30: I LOVE YOU.

“Then what are you doing here?” The question fell on her ears as she scoffed, slightly brushing him with her hands. “I’m here to tell you that i’m done. I’m done with you.” She replied. “Everything.”

“I’m done with everything.”

Damien gripped her hands as she was about to turn away and she halted, throwing her head back at him. “What does that mean?” He locked eyes with her and she shrugged her shoulders. He could see her glassy eyes but he chose to say nothing about them—

—rather he just held tight to her hands, fearful that she could ruin the plans of his by walking away. “I’m done, Damien. I’m done expecting you to change. I’m done with your mood swings, and your on and offs. I’m done with you not being clear” She said. “You being bipolar and being the most confusing, indirect and the most arrogant man i’d ever come across and still falling for you. And still hoping that you change. That i can change you”

“I’m just done” There was a crack in her voice.

“And i realized that this morning, watching you turn away that not only do you choose to be that way, there was also nothing that i could do about it” She struggled out of his grasp. “Except letting you go, alongside the fairytale version of you that i romanticized for so long” He pushed a lump down his throat.

“Olivia.”

“I’m not done” Her voice cut through his. “I’m giving you tonight and all the glamorous lies that you wish to show the world, but when we get back to Chicago, we’re going to revisit the terms of this agreement and whether or not it’s feasible going forward”

“And what am i supposed to do, Olivia?” Her eyes went to the million dollar engagement ring he’d gotten her, and she slowly twisted it around her finger. “You can hope you seal the deal with Raznak between now and the ball” She stepped away from him, leaving him standing in the center of his office. “We’re going to talk about this—“ This was the perfect time to quote him, and she did. “I don’t think there’s anything to talk about, Mr Archer.”

“I’m done waiting for you to come home.”

-

“Alli”

His name rang through his ears as he shot his eyes open. Above him was his cousin, holding up something that had a very sweet aroma. She had on a grin that showed her full set of teeth as she sat unto his bed.

The sun pouring in from the windows went straight into his eyes and Alli looked away. “What is this?” He’d barely got himself and she squealed. “Pancakes!” She exclaimed. “I figured you weren’t going to work and i’m going out as well that you might be hungry” She wore the sweetest smile and Alli swore she had the sweetest soul.

His eyes fell with guilt as he took the plate from her hands, placing it against the table. “You’re going out?” His voice was thin as he ran his hands through her scarf. “Ma set up a date with Omar, thought it the best idea that we get to know each other more” An arch invaded his brows as he exhaled.

“Omar?”

“Yes” She whispered with naivety and he retracted his hands. “Do you like him?” Alli let his accent overcome him and Aal lwt her shoulders fall. “Only a few of us are privileged to get a decent young man like Omar.I consider myself lucky cousin”

“Decent?” Alli echoed.

“He’s also sweet, and charming” Her eyes rolled back. “All i ever wished for in a man, handed to me on a silver platter. It’s why i consider myself lucky” She budged his arm lightly before their eyes met. “I’m just trying to careful. For you” He scoffed.

“He’s okay” Aaliyah replied.

“Well have him know that if he does as much as hurt you in the slightest, i’ll murder him” He gritted through his teeth while she chuckled lightly. “Alli calm down” She breathed, her hands falling into his thighs. “Omar, he’s—“ She paused. “Different”

“He’s not like the others”

And he pushed a hard lump down his throat, taking her hands—if only she knew, if only he could tell her.

-

“Damien.”

She breathed heavily, running through his doors as she left. “I need you to make peace with your brother” Amanda raised her voice and he turned back to her. “Not right now, mum”

“Damien Alexander A—“

“I said i do not need this right now” He snapped, slamming his fists into his desk but his mother only inched closer. “Do you really want to give your father what he wants. Do you want this family divided even after his death?” Her questions pierced through his ears and he looked up with glassy eyes. “I don’t even know what i want. It’s almost never about what i want—”

“Is this about Olivia?” She backed away, and even he calmed.

“What? No” He got all defensive and she shrugged her shoulders. “I saw the way she walked out of here. You know Damien, how about for one day not pick up a fight with someone that actually loves you” His mother wasn’t careful with her words and it almost outraged. “You’re just going to assume it’s my fault? Like everything is my fault, right?” Her eyes locked with his. “Then what happened?” She subtly asked.

“What happened?” He echoed.

“What happened is that she wants more. More than this, more than i give her” There was a crack in his voice as his mother only scoffed, her hands falling to his marble desk. “And you don’t?” She whispered and for once, he was speechless, like he didn’t have what to say, what to reply. “Damien” She called.

“You said it’s never about what you want, so i stand before you now, asking for God’s sake, what do you want?” She asked and he pushed a lump down his throat. “I don’t know.”

-

She loved the way the diamonds glinted, but no amount of gold was able to stop Olivia from having second thoughts about tonight. She opened her closet doors, staring at the large gown before her—tonight was going to be their first public appearance but with what had just happened, she was unsure.

Unsure even, where it left them.

She looked to her phone in her other palm, and dialed the only person she felt like talking to, in the whole world. And when he did pick up, tears filled her eyes as she called his name. “Alli—”

“Hey.” He cleared his throat and they fell, the tears. “I miss you, Alli” There was a crack in her voice. “Hey, hey what’s up?” He blurted out, telling from her frail voice that she was crying.

“What happened?”

“Alot of things, Alli. I don’t even know where to start from, alot of things have happened since Vienna” She replied, holding up her hands to her lips, to stop herself from crying aloud. “I just wish you were here” She whispered and his exhale was audible from the other end of the line.

“Me too, man”

“Me too” He replied, looking to Aaliyah next to her, who still had no idea of him and Omar. Both of them seemed to be in ordeals of their own, but they refused to say a word to each other—just let their presence do the comforting. But that was until Olivia heard banging against her glass windows.

She gasped, removing the phone from her ears as she saw little pebbles dash against it. She carefully inched closer, only to look down at the initiator—it was Luke throwing the pebbles.

And she scoffed, looking at the paper he held in his hands.

“Wanna get out of here?” She read aloud, unbeknownst to her a half smile forming on her lips with the tears still in her eyes. One brother caused her pain, and the other brought her fun—although Luke was a bit younger. Looking down at him, however, Olivia realized that if Damien wanted to, he would.

And she was done, like she said.

Grabbing her bags, she was done with his toxicity. With his bipolarity, manipulation and him in general. But a little too late.

-

“I don’t know, mum”

“I don’t know what i want”

He stood there, holding up his hands against her door, hearing Amanda’s words echo back at him. “Well, do you want her?” She asked and he gulped down his throat, a huge breath. “I think i want her but i don’t know how—“ “Dont know how?” She asked and he ran his hands through his hair.

“I don’t know how to show her. I don’t know how to tell her” He whispered and his mother chuckled. “How about just an i like you, Olivia?” She asked and he exhaled, like those were such hard words to say. But in that moment, in that second that he pushed open her door, he was willing to say it.

He was sure he wanted to say it.

But he was a few years late, because she was no longer that girl from summer camp, she no longer waited for him—she was gone. Leaving her window open to the breeze that gushed through her dress for tonight. And he looked to her dusty desk, and on top of one of her unfinished designs was his ring.

Something shifted in him, perhaps his heart breaking if he had one. But it left him in the realization, that maybe she was done this time, and there was really no going back. It was just a pity he didn’t get to say those words.

“I like you, Olivia. I love you.”

And it was more dreadful she didn’t get to hear them.

To be continued…