Love and Submission

Chapter Eighteen

Olivia spent the next two days at work, pretending not to be so attuned to her phone that the second it went off she was right on it. Not that the messages were ever from Connor. He sent her one the first day around noonish asking if she was okay. She said she was and asked him the same. He said he was and then the conversation died. She had tried to resist the temptation to call him and tell him to come back. How fickle would that look? Besides, nothing had been resolved. This was apparently what it felt like to have a serious argument in a serious relationship. Extremely unpleasant she observed and should they ever manage to patch things up she’d be less inclined to do so in the future. That future seemed kind of dependent on the patching process however and as the hours ticked by with no word that future seemed to go with it.

By the second day she was despondent enough that people were starting to comment. Connor hadn’t even texted that day. She wondered what he was doing or who he may be doing it with. That thought made her angry enough to smash a table in half so she shied away from it. Work was boring. Sundays were always the slow days and without something to look forward to the time dragged. She hadn’t slept well the night before and had only managed to achieve unconsciousness out of sheer exhaustion. Kitty was texting her today and that was alleviating some of the boredom. In fact she was trying to convince her to come see a movie after her shift. That was what she had done before wasn’t it? When her life had been so tedious she had begged for a change of any kind. Well she’d gotten that wish granted, in spades.

When her shift finally ended she decided to go with Kitty to the movie. After a quick text to her parents to let them know where she was going she called her best friend. They decided to meet at the theater which was great it meant Olivia could glower and gloom all the way there without feeling guilty. She understood that she had asked for space. Connor was more than likely obsessing over it just as much as her but still. Nothing? Not even asking if she was okay? She hadn’t asked him either in fairness. She managed to get the frown off her face and push Connor into a farther back corner of her mind. The electric purple hair of her best friend bobbed into view before the leather, chains, and studded jewelry came into focus. “Hey!” She called causing a wide smile to erupt on Kitty’s face.

“Hey.” They embraced quickly and then headed inside. “So where’s your shadow?”

“Probably on the other side of the world where the sun is.” Olivia sassed knowing perfectly well she had meant Connor.

“Ha ha. Seriously though. First you’re all bummed and stuff and now you show up without him. Oh my god! You guys didn’t break up did you?” She couldn’t help it as she stiffened and felt the growl start to rumble in her chest.

“We’re taking a break right now.” Kitty’s eyes turned into saucers and she stared at Olivia as they bought their tickets.

“What why? You guys were so ooey gooey lovey dovey like yesterday.”

“I just think it’s going a little fast is all. Of course I tried to have a perfectly reasonable conversation with him about it and he got all mad, stopped listening, and said if I wanted a break we would take a break. Not that I actually said I wanted to take a break.”

“Well what did you say?” Kitty was eyeing her suspiciously and ordering copious amounts of candy at the same time. She was gifted.

“I was trying to say what I felt.”

“Which is?”

“That I thought things were moving too quickly and we really didn’t know anything about each other.” There that wasn’t an entire lie. She just left out all things related to werewolves and her possible upcoming demise.

“Well, I’m not taking his side obviously but you do sometimes express yourself...not well. However if you think this is going too fast for you then slowing it down is the right move. If he loves you Liv, which he very clearly does, he just needs to cool down. He’ll come back.” Olivia didn’t say anything to that. She wasn’t sure anymore what Connor would do. How many times was she going to flip moods on him before he gave up? “You know who asked me about you the other day though?” Kitty asked changing the subject in her oh so subtle way and simultaneously pulling Olivia from her brooding thoughts.

“Who?”

“Todd. He wanted to know why you never hang out with them anymore.” Olivia immediately felt ashamed. She’d ignored her friends pretty much entirely, except Kitty, as soon as Connor had entered her life. Granted there was a good deal of important things taking place that needed her attention but she shouldn’t write people off like that.

“I’m such an ass. What did you tell him?”

