𝔸 𝕤𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟.
From the moment she started working at Freshmart, Octavia has been in love with Caleb Dale. For seven years...
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Five years ago, a couple of weeks after turning eighteen, Octavia had finally gathered her courage to profess her love to Caleb.
She could still remember her nervousness when she'd knocked on his door after her shift, wearing her favorite dress and prettiest shoes. Stumbling on her words, she'd told him about her feelings for him, insisting he didn't have to answer. She just wanted him to know.
He'd answered, though, and his response had broken her fragile, enamored heart. She was a sweet girl and he was fond of her, but he didn't see her like that, and he never would. He'd told her he wasn't the right man for her, and she should focus on boys her age rather than him.
Although his words had been as gentle and considerate as possible, each of them had felt like a stab through her chest. Finally, being eighteen meant she was an adult, so she could love him and he could love her. She'd thought since the numbers were right, she had a chance with him.
But the only number that mattered to Caleb was the twelve years and five months separating them. Being a legal adult was meaningless. She would forever be too young for him.
Back then, she'd still been mourning the loss of her mother. Seven months before her declaration, the being she loved the most in this world had been robbed from her in an unlucky car accident. Octavia had been looking for traces of affection wherever she could get them, since her mom wasn't there anymore and her estranged father didn't know how to love his daughter.
So she'd cracked under the pressure of her overwhelming need for love. She'd cracked, and she'd asked Caleb for his love. But just like everyone else around her, he didn't know how to love her.
After he'd rejected her, she'd been devastated, certain no one would ever love her again. Until she met Quentin a few months later. Quentin was only a year older than her. He was nice, caring, sweet, and all he wanted was to love her. So she'd let him, needing his affection. Anyone's affection, really.
They'd dated for about ten months before Octavia had ended things. He loved her the way she needed, but she couldn't return it. All of her boyfriends had followed the same pattern, and each time, she'd convinced herself she could learn to love them back.
But the truth was, she couldn't give her heart to any of them because it already belonged to Caleb Dale.
In his tight embrace, on the small couch in his office, Octavia felt like she was eighteen again. Once more, she was desperate to hear him say he loved her, too. But this time, she knew better.
Caleb was a kind man with a big heart, and while a small part of it might have her in it, he couldn't love her like that.
And it was okay. He didn't have to. As much as she wanted Caleb to love her, she couldn't put the blame on him if he didn't. Love didn't work that way, and it wasn't anyone's fault if she'd been in love with him for seven years and he couldn't return it.
