40. LIKE SEPHA.

“I’ll take the deal.”

Amanda looked up to her son with the necessary shock in her eyes. He held the phone in his hands like he was already about to make a call and her lips fell wide. “What?” She asked.

“You heard me. I’ll take Raznak up in his offer, but only one condition. You and him complicates things.” Damien whispered and Amanda shook her head. “It’s never happening again, it can never happen again” She stretched her arms across the table and Damien’s eyes ate through it.

“I wanted to say it should never come out, but—“

“But i mean it, i mean it. I don’t feel anything towards him” She compelled. “It’s past” He arched his brows, although not saying any other word. Silence between them for just a second and then she asked. “Have you talked to Olivia about this?”

“I have a lot to say. And even apologies to make, i’d rather just wait till i have plenty of time” He whispered and Amanda scoffed. “You don’t want to waste that much time, a woman like Olivia is like sepha” She whispered and Damien pulled away. “What?”

“It’s like gold. Illuminating gold that if you pull away it doesn’t shine so you feel it loses it’s importance, it’s value. But once you toss it away and another finds out, he just needs to find another angle, a new angle and the Sepha would light up again. Once she finds someone that truly sees her, it’s over. She’s gone” She said.

“But i do see her. I’ve always seen her.”

“It’s her knowing that you do that counts. This isn’t per say, she wants to hear it from you” She replied and Damien pushed a lump down his throat as he arose. “Then she will. I love her” Their eyes met over the table as Amanda’s heart sank hearing those words for the first time from his lips—and she could tell from his grim eyes just how much truth was in them.

-

The door closed behind them with a clink and Olivia finally left his hands. Luke hefted up the paintings as he nodded pointedly to her door. “Thanks” She muttered, reaching for the colored board which grazing his warm skin again.

She sniffed, eyes dried off the tears and her heart gradually fitting back in its place. “Thank you for today, for real. You don’t know how much you helped me” His hands held up her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes—intentionally. “I’m always here” He whispered and Liv gulped in the back of her throat.

“Where were you last year?” She teased, a light smirk creeping to her lips and he scoffed. “Searching for you” And she rolled her eyes at his very predictable reply. “We’ll i was a mess last year, a drunk mess and i’m not sure you would’ve—“ Olivia paused as his thumb grazed her jaw. “I would’ve” He replied.

“I’m telling i would’ve. Even if you were a worm”

She chuckled. “That.” Her lips sealed. “That’s weird.”

She inched closer to him, until his back was against the elevator doors. “Now, that you’ve found me” She whispered. “What do you want to do?”

He scoffed, that question taking him by surprise and he turned away. “You’re probably going through something right now, you don’t mean it” He turned away, but she grasped his arm back.

“I’m an adult woman. I’m pretty sure i know what i mean” The canvas slipped from her hands just before they wrapped around his neck. He gazed into her ocean eyes as she leaned into him. But only halfway that their breathes mingled in the air.

“You haven’t answered my question” Her eyes fell to his heart-shaped lips and he smirked. “I want to kiss you, but probably shouldn’t” He added the last part. “You’re right” She replied.

“It would be a mistake.”

“And someone said mistakes don’t happen twice” They only leaned in closer and closer, till their lips grazed slightly against each other as if teasing the taste but not completely. And his hands grasped her thin waist as she held unto his neck.

“We shouldnt do this” His fingers dug into her skin as they let go of everything in their hands in the middle of the hallway, for a moment forgetting the existence of every other thing. And Olivia smirked—including Damien or whatever arrangement there was.

A lump rose in Luke’s throat as he waited breathless, and through her eyes, she communicated the excitement and glee. It was then he went in, now completely sealing their lips. She closed those eyes and he did as well, hefting her into his arms and placing her against the wall in a split second.

He heaved halting breathes against her neck, holding her with passion filled fingers, and desire embedded eyes. She didn’t move, so he thought it was probably okay to touch her skin. Pulling away, they looked to each other—assessing whether or not they wanted to continue, whether or not they should.

She was in his grasp, where she felt the safest and her arms were still around his neck. She chuckled lightly, biting into her lips as his hands graced her smooth skin like freckled porcelain and his eyes squinted too. “We shouldn’t” He said, almost as if imitating her words and her chest rose and then fell. “Mistakes don’t happen twice” She clutched his clothes.

“Shut up.”

He obeyed her, the smile dropping from his face. “Shut up and kiss me” She urged, pulling him in for her another fiery kiss, one which root in the pits of her stomach. They scrambled towards her doors while she ravaged her bags for her keys. They were breathless against each other, and Luke searched his pockets for his wallets—hoping that it at least had condom.

She struggled with it, that’s it—they weren’t thinking. They just wanted each other, and for that second didn’t care about the consequences. He awoke that spirit inside of her, like she was in high school and the moment she finally slid the key in, the door gave way for them.

He sucked the skin around her neck, placing to the floor. And she flicked on the lights as he held unto the door. “Close it” She breathed into his lips and she slammed it against it’s hinges. She tossed her sandals off her feet, having everything but coordination but she didn’t care.

They didn’t care.

They just stood apart from each other, like friends about to cross that line. And he hefted up the rubber, flicking it between his fingers. Luke had a smirk on his lips as Olivia panted, bare foot on the floor. “Should we?” She placed a finger on his lips.

“Don’t ask.”

To be continued…