The silence between them was thick as they settled into the vehicle. The engine roared to life, breaking the stillness of the moment. The streetlights outside cast a soft glow in the car as they embarked on the drive. Each passing second only seemed to amplify the unspoken tension between them. As they drove through the city streets, June stole glances at him, searching for some glimpse of what he might be thinking. But his expression remained stoic, his gaze was on the road ahead. It was as if he erected a wall around himself. June's hands fidgeted, hating that she was bad at comforting people. Her mind ramped ahead with thoughts of what to say. Should she crack a silly joke? Or tell him her father, when he was alive was also a piece of shit who exploited her and her older brother? Not to judge but anyone could tell from a mile away that Ollie’s father wasn’t a good one. Because who talks to their son like that? Besides that, he rubbed on her the wrong way. She cussed under her br
“Surprise, I brought your favorite pizza.”It took everything in her to not cuss as her eyes snapped to the door. She instinctively recoiled before swiftly adjusting her blouse and aimlessly running her palms on the first aid box. “What the hell, Amy?”Her attention drew back to the box. With irritation at the interrupted moment, she snapped the lid shut with an unintended force before sliding her hand under the handle, lifting it as she rose to her feet. She strolled past Amy, who stood by the doorway, her eyes centered on Ollie. As June neared Aiden, she impulsively extended her arm to his hair, gently brushing her fingerprints with his hair. “Don’t.” Aiden shot a disapproving glance from the corner of his eyes towards her which made her withdraw her arm. “Why are you both home? Weren’t you supposed to wait for my call?” She said with a mix of concern and annoyance. After the incident, the twins no longer stayed at home when she wasn’t around. They stayed with Lola until she wa
“Isn’t it weird?” June said, sliding her back against the wall. Her frustration soared to the heights of Mount Everest.“What?” Ollie briefly diverted his gaze from the cat he was tending to, casting a glance at her before returning his attention to it. She pointed her index finger at him “That you’re the one good with the animals and not me.” Then aimed the finger back at her own chest. A wisp of laughter escaped his lips, dancing upon the air like a melody, almost melting her pent-up frustration. Emphasis on almost, because she caught herself quickly and continued. “If the cats should like anyone it should be me. So why you and not me?”When Ollie informed her that they were coming to the shelter as planned with David and Gab, June was over and beyond excited. Right now, not so much. The cats had only snarled at her ever since they arrived while they had been so lovey and jumpy on Ollie. She wasn’t mad at all. It just seemed all ridiculous to her that grumpy Ollie was good wit
June was shocked at the internal shrieks that sent a wave of excitement down her body when Ollie’s name popped on her phone screen. Thankfully, she managed to compose herself before Amy and Aiden who were grossly into the movie playing on the tv caught her shocking display. Why was she so fucking happy she was getting a call from Ollie and not from the job she applied for?—Job which if she didn’t get would be rendered homeless because she quit the strip club. Which was good news because she’d never felt more at peace than she was right now. And bad news because since most of her income came from stripping she needed equal earnings of part-time jobs to fill it. But this wasn’t the issue at hand. Her getting excited about Ollie was. She didn’t understand herself anymore.She let out a breath and tugged in her undesired surplus excitement—reasons for which she had no intention to delve—. Then she reached out to her phone, swiftly flicked her fingers across the screen, and lifted it t
Ollie cocked his eyebrows in confusion. “How dare you make me dress like this to a place like this?” Mere looking at the restaurant, she could tell it was the type that demanded cocktail dresses, dinner gowns, shiny pieces of jewelry, and expensive perfumes. And she missed all the point marks. ”You always look beautiful, no matter what you wear,” he said casually as if it were a known fact, and she was supposed to be aware of it. She took a deep breath as they stepped into the grand restaurant. It was the most extravagant place she had ever been to, and she looked so out of place in jeans and a sweater. “I hate you for doing this to me,” she muttered through gritted teeth to Ollie as a man in a tailored suit and a large mole on his nose approached them. “Guess I’ll have to remind you every minute that you’re beautiful, regardless of what you’re wearing,” he teased, and she playfully shoved him aside just as the man arrived. The man extended his arms with a gracious smile. “Mr.
