IN LOVE'S EMBRACE

CHAPTER 1: FIRST ENCOUNTER

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."— Romans 8:18

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JOHN PIERCE

I Inwardly groaned in frustration as Olivia chatted on about her cat. I really didn't care about any of the things she said but was trying to be nice, I knew she had an agenda as to why she asked me out for lunch. if only she'd cut to the chase and spare me the pointless chatter.

"So the other day I came home and met him stained with chocolate and..."

"Why did you call me here?" I interrupted, I honestly couldn't take it anymore.

"What?" She blinked, feigning surprise.

"Olivia, we both know you didn't call me here for nothing, so stop stalling and go straight to the point" I deadpanned

She bit her lips and looked away, trying to ease the tension.

"What are we?" She timidly whispered, still avoiding eye contact

There it was, the question I had been dreading. I knew I would have to face it at some point and luckily I came prepared.

"In what sense?" I asked trying my best to stall.

Olivia was sweet and all but ever since she let her guard down and allowed me in, she had become a bore. Besides, there was never going to be anything between us from the start, she was just another one of my conquests and nothing more, but it would seem my charm worked a little too well.

Most girls did this, get intimate with them and they come crawling back to you with the 'what are we?' question. I had bluntly told them the truth and I was pretty sure Olivia heard the tales, it was a wonder why she decided to hurt herself when she already knew what to expect.

Perhaps she had a shred of hope that she was different from the rest.

 Pathetic

"I mean after everything that has happened, are we...a couple?" She said the last part with excitement and I didn't know when I bursted out in laughter

"You and me, a couple?, that's rich. Listen sweetheart, there can never ever be an us, you were a means to pass away time, nothing else" I explained and slowly watched as tears began to brim in her eyes.

Tch. Weak.

Seeing her cry ought to make me feel something but I didn't care. Crying only made you seem weak and fragile, why show such vulnerability?.

A tear dropped and I watched it roll down her cheek, it was quite strange seeing someone as tough as Olivia breakdown and I began to fall into the ugly hands of guilt. With a sigh, I grabbed her hands and tried my best to put on a remorseful face but judging by the tears that still kept on pouring, I was doing a terrible job.

"Listen Olivia, it's really not you, you're amazing but honestly you don't want me in your life, I'll end up hurting you" I tried my best to explain but before I could continue, she got up and ran out of the cafe.

That went better than I expected.

I turned to watch her through the extremely large glass walls at both sides of the entrance. She ran as quickly as she could towards her car with her face buried in her palms. In the blink of an eye, she bumped into a figure and they both went tumbling to the ground.

I hissed imagining how much pain that would have caused. I was about going to help but froze in my seat when I saw who she bumped into. I could recognize that curly black hair anywhere.