“That you were madly in love with the rich and handsome mall designer’s son and soon enough you’d remember that there was in fact an entire planet around you.” She said with a giggle and a mischievous smile. Olivia rolled her eyes and took a drag on her nice caffeinated soda. Not that she needed caffeine at this point but it felt good.

“Well that time is now. I can’t believe I ignored them like that. I’ll make it up to him, tomorrow.” She decided it as she spoke and even started to form the words of apology in her head.

“I think he likes you, you know.”

“What? Todd?” Kitty just nodded. “Kitty you need to stop watching soap operas.” Olivia said with a smile and a shake of her head. The lights dimmed in the theater and they were whisked away into a make believe word. Olivia found that for two whole hours she actually didn’t think about Connor or check her cell phone. Things were looking up.

Olivia stared at the surrounding courtyard with trepidation. School, hell, purgatory, inferno, Satan’s toy box, insert horror filled imagery here was now even less friendly than it ever had been. She was tense as she waited to see Connor. Would he even show or would he skip out? He hadn’t text her again after the initial one and she hadn’t texted him. She didn’t need to focus on him so thoroughly truly but she did need to figure out what she was going to do and fast. Being without him was starting to manifest itself physically. She was more irritable than usual, snapping at her parents and siblings over the smallest infractions and she wasn’t eating as much. She didn’t have an appetite or at least not to the same extent it had turned into over the last two weeks. Living without him wasn’t an option that was for sure but was it fair to make him happy for a few weeks just to die? Should she get it over with and do it now? She ran a hand through her hair, a gesture she’d picked up from him, and then shook her head. “Olivia?” She picked her head up to see Todd standing there in all of his wonderful generic normality.

“Todd, hey.”

“Kitty said you wanted to talk to me?” Olivia felt her face start to frown then smiled. That Kitty such a meddler.

“Yeah. Come on sit.” Olivia cleared a space on the bench next to her which Todd thankfully took. “So, it was brought to my attention that I have been ignoring you these past two weeks and I’m really sorry. I’m such a s**t. There was a lot going on.” Todd smiled his awkward little smile and patted her knee.

“Don’t worry about it Liv. You just disappeared there. We were all worried.” She smiled broadly.

“Well I’m not going to do it anymore. So what’s new with you?” He stretched out next to her and looked up at the morning sky.

“Well soccer season started up.” Olivia cursed herself mentally. How had she not been paying attention?

“Right, how’s that going this year?”

“So far so good. I’m the best defense we’ve got.” He beamed a broad proud smile and Olivia couldn’t help but smile back. A breeze ruffled her hair and brought a scent that had her freezing in place. Connor. s**t. Should she turn and look at him or pretend she didn’t notice? Damnit why did today have to be the day that Kitty had a dentist appointment? She took maybe half a minute to decide then she turned her head towards the scent of Connor, pretending like she was looking around instead of searching for him specifically. She saw him standing across the courtyard staring at her very intently. He looked good, really good. Her brain railed to get up and go over to him. She became aware of how long it had been since they’d touched each other, at all even in passing but something was off about him. It took her a minute of their intense eye lock for it to register. His eyes were golden. They were at school surrounded by humans and his eyes were all wolf. And he looked angry. Really, really angry. “Liv?”

“Sorry what did you say?” She wrenched her gaze away from Connor’s fury and back to her friend Todd whom she had been horrible to.

“I said we have practice today after school you should come watch.” She was trying not to focus on Connor she really was but she couldn’t help it. What was his problem? He hadn’t contacted her all frickin’ weekend and while yes she hadn’t reached out to him that didn’t merit a display like that. What was he trying to do get them caught?

“Yeah Todd that’ll be fun.” She smiled briefly and then sighed in relief when the bell rang seconds later. “Come sit with us at lunch, Kitty will be back from the dentist and I know she’ll want to hear about the soccer fights.” Todd smiled and even graced her with a chuckle.

“She is so strange.”

“That she is.” He didn’t know the half of it.