37. RESOLUTIONS.

"Fuck no" Alli grasped her arms, widening his eyes.

"You're joking right? Does he know?" His head plummeted with a million questions, and honestly in that moment, Olivia did find it funny. She leaned her back against the white-washed walls, heaving a sigh. "No, he doesn't. Do you really think all of this would have happened if he remembered what he'd said that d—"

"Don't" Alli cut through.

"Don't say that."

"Except i can say it. Because i mean it, because he meant it. And i was so foolish thinking after so many years, that would change. I was so foolish falling for him again" She whispered. "That this time it was different. Because unlike then, we did kiss. We did have fun, and sometimes shared a moment or two" Alli looked to her. "But we were never together, so i mean i can't even call it a heartbreak" She chuckled, running her hands through her hair.

"You kissed him?"

Their eyes locked together. "I thought it was just a promotional stunt" Alli chuckled. "TMZ carried it worldwide, Chicago City's most eligible bachelor seals lips with Texas local" Olivia scoffed. "It would be everywhere if they ever found out, and the last thing i need is his bunch of lalaloopsy dolls whining in the comments, pointing out my every flaw" She tugged a pillow under her armpits. "It's something i'm used to now" Alli shifted closer to her resting his head upon her shoulders.

"Except that Texas locale is my best friend" He whispered. "And you are nothing short of the smartest, most beautiful spinster" He squeezed her palms and Olivia hummed. "And you deserve someone that would truly love for you, unconditionally. Fully, and without doubt. You deserve someone that will show up for you"

"Stop it Alli" She sighed, pushing him away slightly and hiding her reddened cheeks. "Did you go soft while i was away?" She asked and he shrugged his shoulders. "What has that man done to you?" She teased, and Alli punched her lightly in her arms and they both chuckled. "I guess we're the same" He reached for the end of his wine glass and Liv looked back at him.

"Here's to falling in love with the wrong people."

She chuckled. bringing hers to meet his glass in a chime. And he sucked his teeth, taking a sip. "I've missed this." She whispered and he nodded, letting a brief silence fall between them. "Me too"

The winds shook the glass windows like it was about to rain, and lightning struck the skies predictably. "So how was it?" She wasn't hesitant to ask and Liv arched her brows. "How was what?" "The kiss?" Alli rollef his eyes. "How was the kiss with Mr Alexander Damien. I want all the deets" Brushing into his shoulders, she pulled away with an exhale. "We don't speak of him here, this is a sacred moment, Alli" Her voice was whiny and his lips folded in a pout. "But i want to know—" He dragged.

And she let of the glass, letting her shoulders fall. "I can't with you. But it was a okay if that's what you want to know" She said flatly, in that moment, going back to the moment she was in his arms, his lips against hers. And only later did she realize the person in her mind wasn't Damien, but rather his brother, Luke.

And she downed the entire bottle with Merlot.

-

"I think i did show up"

Damien's voice penetrated his ears as he sat rat next to him on the ground, backs against the wooden sheath of the bed and Luke looked to him. "You don't think you show up. You actually do." He replied and Damien chuckled deeply.

"Except i actually did"

"High school. You were playing quarterback for the Eagles and i was up there, in the stands watching like a proud father. You scored the winning touch down, and instantly ran to this girl i think was on the cheerleading squad. I remember that smile, it's always been that smile even in the photos mum showed me" He added, and the doubt in Luke's eyes slowly faded. He let his shoulders fall. "Why didn't you wait up after  game?"

Damien scoffed. "I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do but i thought of it, almost did eventually. But i didn't think you'd want to see me. Not when you had your life ahead of you, and the biggest night of your career. I know how it works, trial day is when offers for college start pouring in and i knew you'd do great. I think that's it, why i never showed up" Damien replied.

"Because deep down, i knew you were so much better off without me. And without Hank, because you had Amanda, of course you'd be good" He smiled and Luke cleared his throat. "It took you sixteen years to finally show up and then you finally disappear again." He said dryly. "I heard your voice, some of the times i would call Amanda, i would hear your shrill voice behind and she'd say you were playing with the legos i got you. One time she said you hadn't eaten all day because your girlfriend broke up with you" Luke clasped his chest.

"Excuse me."

"I know" It was one of the rarest times Damien actually laughed, like without holding back. And Luke rolled his eyes. "I know how it feels, trust me" He said, in a more serious tone.

"Don't give me love advice." Luke replied. "Because you don't really have a qualification certificate in that field, and neither do i. And i'm pretty sure we have an idea where that came from" He looked pointedly to the door, as if Amanda was still there and Damien scoffed. "But i do have experiences with women."

"She—Nadia was different, the girl in the cheerleading squad?" He said in a questioning tone and his elder brother nodded.

"Yeah?"

