Joshua’s POV Huffing angrily, I slammed the door of my apartment and threw my bag across the floor. I was still in disbelief at how the night had gone from almost being the best night ever to me storming off without looking back despite Olivia’s pleas. As much as I wanted to be there for her, I just couldn’t, not after hearing what Adriana said about me. Her words haunted my mind and I found myself gripping my head tightly before almost trying to rip my hair out. Obviously, I knew that Olivia knew me and based on how she treated me the first time we met, it was clearly not a good memory. I guess, I just didn’t think that it was so bad. But, the way Adrina was disappointed that Olivia was going out with me after everything was a red flag. Was I that bad that she needed to protect Olivia from me? Opening up the cupboard under the sink, I pulled out the bottle of Vodka that I swore I wouldn’t drink after what happened the last time. I just couldn’t deal with the new revelation I rece
Olivia’s POV A lump formed in my throat as I watched Joshua look down at me with his hands in his pockets. His face didn’t light up when he saw me like he used to and his eyes were missing the sparkle of adoration he saw me with. In short, even though the man in front of me was Joshua Taylor, I barely recognized him anymore. Am I destroying all the men I care for? First Sam and now Joshua. “So, can we talk?” he asked again when I didn’t answer him the first time. Nodding hesitantly, I grabbed my jacket that was on the hook and stepped outside. “I’m sorry I can’t invite you in. My roommate is waiting for a few of her friends before they head out for a party, so it will be a little noisy and we won’t have privacy. Maybe we can take a walk to the park until they leave?” “Sure,” he replied briefly before walking silently beside me. Damn! The tension is high! Once we were outside under the slowly darkening sky, we headed to a nearby park that was right beside my apartment building b
Olivia’s POV We stood there in each other’s arms, as the rain continued to pour and drench us, but we didn’t care. All we were interested in was looking into each other’s eyes and slow dancing in the rain like we were the only two people in the whole wide world. Soon, the rain became heavier accompanied by lightning, signaling that a storm was brewing and Joshua tilted my head up. “It’s time to get out of this rain, Princess.” “But, it’s so romantic here,” I replied as my lips pouted sadly. Joshua caressed my wet lips with his thumb before lowering his face to kiss me, softly and deeply at the same time, sucking me into another world. Then, he pulled apart from me and tucked my soaked hair behind my ear. “I know, my love. But, you’re soaking wet and the rain is getting heavier. I’d hate for you to get sick,” Joshua said softly as he stroked my cheek with the back of his palm. Nodding in agreement despite wanting to stay in that position forever, I pulled apart from our hug to wa
Olivia’s POV Turning off the shower, I stared at Joshua, unable to believe my ears. There I was panting for air, still soaking wet and barely recovering from the overflowing pleasure I just experienced and Joshua was suggesting a second round. Not that I wasn’t interested, but I was just shocked and my mind was still hazy. “Wait, are you serious?” I asked as I scanned his face. Nodding at me, he pinched my waist lightly and made me gasp. “Yes, Princess. But, if you don’t want—” “No, no, I want to!” I blurted out before he could change my mind. Moving his hand up to my face, he cupped my face in his palms before he allowed them to slowly drag down the front of my body before they stopped at my br*asts. “My, my, Princess. Aren’t you naughty?” “Says the guy who has his hands on my bo*bs,” I retorted
Olivia’s POV There was nothing good about the morning when I woke up a couple of hours later to find my bed still empty. My pillows and duvet still smelled like Joshua but the actual human being was nowhere to be seen. Even though I knew that there was no need to panic, my heart still clenched in worry. It would have been different if he had disappeared or walked away after a fight, but we had just had a mind-blowing night of love-making after we both professed our love for each other and the idea of becoming each other’s better halves. It didn’t make any sense to leave unless he wanted to, but that was not who Joshua was since the last thing he would ever want was for me to get up and see that he was not beside me. There must be another explanation. Sitting up on my bed, I reached out to my side table and grabbed my phone. Once again, there was no missed call or unread text from Joshua, in fact, based on what I could see, the last time he had been online was at 11 pm, which was a
Olivia’s POV My throat ran dry and my heart pounded in my chest as I looked at the packed-up boxes in front of Joshua’s apartment as if he was moving out. Shifting my attention to the front door, my hand trembled as I pushed open the slightly ajar door leading to Joshua’s apartment. “Joshua? Are you there?” I called out, both scared and desperate to hear him reply. Obviously, I yearned to see him again, to know that he was okay and to know that he didn’t just leave me for no reason. I missed him so terribly that it hurt me physically, emotionally, and mentally. I could still feel his kiss on my lips and the sight of the hickeys he had left on my body only made me cry every time I looked in the mirror. Yet, at the same time, a certain fear paralyzed me when I saw the boxes and the opened apartment door, as if something terrible had happened, something I didn’t dare to even think about. Pushing the door fully open, my jaw dropped at the empty apartment. Not a single piece of furnitu
Olivia’s POV My eyes scanned the arrivals board for the flight number listed on my phone and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that it had arrived. Smiling to myself in anticipation, I made my way to the arrivals gate and started peeking past the doors to spot the familiar face. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait for long, and soon, my name echoed through the hall. “Olivia!” “Adrina!” I shouted back as I watched her run towards me. Before I knew it, she had her arms around me, hugging me tightly and washing me over with a sense of comfort. My eyes teared at their own will and a sob built up in my throat at how she was making me feel and had always made me feel. Tilting my face up, I quickly wiped away my tears and curved my lips into a huge smile. “I’ve missed you, O! How have you been?” she asked as she cupped my face in her hands. A small chuckle escaped my lips and I exhaled. “I missed you too, babe. I’m fine, like always.” “Are you sure? There’s something different about
Olivia’s POV Tucking myself safely in between the massive teddy bear’s arms, I took a deep breath and slid my finger across the screen, answering the call from my big brother that I hadn’t spoken to in quite some time. A small smile curved my lips at the thought of him as I placed the phone to my ear. “Hey, Lukey!” “Oli! What took you so long to pick up? Are you having a boy over?” my brother screamed through the phone before bursting out into laughter. Oh, how I’ve missed his voice. My head shook at his usual crazy antics. “Lukey, no! I was just looking for my phone. Anyway, what’s up with the sudden call?” “Oh, do I need a reason to call my baby sister now, Miss New York?” he asked sarcastically. A loud exhale escaped my lips. “Lukey, I know you. There must be something important for you to call me.” “Yeah, you’re right. I hate you for knowing me too well,” he said in surrender with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice, much to my delight since I always loved annoying hi