Chapter thirty-seven: Courage isn't the absence of fear

O L I V I A

Since I was officially out of the office business for a while, I took a luxury morning and slept till late. I was really tired for some reason and didn't wake up even when Kai left before sunrise. I barely kissed him back and then went under the sweet blanket of slumber.

I felt a little guilty when I woke up and saw Josh passed out on the couch but then told myself that it's okay to take some me-time every once in a while. I had had an epiphany that I was too much of a people pleaser - especially when it came to friends and family. I'd promised myself to work on that.

I also called and talked to both my friends at work. We video called at lunch and I caught them up. The news of my termination had already reached them and I allowed myself to be berated for not telling them myself. They were my close colleagues and they deserved to know it firsthand from me. I told them I'd stay in touch and they seemed pleased about that.

Josh left after lunch, promising to come back in the evening for Sam. She had told me that he wanted her to move in with him but she was stalling. She was uncertain about taking that step. I didn't fail to remind her that she was literally carrying his child. Moving in would be the best choice. That way Josh wouldn't have to go back and forth between our apartments too much and it would also make co-parenting easy after the baby would be born. It was her call in the end. We didn't pressurize her.

I wiled away most of my day watching Netflix. I felt like I had earned it. I was also delaying time to put off what needed to be done. Late in the afternoon, I finally made a decision. I rang Mia.

"Hello?" A chirpy voice greeted. Reception.

"Hi," I worked on keeping my voice confident. "Are you speaking from Erbe International?"

"Yes," she replied politely. "How can I help you?"

I took in a deep breath. Here goes.

"Can you please connect me to Mia Schotz?" I requested.

"Ms. Schotz doesn't speak to just anyone," the receiver said apologetically. "Do you have an appointment? Does she know you were going to call?"

My stomach churned with sudden uncertainty.

"I guess she expected me to call." I bit my lip. "Can you tell her it's Olivia Davis and see if she agrees?"

She sighed. "Okay. Give me a minute."

I waited anxiously as she put me on hold. I ate from the packet of Doritos that Sam had bought shamelessly. She would eat my stuff, too. That's how roommates work.

"Okay, she agreed," the lady spoke. "I'll redirect your line, alright, honey?"

I sighed in relief.

"Sure. Thanks," I replied. I kept myself from biting my nails while Mia connected.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mia," I uttered. "It's Liv."

"Olivia!" She greeted and I cringed a little. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Okie.

"I was hoping to take you up on your offer if it's still open," I said, working with the little window I seemed to have.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "Why don't you drop by my office sometime this week and chalk out the details? You can join from the first of the coming month if everything works out well."

Relief flooded my veins.

"That'll be great." I sighed. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." She brushed it off. "I've seen your work and we'll be lucky to have you."

I felt a grin creep up on my face. "Have a nice day, Mia."

"You too, Liv."

The call disconnected and I fell back into my chair, feeling happy and content. I felt free. I trusted Mia to provide a good working environment. I had worked under her before and I was optimistic.

Finally, things were going my way and I couldn't be happier.

* * * * *

Gabe called me when he was a block away from my place. It was a little past six-thirty and he told me to wait downstairs since we were already running late. I had been ready for the past twenty minutes so I just picked up my purse and locked the door behind me.

I was wearing sneakers so I trotted down the stairs for a change. I was giddy. Gabe was already there somehow so I directly climbed into the shotgun. For once he was out of his tuxedo and into a pair of jeans and a shirt.

"Hi," I sang.

He chuckled, pulling into a lane. "You're in a good mood."

"I am," I agreed. "I got fired."

"You're strange," he remarked amusedly.

"I'll explain later." I laughed. "Where are we going?"

"It's a sizzler place," he said. "Don't worry, you'll like it."

"We'll see," I responded with a smile.

"You will." He smirked.

"Umhmm." I chuckled.

"He makes you really happy, doesn't he?" He asked.

"Yeah," I grinned, responding without thinking, "He does."

"It shows," he said. "I've known you for a while now but I have never seen you this happy. It's nice."

"Thanks, Gabe," I spoke. I halted thoughtfully. "You've been really good to me."

"I have, haven't I?" He mused.

"Yes, and I'm very grateful," I said honestly. "I was in a bad place and your understanding and friendship made things better."

"Anytime, Liv." He smiled at me, parking in a free spot. "We go on foot the rest of the way."

I looked out in surprise. "We're here already?"

"Yeah, I drive fast," he flexed.

"Uh . . . " I trailed off, shaking off the unspoken rebuke. "Right."

Fifteen minutes later we were sitting in a nice private booth, dishing out our order. We had discussed everything about work and the stuff we had been up to. Gabe was the kind of person who was very easy to talk to. Perhaps it was just the diplomatic businessman in him that knew how to put one at ease and get a conversation flowing or maybe it was his natural charm. I would never know. But for a twenty-eight-year-old guy, he was doing pretty good.

We started with the soup and went on to starters, sometimes eating in silence and sometimes telling each other a detail we had missed. I liked that connection. The one where you don't stay in regular contact but you're still good friends. As if you just click. Not like a soulmate, but like a twin flame of sorts.

We were halfway through devouring the main course when he revealed that he had been hiding something. He'd met a girl! I legit squealed and he laughed at my reaction. I'd hit his arm hard when he told me that he had been seeing her for a while now and he still hadn't told me. I had asked him just two days ago!

He'd looked at me like 'seriously?' and I had sighed. I couldn't really blame him. He was a private person and discussing your love life with your ex will always be strange. Even if you ended up becoming great friends after the split.