As much as June needed time from Ollie to keep her feelings in check and bury thoughts about the both of them, she couldn’t. She still needed to pretend to be his girlfriend until he signed the deal with David and the deal hadn’t been finalized yet. So here she was telling an overthinking Gab that her fiancé would be here soon. “Don’t worry too much. he will be here soon “ June patted Gab’s back. Gab’s fingers danced across the darkened surface of her phone screen, rhythmically tapping as if to summon a response. “I dialed his number before I left.” She murmured anxiously. “He told me he was on his way and would get her before me.”Gab’s gaze darted back and forth between the entrance and June, her brows furrowed with worry. “What if something bad has happened to him?” Gab’s voice quivered. Frankly, there was no need for alarm. David might be caught up in literally anything which might be the cause of his delay. But Gab’s worry definitely felt wholesome. Gab and David were love
“You okay?” Ollie asked her for the nth time. As if he could sense something was wrong with her. He hadn’t stopped questioning her ever since she came back.She let out a sigh and clutched her stomach, desperately holding back tears.“Yes. I’m fine.” She said stiffly, hoping he would drop it. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her being her pathetic self over yet another person's negative opinion of her. Was it though? Or was it just the truth about her?A few minutes went by before Ollie gently wrapped his fingers around her chin, guiding her face towards him and meeting her eyes with his own intense gaze.“Don’t tell me you’re fine when I can see through you. I know something is wrong so now start talking.”This. She hated how she was such a transparent glass. She was pathetic and she was terrible at hiding it.She slipped her chin from the iron grip of his fingers.“I’m fine.”He seized her chin again.“No, you’re not.”She curled her leg inward and clutched her stomach a
“You are so beautiful.” She gushed as Gab emerged from the dressing room. Gab had pleaded with her to accompany her to her dress fitting and June had agreed. She shimmered with a bittersweet smile as she watched Gab twirling happily in her wedding gown with a grin on her face. The pristine gown, was like fallen snow, flowing around Gab in a mesmerizing cascade, resembling a fountain frozen in time. A longing tugged at her heart as she witnessed Gab’s bliss in anticipation of getting married to the love of her life. She felt a pang in her heart. Would this ever be her? “Thank you.” Gab shrieked. June could see her joy bursting through every fiber of her. “Although the waist might need some adjustments,” Gab added, tugging the loose fabric and turning to the designer. “Mrs. Turner, what do you think?” Mrs. Turner appeared by Gab’s side. While Gab pointed out the areas that required fine-tuning to the designer, June drifted off into her thought. Their voices muffled into the backgr
Two years later. She did it. Finally, she was a certified interior designer. Today was another great milestone for her. With the help of the twins, her friend, Lola who couldn’t be here because she was several countries away And most especially her man. Who’d been with her through thick and thin. Whose loyalty never waver. Whose patience never ran thin. Whose love multiplied daily. Even when she moved across the country, to California, he’d followed her, he’d took charge, he’d been there for her. He’d stayed with her. He’d and made her take the backseat which she was very much pleased. He’d made her the happiest woman on earth. Her heart swelled with the ceremonial gown on her. “Oh my fu—“ Aiden’s exclamation was abruptly cut off when his eyes locked with hers. “Oh my.” He muttered under his breath. He’d become grumpier as he grew older. “What happened?” Amy’s puzzled gaze scanned the surroundings, searching for the cause of Aiden’s displeasure. A gasp escaped her lips, and she
Ollie had been practically glued to her side. He hadn’t been apart from her for more than a minute. And that was a stretch. He followed her around the house like a lost puppy. Whenever she took a step, he was around by her side. “What did you want? What do I need to do? Where are you going?” He would say with so much love and care. She wasn’t complaining at all about his clinginess. As a matter of factly, she loved so much. She missed him so much. Now that he was finally with her, she was never going to let go ever again. Being with him felt like she could finally breathe. She was genuinely happy. She couldn’t explain the level of joy his presence alone brought to her. They’d been indoors for four days without a pint of curiosity for the outside world. It could be burning down and they wouldn’t even care. As long as they were with each other. During those periods, they’d caught up with each other’s life. They’d shared their deepest insecurities. They’d made love so many times. Th
She was just out of the restaurant she worked part time when she bumped Rachel, Ollie’s step mother. When Rachel’s eyes met hers, the smile on her face broadened and Rachel instantly enveloped her into an embrace. “Isn’t this a pleasant surprise?” Rachel’s voice carried a warmth of genuine delight. June returned the hug. “It is.” As Rachel withdrew, she added, “How have you been?” “I’ve been good. Thank you. What about you?” June asked. “I doing well dear. What else can this old lady do?” a shared laughter echoed between them. “What are you doing here?” “I work here.” June answered, her eyes meeting Rachel wrinkled corners. Rachel said with a low hum. “I’m a regular here and I never stumble across you.” “I work the evening shift.” She’d switched shift with one of her colleague who’d pleaded with her. “Must be the reason.” Rachel said, her hand resting on June’s shoulder. “By the way, I heard you broke my son’s heart.” June tensed up, unsure of what to response. “I…” She st
