Alexander Burke ~•~I was still inside the room when I heard a knock on the door. “It’s Caroline.” I heard my sister's voice echo from the other side of the door. “Come in! The door is unlocked.” I said and sat upright on the bed. Caroline had a concerned expression registered on her face as she pushed open the door and walked to the bed. “Did you tell her about it before it was released publicly?” I shook my head, regretting my decision. “No, I wanted to tell her but it was too late,” I muttered, rubbing the bridge of my nose as if it would relieve the stress. Caroline sighed. “Do you think she has seen it? Has she reached out to you?” I shrugged. “I have no idea. I turned off my phone.” “You know you can’t shut her out forever, right? You have to talk to her about it.” Caroline advised solemnly. “It’s better you do it now.”“I think I should wait a little bit, this isn’t the right…...” Caroline cut me off before I could even complete my sentence. “There is no right time for
Olivia ~•~I couldn’t sleep the previous night and it was baffling. I wasn’t expecting the news of Alexander’s marriage to Tricia to affect me that much. I was disappointed in myself. Why was I so bothered? We weren’t together and it wasn’t meant to be any of my business. But somehow it still stung badly. It felt like a heavy punch to my guts. I didn’t know I had feelings for Alexander. Or maybe I was just upset because it was Tricia who made me finally give up on my marriage. And now, she had gotten the man. It wasn’t a competition. I couldn’t be in a competition with another woman because of a man. No, I wasn’t a teenager anymore. I was a grown adult who was responsible for two amazing children. Alexander wasn’t a prize. Oh my! I hated myself for feeling like this. Why was I so bothered? I was losing my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder what the blogs were saying about it. I didn’t care to read the comments because I had promised myself to stay clear of the comments that invo
Olivia ~•~I stood in the kitchen, staring at my phone, my eyes burning with unshed tears. Alexander claimed he’d be back in New York, first thing in the morning. And he’d stop by my house to talk to me. But all I could see were photos of him and Tricia, plastered across the internet - smiling and posing for the cameras as they arrived at the airport together.The headline screamed at their arrival, but it was the image of them at the side that made my stomach churn. I could feel the familiar sting of betrayal creeping into my chest again, twisting the knife deeper. He was supposed to be here, having a serious conversation with me, not having a photo-op with her. I let out an unbelievable scoff and dropped my phone on the counter. I wiped my eyes, angry at myself for caring too much. This wasn’t supposed to hurt like this. I had promised myself I wouldn’t let him get under my skin again. But I was angry and disappointed all over again. I needed to get past this. I needed to move
Olivia ~•~My heart raced as I walked towards the house, my palms growing sweaty with each step. Finally, I stood at the door, my hands hovering around the doorbell. I didn’t understand why I was nervous. If anyone was meant to be nervous, it was meant to be Alexander. I was the victim here. I took a deep breath and calmed myself before unlocking the door. My legs felt heavy and uncoordinated as I walked inside the house. Alexander was sitting on the couch in the living room. I took another deep breath, trying to steady my voice but it still came out shaky as I greeted Alexander. “Hey, hi.” I couldn’t even look him in the face. The only thing I could think of was how he had hurt me because of the same person. TWICE! Alexander stood up from the couch and moved closer to me. “Olivia, why are you avoiding eye contact with me?” He asked, his voice low. “Do you hate me so much that you can’t even look at me?” There was a hint of guilt and regret in his voice. I let out a wistful sig
Olivia ~•~The roar of the jet ski engine drowned out everything else as I held the handlebars tighter, speeding across the waves. Maya clung to me, her laughter echoing as we flew over the water. “Wooooo!” Maya yelled, throwing her arms up as we hit another wave, water splashing in all directions. “This is insane!” I screamed over the roar of the engine, a wide grin plastered across my face. For the first time in ages, I felt alive, like nothing could touch me. “Faster!” Maya screamed, laughing as she wrapped her arms tighter around my waist. “Show me what you’ve got, Liv.” I smiled as I leaned forward, pushing the throttle harder. We cut through the waves, our hair flying widely in the wind. We zigzagged through the open sea, occasionally dodging boats and other jet skiers. Every turn felt exhilarating like it was a moment of pure escape. “Holy crap, this is the best!” Maya shouted as she laughed uncontrollably. I couldn’t stop grinning, the adrenaline coursing through my ve
Olivia ~•~“Not today!” I muttered to myself and swiped away from her message. I traveled to Miami to forget about all the New York shenanigans. I didn’t want to entertain anything from anybody. Sandra and I weren’t friends so I didn’t owe her any conversation. If she wanted to speak to someone urgently, she should talk to whoever her new friends were. She should speak to the people who she hasn’t betrayed. Shoving the thoughts about Sandra away from my mind, I dialed my mother's number. I wanted to check up on them to see if they were good. I waited impatiently as the phone rang. My mother was barely with her phone, so sometimes she missed my calls. But I was hoping she would answer because after seeing that text from Sandra, I really wanted to speak to them to make sure everyone was okay. My mother didn’t answer the phone but that didn’t stop me from calling multiple times. The outcome was still the same and I was about to give up but I decided to try one last time. Fortunat
Olivia ~•~“What’s wrong?” I asked Maya. “The purpose of this trip was to get away from them. But I guess that is impossible.” Maya complained as she slumped down on the couch. I understood her frustration but I was also curious to hear what Sandra wanted to talk to me about. It was unusual and unexpected and I couldn’t wait to hear what it was about. “I’m not letting her ruin the evening. I’ll call her after dinner.” I said but Maya wasn’t impressed by my words. If it was up to her, my phone would have been turned off until the end of the trip. “I just hope she doesn’t cause any problems that would make this trip short,” Maya grumbled. “By the way, our ride is here.” She added before standing up from the couch and making her way to the door.I silently trailed behind her and the walk to the car was awkwardly silent. But I couldn’t continue like that throughout the night, so I had to address the issue as we settled into the car. “Maya, I can’t control what other people do. It’s
Olivia ~•~As he led me to the bar, I couldn’t help but wonder what he wanted to speak to me about. I was a stranger in Miami and I didn’t have any business with anybody there. When we reached the bar, he pulled out one of the stools for me to sit. “Please be fast, I was waiting for my food,” I said to him as I climbed the stool. He chuckled. “I couldn’t resist speaking to such a beautiful woman. But sure, I’ll be fast.” He responded and I didn’t miss his thick Russian accent. I had no idea how I missed it the first time he spoke. His charm was effortless but I wasn’t in the mood for any sort of flattery. “What do you want?” I asked, cutting straight to the point. What did a Russian man want to do with me? His expression shifted and he leaned closer to me. “I’m sorry for intruding but I would love to be your friend. Maybe you could even give me your phone number.” “I’m not from here, I only came here for a vacation.” The man nodded. “I know. Same here as well.” He said. “Forg