"She was different. And she was her, for the many years that i grew up. Trial day wasn't the biggest of my career because i quit right after. I turned down the offers and everything, moved to Carolina for a fresh start. It was the day Nadia broke it off, because apparently there was no future after high school and perhaps it was inevitable, it didn't change the fact that it hurt"

"And i knew. I sensed it"

Damien stroked his jaw. "But it's in the past" He roughed up, shaking off the gloomy cloud over his head. "And honestly, i was sure i'd never feel that way for another person—" He paused, allowing that thought sink into his head. It wasn't just a thought, it was a new beginning, filled with a million possibilities. It was the moment, that moment in your life you feel is the start of something new.

A new season.

"Until Vienna" Luke added, remembering the kiss on the beach and Damien arched his brows. "Vienna?" He echoed and Luke nodded. "But it's probably nothing, it doesn't matter" He added.

"You're falling for a Vienna fling?" Damien teased, hitting him in his arms and he scoffed. "She isn't just a fling" He noticed how fast his face went flat, like he'd meant what he said. And Damien recognized that feeling sprouting from within him. "I guess you took the softer side huh" He cleared his throat and Luke heaved a deep breath. "You could say that." He replied.

And Damien bit into his nails.

"I understand that." She said after a pause. "I understand that i'm shitty when it comes to love and all this stuff but i also understand having that feeling when you're next to someone that makes you feel alive. That makes you feel light, happy and all that darkness and tragedy subsides in that singular moment that you're with her. I also understand how scary it is to fall in love, to be utterly vulnerable to one person for the rest of your life and it is what scares me, commitment. And i also understand that you'd never fully know what might be until chances are taken"

Luke's eyes fell on his brother's meek ones. And for the first time in his life, he saw a side of Damien that wasn't entirely hateable, a softer side of him and it was that, that scared him—that fact that he may have fallen in love.

"Is this about—"

"Olivia Sanders" Damien said. "So hard to love, and even harder to hate. And i was stupid, letting her go. I was stupid, not saying the right words. Not saying the words she wanted, she deserved" Luke felt something shift in his chest and he cleared his throat.

"What, brother?"

"I want serious, i want what she wants and it took me a little while to realize that. And by the time i wanted to tell her, she was gone and there hasn't been much time since" His voice faded as he looked down. "But i fear it might be too late" He added.

"Maybe" Luke replied, turning to face the swinging curtains and he pushed a lump down his throat. "I'll try, Luke. I'll try for Liv." And he turned to face the mischievous glint in his eyes and the metal band around his ring finger. "What are you going to do?" He asked, unwillingly and Damien smirked.

"I'm going to tell her"

"I'm going to tell her exactly how i feel" He watched as Luke's eyes fell almond and he arched his brows. "Is there anything wrong?" He asked. "Except there's a reason you think i should not?" Luke stuttered, shaking his head. "No, no" His voice cracked. "It's just—it's just weird seeing you fall for someone"

"Like actually fall for someone"

"Well. it's the power of Olivia Sanders. It's her, she's different" And for once, the brothers were to mutually agree on something. That thing. "Yeah" Luke replied. "She is. Seems like" He scoffed, letting a smile invade his lips to conceal the hurt in his eyes.

Because for some reason, he knew exactly what this meant.

"Luke."

He looked out to his brother's outstretched arms. "I'm sorry." Damien whispered. "I'm sorry for not showing up, and for showing late. "I'm also sorry about Nadia" Luke took his hands, roughly like an arm-wrestling and he smirked slyly. "Doesn't matter now"

-

"I'm going to end it with Omar."

"It's cruel to my sister, both messing around with him and forcing him to quit it. To quit her. Because how is he going to explain just suddenly ghosting her" Alli said, lowly as he drew circles on Olivia's palms. "So you'll let them get married?" She asked and when shrugged. "I'm not quite sure what happens now but i think it'll hurt less for everyone if i take a step back."

"Including me."

"I think life would so much easier if i never spilled that stupid drink on him, if i never got into his car. He's like a mistake, a bad decision and the hottest consequence, but he's still a mistake. And you don't remake mistakes" His words pierced her ears and she recollected her exact words on the plane to Luke.

"It was a mistake" She whispered.

"You don't remake mistakes" She echoed and Alli drew closer to her, his eyes set on the muted television before them. "You're going to make the right decision" She ran her hands in his hair.

"Hey Lu—"

"Alli" She stuttered, calling the wrong name at first and he hummed, like he was close to falling asleep. "I am sorry, for making it seem as if you couldn't tell me you were going through shit" Olivia brought her lips to his ears. "No i'm sorry" He said.

"You're not people. You're my best friend and you should've been the first to know" He added. "Let's make a deal" He turned around, striking a finger against her arm. "No more secrets?" His voice went low, yet fierce and her eyes matched his, guilty of keeping yet another secret. And that Luke, but it was mistake.

He was a mistake right?

And there was no use making a big deal of something that was never going to happen again, right? Olivia mentally battled with herself as she struck out her finger too, wrapping it around his in the traditional betting fashion and with through a deceptive smile, she replied. "No more secrets" While keeping one, that just might destroy everything this time.

To be continued...