Max: Are you busy?Ollie: Yes. Max: See you by 7. At Eden.It wasn’t hard to make out Max in the bar. His blond hair stood out like a beacon in contrast with the subdued ambiance of the bar and his outfit. A black turtle neck with matching trench coat. When he flopped on the chair opposite Max, he said. “This has better be for a good reason or I might just kill you. ” Max leaned back, no words just a raised brow as Ollie’s hand sought for bottle positioned between them. Not caring what it was, he poured himself a generous measure into the glass. It felt dull as it slid down his throat. He’d gotten accustomed to the taste of liquor. They almost tasted like water to him. “Take another swig, you will need it.” Though, Confused at what Max was implying, he took another swig. The burn of the drink a familiar comfort. This was how he kept his sanity. This was how he kept going after June. She ruined him and he couldn’t even hate her for it. He'd accepted June the type of love he co
She’d been an unfixable mess since the breakup. Firstly, because there had been an unending swirl of chaos within her. Secondly, because life was still life. A colossal mess. She had no luxury to mourn a broken heart. Every morning, she rose to her feet, not because she wanted to but because she had to. She showed up at multiple part-time jobs until she broke a nail because she had to. To top it, she had to read for the exams.When she’d told the twins and Lola about her ambition, they were so proud of her. They mattered to her but deep down she wanted someone else praise. The persono who’d told her it was okay to dream and instilled this confidence into her to take a step towards her dream. The actual person who’d motivated her to take this risky step wasn’t there. At 2 am or 6 pm, when she ate, when she slept when she worked, when she studied. He was a constant pillar in her mind. She had no right to think about him but she couldn’t help it. He was everywhere. He was in every
It always worked. Work had always been a perfect distraction for him anytime he needed to push something aside and not think about it. Until now. Workloads upon workloads. It couldn’t stop the image of June burning the pages of his mind. It haunted him with vividness that made it impossible for him to concentrate. Her anguished voice echoed in his ears, refusing to fade. Her cruel words whipped him like a lash. Her pained face that he wanted to console even after everything.His brain had been on a maddening repetitive loop. We’ve had our fun. Fun?The word taunted him. All he wanted to do was drown thoughts of June out of his mind but everything he’d done proved futile. Seated at his cluttered desk, surrounded by towering stacks of paperwork, but the weight of his workload did little to divert his thoughts. Three days. Twenty hours. And June hadn’t left his mind for a millisecond. Twenty hours of work a day had done little to distract him. June, even in her absence, was a r
He’ll leave you. He’ll regret ever being with you and he’ll leave you. Ollie’s father's words stuck to her, not leaving her mind for a tiny moment just like the ghost of his hand on the skin of her neck, she could also his word strong invisible vise choking her. That’s all it is to you. You don’t deserve him. Shaken by the incident, June’s hand trembled as she extended an arm to the car’s window control panel, her index finger pressing down as if seeking escape from the stifling words that had choked her She’d hoped that the breeze would ease the ache she was feeling. No, it didn’t Instead, it stung her skin with its painful lash. June was quick to wind up the window before slumping into her seat. The more her mind pounded on the words, the more it churned her inside and broke her into pieces. Her insecurities build with thick layers.He would leave you. Soon. He would. The words echoed once more, cutting deeper than any physical wound. An involuntary sob broke out of her m
A week later, June was meeting John at the said hotel. June found it weird that the hotel was deserted, and her eyes darted around in search of signs of life. They were just an old red peacock car and a surprisingly manicured lawn in sight. Before June could change her mind, she made a beeline to the lobby’s entrance. She just wanted to be over it as soon as possible. When she entered, her eyes glanced through the person seated in the corner of the lobby. He wore a fedora. John waved to her from the far end of the lobby. His face was hidden behind a baseball cap, casting a shadow over his features. She hadn’t recognized him at first, her eyes narrowing as she squinted to make out his identity.She sighed with relief and made her way to him. The creak of her footsteps on the grimy floor echoed through the desolate lobby. John’s eyes met hers as she approached, and he smiled croakily, the lines of worry etched on his face evident even in the dim light.“Hey,” she said as she droppe
A sense of uneasiness swept over her when she pulled open the door to reveal John. Her brother whom she’d forgotten existed until now. John's hand shot up, his fingers moving in a stiff, awkward wave as his lips formed a tight smile. “Hey.” “What are you doing here?” June raised a brow. It was a surprise that John had stayed away when she asked him to. But she was determined to report to the cops if he showed up at her doorstep back then. Now, three months had passed. It would be a big joke if he thought she would let him in again. John chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Our reunion went a lot better in my head.” His eyes darted through the dimly lit porch. Her lips pulled into a deep line of scowl. Reunion? After what had happened? The memories of the past twisted her inside into a tight knot.Her grip clenched around the doorknob. “Can you at least invite me in?” John raised a hopeful brow.“No.” she gripped the door’s edge and closed it in on her body, leavi