He spent the rest of the dinner telling me about her in bits and pieces and I took each detail into consideration as I built her in my head. Well, her caricature; I had zero clue on her identity. She sounded nice. She was a career-driven woman just like he liked. She was smart, ambitious, and a perfect match for him.

"She sounds perfect for you," I spoke my mind in a dreamy tone. "I'm so happy for you!"

He chuckled quietly. "Me too. I hope this works out well."

"Dude, same," I sighed, pushing the empty plate away and leaning back in the chair. "I'm fucking full."

"I see that," he said, "And me, too. We ate a bit too much."

"You think?" I breathed a laugh. "I will hurl if I bend the wrong way!"

He smacked his lips together, gazing longingly at the empty plates. "It was delicious."

"Gabe?" I chuckled, snapping his gaze to me. "You have a little drool right there."

"Shut up," he muttered, wiping his mouth nonetheless.

"You're so cute." I laughed.

The waiter tentatively approached our table and Gabe dropped the friendly smile, adopting a more distant and business-like expression. I would've watched the interaction go on but my phone rang loudly. I frowned, fishing it out of my sling bag. I looked at the caller ID and rejected it. It rang again not seconds later. I took a deep breath as I answered.

"What is it, Kai?" I whispered into the phone, trying not to sound annoyed.

"I know you're mad, but this can't wait," he replied. "The paps caught you both together and are linking you already."

"Already?!" I snapped.

"Yeah. A few blogs have already concocted a story saying you're cheating on me," he said. "Also, they're outside the little sizzler place you're at so be careful, mon amour."

Hun. They're fast.

"I-" I took a deep breath. I had nothing to be scared of anymore but I also didn't know how to react.

"I just thought you should know," he added. "I'll let you get back to it."

"Thanks, Kai," I said.

"Tell Gabriel, too," he added. "And let me know if you want me to pick you up, alright?"

"Yeah." I sighed. "I love you."

"I love you, too." His voice became tender. "Stay safe, Livvy."

"You, too," I mumbled, hearing the line go flat.

"Everything good?" Gabe asked me when he saw me put down the phone.

"We were followed," I muttered. "They got a few shots of us and the stories are already up."

"Fuck them." He shrugged. "I get a lot of that shit."

"I can imagine." I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. "It's just- I'm new to all this and I'm still adjusting. They gave me crap when I started dating Kai and now they're saying I'm cheating on him with you. Like, what?"

"They call me a womanizer," he said uncaringly. "That might be adding fuel to fire."

"You are. Well, were," I corrected, remembering the recent developments in his love life he had just told me. "But I'm innocent," I fretted. "Sometimes I want to kill Chelsea."

"They're never worth the time, babe," he said sympathetically.

"What do you think is keeping her alive?" I asked him rhetorically. He barked out a laugh.

"Alright, calm down," he suggested. "We have to sort out the situation first. How do you want to go about this?"

My eyebrows pulled together half in shock at being asked and half in confusion as to what to answer. "What do you mean?"

"My manager, and I'm sure even Jennings', will do their best to control this wildfire," he elaborated. "But we can make things easier or harder for them. We can also decide how to go about this now."

I leaned forward, intrigued. "Go on."

"One, you can leave with me," he said, "And I can drop you home. Two, you and I leave but not together. Three, Kai comes and gets you. I meet him, and we all hug and shake hands and all that shit. What say?"

"The consequences?" I questioned.

"Hypothetically speaking, I don't know, a scandal, and probably not a scandal," he replied vaguely.

"So informative," I remarked.

"It wouldn't be so complicated had you not been associated with Kaison and had he not been associated with that Chelsea girl," he told me.

"I know," I almost whined.

"You need to grow a thicker skin, Liv," he said. He looked concerned. "This is not easy. It's hard on you and I see it. I'm sure Kaison does, too. It must be torture for him to see you suffer this way when he knows it came with loving him. You have to get accustomed to it for his sake."

"I know," I repeated, more sombrely this time. "I'm trying."

"Look, I know you're a strong woman," he told me. "Living with a heart broken by your soulmate is one of the hardest things out there. You survived it. Not very gracefully--" I kicked his leg under the table and he grinned, "--but you did. That's what matters. Find that strength."

I sighed. "I'm doing my best, Gabe."

"You know you aren't, but you'll get there." He nodded. "I trust you. And I'll help in any way I can. Starting now. Make a decision."

"What?"

"You know the situation. I gave you three options. Make a decision," he said firmly.

"Gabe-"

"For Kaison and for yourself, Liv."

I took a deep breath, nodded, and closed my eyes in thought. I went over what he said, ignoring my erratic heartbeat.

My life. My love. My choice.

"I think I'll go with option three." I opened my eyes after a thought. "I'm calling Kai."

"Okay, tell him to call us when he's a block away," he said, smiling like a proud father. It prompted an eye roll out of me which he took sportingly. "Also tell him to act friendlier than last time if he wants to pass this off well."

"I will," I replied with a chuckle, dialing him.

"Yeah. Tell him to give us time to look as if we were waiting for him," he added.

"Why don't you speak to him directly?" I asked mirthfully, holding out the phone to him.

"No, thanks," he mumbled. "I'll stop."

I laughed and pressed the phone to my ear. Kai picked up on the first ring.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Do you think you can pick me up?"

"Of course, I'm just leaving the gym," he responded. "I'll be there in ten. Stay in there with him."

"Yeah, about that," I looked at Gabe who gave me an encouraging smile. "We have a plan . . . "

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

A/N:-

Another chap coming up in min!

QOTD: What's your sun sign?

All my love,
xoxo.