3
2149 Words
Oli POV
When she looked up at me and into my eyes, the whole world stood still.
I forgot how to breathe.
Being close to her again made my body buzz with excitement, something it hadn’t done since she left.
I try to sit her down so I can look at her nose, but she’s still just as stubborn as always.
I make my voice gentle while I talk to her, but she has a fury in her eyes that burns deeply. Watching her walk away is something I’m not willing to do anymore.
I can’t watch her leave, not again.
I follow her outside to check that she's really ok to see her sitting in her car.
She just sits there before getting out and slamming the door.
I don’t care if she hates me.
I have to know that she gets home ok.
I hate the idea of her walking home alone in the dark.
Especially because of me upsetting her.
I follow behind her like some stalker following his next victim.
Her anger towards me is obvious, but it doesn’t scare me away.
It fills me with hope.
If she’s still this mad, then there’s hope that she still feels what this is between us.
That it’s not just me that feels it.
I close my eyes and think back to all the times she spent wrapped in my arms.
The way it felt to hold her against me.
This time I’m not leaving without a fight.
This time I refuse to give up.
“Hey, just checking in on you? What was that last night? Do you know the barmaid?” Max asked, sitting down in the living area of the suite.
He wore a pair of sunglasses and a light blue cotton shirt and some white pants.
He looked like he was going sailing.
“Yes. That’s Cait.” I say, pulling some clothes out of the wardrobe.
“Cait?” He asks, one eyebrow raised.
“Yes, Cait. My high school girlfriend.”
His face scrunches up as he thinks.
“I’ve not heard you talk about her before.”
I stopped and absorbed what he had just said. It was true I never uttered Cait’s name to anyone after I lost her. It was always too painful to think of her, let alone talk about her.
Every time I did think about Cait, my heart would squeeze painfully tight. It would feel like I was having a heart attack.
But when I saw her yesterday, it beat fast with excitement and anticipation and hope.
“What do we have to do today?” I ask, fastening my shirt.
I roll the sleeves up and leave the top few buttons undone.
“We have nothing to do. I brought you here early so you could relax for a few days and that’s what I want you to do, Oliver. Relax.”
That’s perfect.
I can use this time to try to get Cait to talk to me. Maybe I can make her see how much I regret that stupid night.
I can’t even remember how I ended up with that girl. That night is a blur and no matter how many times I try to remember what actually happened, I just can’t.
“Great. I'll see you later then,” I smile, grabbing my jacket and sunglasses and heading down to the foyer.
When the elevator opens, I look around, but Cait is nowhere to be seen.
I walk towards the front desk. Maybe she is in a different part of the hotel today.
The girl behind it glares at me when she sees me walking up but quickly slaps a large smile on, but her eyes spark with fury.
“Hi. What can I do for you?” She smiles, but her tone is honeyed.
I’m cautious to ask her about Cait but I need to find her. I have to speak to her and try to fix this.
“I was looking for Caitlin. Is she around?”
“No!” she sneers.
Her lips are tightly pursed together and her brow is pulled together as she glares at me.
“Cait is my best friend, and you screwed her up. You can’t come waltzing back in here 8 years later and think everything will go back to how it was.”
I read the name tag she’s wearing.
“Mikayla. I’m not trying to hurt or upset Cait. I just wanted to talk to her. You know her. You know she needs this to help her move past it all. Please. Is she working today?” Her eyes soften slightly and she shakes her head.
Her red hair swaying as she does.
“No, she called in sick today. She will probably be walking along the beach. She always goes there to clear her head.” She answers, her soft expression turning into another heated glare.
“Thank you, Mikayla,” I say, putting my shades on and heading out towards the beach.
This place is breathtaking.
No wonder she chose to live here.
It’s what she always wanted, to be close to the sea in a small town.
The water looks crystal clear, and the sand is a golden color. I can picture myself somewhere like this but only if I have Cait by my side.
I walk along the shoreline.
The waves crash against the sand.
I almost give up and turn back when I spot her.
She’s sitting with her arms wrapped around her legs, looking out towards the ocean. The wind is picking her hair up, making it dance around her face. She swats at it, trying to push it behind her ear, but she gives up in the end, leaving it to dance in the air.
“Can I sit down?” I ask as I get closer.
She nods but keeps her eyes on the ocean.
I hate that she won’t look at me. If I could just see her face, I would be able to figure out what’s going on inside that beautiful mind of hers.
She always wore her emotions on her face.
The sound of the waves crashing against the shore is relaxing.
“I didn’t mean to upset you last night,” I confess.
She turns to look at me.
Her face is so beautiful that she actually takes my breath away.
