It’d been four weeks since Italy happened and he’d never been happier than he was right now. Crazy. He’d never thought he could describe himself as happy. It felt strange. But he was in fact happy. Every day he genuinely looked forward to something. Someone. He couldn’t believe at thirty-two he would be saying this. But everything finally made sense. Being with June made sense. She was the sparkle in his life. The color and vibrant of his monotonic life. It was like emerging into a bright light after walking through a long dark tunnel. It felt all new and strange. Calm. Their relationship had progressed over the weeks. They’d gone on a few dates. They’d gotten to know each other better and also satisfied their sexual and emotional needs as much.And even though they had been countries apart for three days now, there had been consistent communication between them through texts and calls. And he looked forward to June’s message with an embarrassing enthusiasm even though they would
She looked happy and alive. He thought to himself as he stared at the vintage photograph of his mother erected in front of her urn. A part of him was thankful for that. At least, At a stage in her life, she’d been what he described as happy and alive not what he grew up to know. There weren’t any good memories to reminisce on, so Ollie just stood in the mildly hot columbarium, sweat beading on his forehead. Perhaps if his eighteen-year-old self had visited, he would be steaming with deep-seated rage and spite and he would surely have a lot to say. But right now, nothing came to his mind. His mind was blank.He'd stayed away for so many years, and now that he was here, the feeling was neither hot nor cold, just a strange underwhelming emptiness hung in the air. “Well, well, well.” Ollie’s lips thinned disdainfully at the familiar voice. As much as he hated it, he recognized the voice. It used to be a voice that frightened him so much but not anymore. If he was thirteen, maybe it
He opened his eyes to June. She lay there, curled up on the couch, her chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. She was bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window. He couldn’t help the smile that tugged his lips. He stared at her for a long moment enjoying the view before he slid off the bed and approached her in a noiseless step. He bent over, in an attempt to move her to the bed. That must have woke her up, because she stirred in her sleep and blinked her eyes open. “Sorry. I woke you up.” He whispered. “what?” she said, dazed. “How’s your fever?” Her hands flew to his forehead as she sat up. Ollie placed his hand on hers. “Better.” “No” she shook her head. “You’re still burning up. Why are you even up?” She was already up on her feet, leading him to back to the bed. “The fever is gone.” He said. “I don’t need—.” A look from June was all it took to shut him up. “Okay.” He raised his hand in surrender. He wasn’t going to pretend that he wouldn’t d
June woke up with a big smile, mirroring the same one she had on her face nestled against Ollie’s chest after he’d fucked her senseless. The soreness between her thighs a big evidence, the scent of desire and sex still lingering in the air. The scent of Ollie on the crisp bedsheet caressed her nose as June buried her face into the bed. She couldn’t help but inhale deeply. With her eyes closed, she reached out to her side. When her hands couldn’t find him, she peeled her eyelid open. The bed was empty. Knowing just one place he could be in the house, she slipped out of the bed and huddled out of the room. Just like she’d predicted, he was there. In the study room. Ollie was perched behind a polished mahogany desk with a laptop in front of him, the leather chair beneath him creaking gently. She could smell his favorite coffee in the air. He was so focused on what was in front of him, that he didn’t even notice her. June watched him for a bit before saying “God, you’re such a w
She could never understand rich folks—technically she couldn’t because she wasn’t rich but that wasn’t the point—. How could a hundred thousand dollars be spent on a gold chain that looked like those sold for fifty dollars—she was being generous with the price—. And that was the least outrageous accessory she’d seen this night for such an exorbitant price.She discreetly rolled her eyes—one she’d perfected over countless events like this— as the bidding war went on. Her jaw was on the floor the whole time as the charity auction went on like forever. Well, so was her arm because it was starting to hurt from the tray she’d been carrying for close to two hours now. She yawned and blinked her eyes repeatedly as if it would help with the dizziness she felt. She’d gotten dirty scowls on two different occasions because of tray almost slipped out of her grasp. Would this auction even end anytime soon? As she couldn’t bear it anymore. She withdrew, taking cautious steps to muffle the clic
She swore he never laughed this hard at her jokes. “I should leave.” “Oh, thank you so much, darling.” “It’s a pleasure to be of help.” She grumbled before turning away. She couldn’t help but cast one last glance at Ollie. Her heart clenched at the sight of him and the fair woman. Surprise played out on his face as they locked eyes. “June?” He called after her from the room but she was already barreling down the hallway. The shiny white walls and crystal lights make a path down the corridor. She did trust him and knew it was nothing. But it didn’t help how she felt. She’d left the room because she didn’t want to go all possessive and lose her composure in front of his mother. Her footsteps echoed in silence as she recalled his laughter. An acidic taste of jealousy clung to her tongue. “June.” He called her name out again. The sound echoing in the corridor. The auction was still ongoing hence, the hallway was deserted. She felt his weight behind her, the heat of his presence
June’s hand was already sweaty, panic flickering through her when Seth announced that they’d arrived at Rachel’s villa. Seth was Ollie’s P.A. He rarely ever responded and speak only when necessary like now.When she met Rachel at the auction, there weren’t any standards and she didn’t have to impress her. But right now, she was meeting her officially as Ollie’s girlfriend.And she hadn’t exactly made a first good impression. She’d ranted about how badly she was treated as a waiter by the person who hired them. As much as Ollie said it didn’t matter. he’d also told her multiple times about how Rachel had spammed him with calls and texts just so he could bring her over. However, that didn’t ease June’s panic. It climbed higher on the threshold as they got nearer and nearer until up to this point.Ollie turned to face her, taking her face in his palm. June leaned into his touch, sucking in a breath. “You ready?” Was she? “Not exactly, no.” June rolled her tongue over her lower lip,
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