when I asked you if you could come over so I came down to meet you instead."

"You shouldn't have," I said, pushing myself off the pillar and walking to my car. I opened the door and threw my purse in.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing," I replied in a clipped tone.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Livvy."

"Kaison," I humored him in a level tone.

"Something is definitely wrong," he stated. "Tell me."

"I had a bad day at work," I lied.

"False. Your interaction with your friends didn't say that."

"Believe what you wanna." I shrugged. "I can't care less."

He gave me a knowing look. "Is this about Chelsea?"

I paused for a moment. "No."

"Liar," he accused.

I scowled, hating how he caught my fib so easily. "Fuck off."

"Talk to me," he insisted.

"Why don't you talk to her?" I mocked, unable to help myself.

"I'm here with you," he placated.

"Then go," I told him. "The world is your oyster."

"Don't be that way," he spoke.

"How dare you tell me that?" I hissed. I felt a prickling sensation behind my eyes and I knew that I was about to cry. "This," I gestured between the two of us, "Was a mistake."

He recoiled. "You don't mean that."

"Try me," I snapped.

"I've told you, she's just a friend."

"That's not how the world sees you. I read the articles about the 'reblooming romance between the star-crossed lovers'. I don't live under a rock, Kaison."

"C'mon, Livvy. It's not that big of a deal." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"You spend the day with the girl you cheated on me with, you get photographed with her lips glued to your cheeks, and you expect me to be okay with it?" I exploded on him angrily. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"There is nothing going on between us!" He all but screamed, sounding exasperated. The voice echoed slightly in the almost empty parking lot. "I called you last night. I thought we cleared that up."

"You think that fixes everything?" I sizzled.

"I did, ye-"

"Ms. Davis, is that you?" Jessica's voice traveled to me. My eyes widened.

Fuck.

"Yeah," I called, trying not to sound alarmed.

I looked at Kaison and mouthed, 'how did you get here?' and he mouthed back, 'cab'. 'Get in,' I gestured to him, tipping my head towards my car. He nodded and quickly got in, closing the door behind him. I thanked God for my heavily tinted car windows.

"What are you still doing here?" She asked as she came into view. "I dismissed you half an hour ago."

"I was just leaving. Good night!" I told her, resisting the urge to bow in her presence. I climbed into the driver's seat and inserted the key into the ignition, turning the car on. I reversed out of my parking space and quickly lead us out of the parking lot.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we came out on the main road.

"Is she really that bad?" Kai asked.

"What do you think?" I asked drily.

"I'm thinking she is," he muttered, drumming his fingers on the center console.

"Bingo," I mumbled as I set the GPS to his house. The drive was silent and only the radio was keeping the awkwardness at bay. When we were a block from his place, I pulled up at the curb.

"That's your stop," I said when he didn't move to get out.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Sick.

I pursed my lips, tightening my grip on the steering wheel.

"Okay," I replied.

"I mean it, Livvy." He sighed. "I didn't think of it from your perspective."

Good start, I guess.

"I figured." I killed the engine. That was probably going to take some time.

"But you didn't think of it from mine, either," he continued. "She's my friend now, you know? I couldn't say no to her."

And he ruined it.

"Right," I scoffed. "I think it's best for you to leave now."

"We need to communicate and sort this out," he denied. "Just like we used to do it before. Why was it so easy to do when we were young but it isn't when we are more sensible adults?"

I had an answer to that, but I had a feeling he would not like it.

"Livvy, look at me."

I shook my head slightly, looking ahead at the traffic lights. "I'm good."

"Livvy." He gently cupped my jaw and turned me to face him. "I promise that Chelsea and I are purely platonic friends. We ended things years ago. I love you, mon amour. Only you."

And here we go again.

My eyes started prickling again so I rasped out an okay before the tears would form and fall out. I did not want to cry in front of him. I didn't think it would lead to anything good. He released my jaw and pushed a stray strand of hair behind my ears.

"I love you," he repeated, leaning in to kiss me. It was short and gentle.

"I love you, too," I breathed in between. It was a reflex, but it was also the truth.

I'm so fucking scared. You're messing it up again and this time I think I am knowingly not walking away. This time if I get my heart broken, it's going to be on me. 

"I should go now," he said when we pulled back. "You need to get home on time."

"Yeah," I replied, blinking rapidly to rid the little moisture that had accumulated in my eyes. Hopefully, it was too dark inside so he didn't notice. "Good night."

"Goodnight." He kissed the corner of my mouth. He took out a big hat from under his coat and put it on. He opened his door and stepped out, leaning down again. "Text me when you get home," he said.

I nodded. "Okay."

He closed the door and I started the engine again, shifting gears and easing into the flow of traffic. In the rearview mirror, I saw him standing there and looking in my direction. My stomach clenched.

He had the power to shatter me into a million pieces with just a snap of his fingers. I wondered if I was making a stupid mistake, giving him a chance. God knew he was capable of blowing this up spectacularly well. He was halfway there already. 

Was loving him doomed to always be my weakness or would I ever get to experience it as my strength?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A/N: Will she? What do you think?

QOTD: What is your biggest pet peeve?

I'mma go complete my assignments. You guys, take care. Ciao!

All my love,
xoxo.