Her little button nose is just as cute as she is and her skin looks so smooth and silky.
“I know. I’m sorry I overreacted. It was just a shock to see you there.”
“I’m glad, though I’ve missed you.”
Her eyes snap to mine in a heated glare. I can see the fire igniting inside of her.
“Stop it Oli.”
I love the way my name sounds as it rolls off her tongue, even if she sounds pissèd.
“I’m sorry Cait. Do you think you could forgive me?”
She stands up and brushes the sand off her jeans and then her hands.
I quickly get up and follow her, waiting for her reply.
“I forgive you Oli.” She says, but I can tell she doesn’t mean it.
Why would she forgive me when I can’t forgive myself for what I did?
“Can I take you out somewhere?”
She stops walking and looks me right in the eye.
Her face is impassive and I hate that I can’t read her anymore. I always knew what she was thinking or feeling from just one look, but now, nothing.
“What do you want to get from this, Oli? I know you have a fiancée. I looked you up last night. What do you think she would say about you taking your ex-girlfriend out somewhere?”
I just stood there, not knowing what to say.
“Exactly, I thought so. I have to go. Goodbye, Oliver.”
Ouch, that stung.
I watch as she storms off up the sand.
I need to make everything right with her.
My world has been dark until yesterday.
She brought the light back to my life and I won’t lose her again.
I can’t.
~~~
Cait POV
Since I saw Oli last night, he's all I can think about.
I can’t help but think of all the fun times we had in the past.
He’s different from when we were younger.
He’s grown into a very handsome man.
His hair is still all ruffled, but it looks so sexy.
I remember running my fingers through his hair and the way it always felt so soft between my fingertips.
“Please can I have a black coffee?” I ask, not realizing I was being asked what I wanted. I’m in my own little world at the moment.
I came into a small bakery just on the outskirts of town.
It has the nicest coffee and the best pastries.
I get my drink and prepare to leave when I notice him sitting by the window, looking out, deep in thought.
I let out a deep sigh and tried to stop myself from going over to him.
I can’t help it though.
It’s like he’s my gravitational pull.
I naturally want to orbit around him.
“Can I join you?”
He looks at me and smiles his big bright smile that always makes me weak in my knees. His eyes sparkle and look beautiful, making my breath catch in my throat.
“Of course.”
He stands up and pulls my chair out.
I roll my eyes but sit down.
“How have you been? I saw a few of your tv shows.” I say, not knowing what else to say.
He passes the sugar over to me and I add some to my drink.
“You have? What did you think?”
He takes a sip of his coffee, looking at me.
His eyes twinkle with his smile, and I find it hard to look away from his eyes. They have always captivated me.
I shake my head to break the trance, but he sees and smiles at me.
“You’re good. I liked it. I wish I had watched them sooner.”
He looks at me with a questioning look.
“I have never seen anything you have been in before,” I say, looking down at the table like it has the most interesting thing on it.
He’s going to know it’s because it hurts too much to see him.
He’s going to think I’m an ídíot.
“It’s ok. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Listen about Sophia. It’s nothing serious.”
“You're engaged. How’s that not serious?” I scoff.
I grab my coffee and my bag and go to stand up to leave when he gently grabs my hand, stopping me from moving.
When his skin touches mine, I feel excited. My skin hums from his touch.
I look down at his hand on mine. He smiles and quickly removes it and I feel like all the warmth has been sucked from the room.
How can he still do that to me, make me feel like he’s the warmth that fights away the cold?
“It’s more for publicity. Max arranged it. Since you, I’ve never been able to settle down with anyone. What about you? Have you settled down with anyone?”
When he said he wasn’t really engaged, my stomach did a somersault.
I had to stop.
This man broke my heart, and it’s only just started to mend again.
“I’ve had a few serious relationships, but nothing lasts forever, right?”
His face looks like I’ve just slapped him hard across it.
“I should go. I need to go and do some stuff.” I stand up again, but he places his hand on mine, stopping me once more.
“Please, can I see you again?”
He looks like a lost puppy and I’ve always found it hard to say no to him.
Maybe I shouldn’t say no to him.
Maybe I should talk with him and be friends.
I have missed his friendship just as much as him.
“Ok, how about you come over and I’ll cook you something to eat? How’s tonight?”
He nods his head with a huge grin spreading across his face.
“I'll see you later,” he says, his fingers slowly move off my hand.
He trails them along my fingers, making me shiver.
He has an arrogant smile spreading across his face and I curse myself for letting him see how he still affects me after all the years apart.
“Goodbye Oliver.” I quickly pull my hand up and leave.
If he carries on, I'll be a mess before tonight.
Shít, this is a bad idea.
- Writer
