CHAP 4
801 Words
Olive stepped closer, stopping right beside Arthur. Her eyes lingered on the piece in front of them before shifting to him.
“So… do you think this work is good?”
Arthur gave it a quick glance, a small smirk forming on his lips.
“Yeah… it’s good. Kinda feels like something you’d see online. You know… those niche art pages.”
He let out a light chuckle, like it was just another harmless comment.
Silence.
His laugh faded on its own, unanswered. Olive’s expression shifted. Subtle, but there. The warmth in her eyes dimmed, just a little.
Arthur didn’t notice.
“So, who made this anyway?”
Olive replied shortly, her tone flat.
“No one.”
Too quick. Too empty for something that was supposed to be “no one.”
Arthur tilted his head slightly, still not catching it.
“Huh. Feels pretty… specific though. Like it’s trying to say something.”
Another small chuckle. Softer this time.
Still wrong.
Olive didn’t laugh.
Her fingers slowly curled at her side.
“…Enough.”
Her voice was low, but sharp enough to cut through the air.
“That’s my father’s work.”
Everything stopped.
Arthur’s smirk faded instantly. His eyes froze.
“Oh…”
That was all he managed.
“Sorry… I didn’t know.”
The apology came out fast. Too light.
Olive looked at him. Not just angry.
Disappointed.
“Why are you so comfortable saying things like that?” she asked quietly.
“Are we even that close?”
Arthur exhaled, irritation slipping in.
“Come on… I didn’t know. I was just saying what I thought. Just forget it.”
Wrong answer.
Olive didn’t reply right away.
She just stood there.
Still.
Her eyes dropped to the artwork. Her lips pressed together, holding something back.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Then—
“THIS IS MY FATHER’S LAST WORK BEFORE HE DIED.”
Her voice cracked.
“Can you at least try to understand that?!”
A few people nearby turned their heads, but neither of them cared.
Arthur went silent. His face blank, thoughts starting to scatter.
“But—”
His voice lifted slightly.
“I already said sorry. What else do you want me to do?”
That tone. Sharp. Defensive.
Not understanding.
And that made it worse.
Olive’s eyes shimmered, but she held it in. Her face tightened, caught between anger and something heavier.
She didn’t say anything else.
She just turned around.
And left.
Her steps were quick. Firm. No hesitation.
She didn’t look back.
Arthur stayed where he was.
Unmoving.
His hands slowly clenched under the table.
From his point of view… this wasn’t completely his fault.
He didn’t know.
He was just being honest.
And yet…
Something about the silence she left behind felt heavier than it should have.
That night, Arthur walked home with heavy steps. His house felt quieter than usual.
He grabbed his phone and called his two closest friends.
Max.
Samuel. Or just Sam.
Not long after, they were all sitting together in his living room.
“What’s wrong with you, man?” Sam asked casually, dropping onto the couch.
Arthur leaned back.
“My girlfriend… left me.”
Silence.
Sam suddenly sat up straight.
“Wait—YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?”
Arthur rubbed his temples.
“That’s not the point.”
He started explaining. The café. The comment. Olive.
“I didn’t know it was her dad’s work…”
He sighed.
“I was just saying what I thought.”
Max shook his head slowly.
“Man… you’ve always been like that. You talk before you think.”
Arthur’s eyes sharpened.
“That’s not my fault.”
Max clicked his tongue.
“It kinda is. Not everything needs to be said out loud.”
That lingered.
Arthur looked away for a moment.
“…Whatever,” he muttered, standing up. “Let’s just play something.”
They spent hours playing. Laughing. Yelling.
Acting like everything was normal.
Like nothing had cracked.
After Max and Sam left, the house fell silent again.
Arthur walked into his room.
The only sound was the occasional buzz from his phone.
Notifications.
Messages.
But not from Olive.
No name.
No text.
Nothing.
He sat down on the floor, leaning against the corner of his room. The dim light stretched shadows across the walls.
For a moment, he just stared ahead.
Then slowly, his eyes shifted toward his phone.
Still nothing.
A faint frown formed.
He looked away.
“…She’s overreacting,” he muttered under his breath.
The words came out automatically.
Like a reflex.
But this time…
they didn’t feel convincing.
Arthur leaned his head back against the wall, exhaling quietly.
The room felt… off.
Too quiet.
Too empty.
And for the first time that night—
he noticed it.
- Writer
