Olivia’s POV
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing, and I realised that my music had stopped playing. The ringing filled my ears, and when I picked up my phone, I saw that Andre had called me ten times.
While I was staring at my screen in shock, he called again, and I answered.
“Olivia, where have you been? I’ve been calling you.”
After waiting for a response and getting nothing, he continued. “I’m in front of your door. Open up so I can see you.”
I listened to his voice with tears in my eyes. I couldn’t believe that I was doing this to him.
He didn’t deserve this.
“I just need to be alone right now. Today is a day that my dad and I used to go out into the forest and have a camping trip together. I thought that I would get over it by just staying inside and being quiet. I just really want to be alone right now.”
My little lie did nothing to calm Andre down. He still sounded so worried over the phone.
His voice now was a shade quieter, “Olivia, we can go on the camping trip together. Both of us can pay respects to your dad together. Just open the door; I really need to see you.”
His words struck a cord in my heart. I could tell that he really wanted to be with me when I couldn’t be with him. I was frightened, terrified. Someone was watching us. I thought I was ready to be his openly, but now, after everything that has happened, I’ve been proven otherwise.
I wasn’t ready.
The turmoil in my mind was so violent that I didn’t even know when I snapped and yelled at him over the phone.
“Don’t you get it! I don’t want to see you! Go away and leave me the fuck alone!”
He was silent, and I could tell that he was astonished at what I had said to him. Afraid that he would snap at me, I immediately ended the call and threw my phone across the room. I didn’t care whether it broke or not.
I guessed my phone was still in good condition because after chucking it away, he called me several more times.
I threw a pillow over my head to block out the ringing and cried even louder, my subs muffled by the soft, fluffy fabric.
After a while, I threw the pillow away, cuddled my dad’s ash jar tighter, and began to cry even harder.
I needed him to understand that I couldn’t see him and that it was for our good. That was the best excuse that I could come up with. I wished he would understand.
I closed my eyes for a few minutes, and when I opened them, I saw a paper peeking out from underneath the door. I frozen terror, but my body had a mind of its own all of a sudden, and I began to walk towards the door. I was terrified, but I picked up the paper, and lo and behold, there was another note.
“Daddy seems to be missing you.”
My heart raced, and I grouped the paper, crumpling it under the pressure of my palms.
No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening.
I unfolded it and placed it in my drawer with the others. I had three in total. Who was saying that there wouldn’t be more?
*** ***** ******
I woke up early the following day and decided I didn’t want to leave my bedroom, go anywhere, or see Andre. The note from yesterday still terrified me. I had hidden under the covers, hoping that by some miracle, I would magically vanish from the sight of whoever was watching me.
My phone was still halfway across the room and hadn’t rung since yesterday. My dad’s ash jar was on my dressing table, and the windows were still firmly shut.
The room was hot and stuffy, but I wouldn’t dare open even the slightest inch of the window.
Suddenly, my phone rang. I was reluctant to answer the call, but I stood up from my bed and went to where I had thrown it.
Luckily, it had landed neatly on top of the clothes I had kept in the corner for washing. I picked it up, looked at the screen, and saw that it was Jaxon.
Jaxon? Why was he calling me?
My palm lightly brushed the green button. His voice came out loud to my receiver, and I put the phone to my ear.
“Hey, Jaxon. Good morning. You called. What’s up?”
His deep voice filled my ears, sounding as cool as ever.
“I don’t know if it’s okay with you, but I wanted to know if I could come to your place. I am bringing some friends over for a study project, and I thought you might like to be part of it.”
I was stunned. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, but I guess I could make an exception for Jaxon. I had acted strangely, and I owed him an apology.
“Sure. That would be great. I do have a lot of studying to catch up on.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll see you in 20 minutes.”
The line went dead, and I dropped my phone on my bed. If I were going to see Jaxon, I could certainly not see him looking like a depressed mess.
I got into the shower and had a quick bath. The cold water made me feel better, and my eyes didn’t seem as puffy as before. I got dressed in something nice and headed downstairs.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I whipped it out and saw that it was Jaxon who was calling.
“Hey, where are you?”
I’m your door.”
I walked to the front door and opened it, and there he was, standing with a smile. He wore a dark pair of blue jeans and a white shirt with a plaid design.
He winked at me, and my stomach felt like jelly for a second. I ushered him inside and closed the door behind him.
“I thought that you said you were going to bring two of your friends to come over as well, I asked him, quite confused at the fact that he came alone.
“I did, but they cancelled on me, and since I already told you that I was going to come over, I decided to come anyway. It would be very rude cancelling on you at the last minute.”
He seemed so genuine in his explanation, and I nodded in understanding.
“Well, in that case, if you still want to get some studying done, we could do it in the garden. I’ve been cooped up all day, and I think I need a breath of fresh air.”
“Sounds great.”
His long backpack was over his shoulder, and I followed him to the garden.
This place is beautiful, said Jaxon, with a whistle of surprise.
I smiled at him, and we chose a comfy spot on the bench that faced the beautiful water fountain and gave a peaceful noise to the entire garden.
We took out our books and began to read. We asked each other questions and laughed at each other’s jokes every once in a while.
I was glad that I invited Jaxon over. Everything that had happened made my head spin, and I guess what I needed most was a company other than Andre’s.
An hour into the study session, a familiar scent filled the air. I turned my head around and saw Andre walking towards Jaxon and me.
He was glaring at me with ferocity, but I refused to make eye contact with him, especially since Jaxon was around. I couldn’t let him know that there was something between Andre and I.
Andre walked up to both of us. I saw Jaxon look up at him, and he immediately sprung to his feet.
“Good afternoon, Alpha.”
I acted like I had not seen Andre earlier and stood up slowly as well.
“Good afternoon, Alpha.”
I saw his face become stiff and uncomfortable, and without saying a word, he turned away and walked back inside.
Jaxon nudged me on my shoulder, and I turned to him.
“What’s wrong with your stepfather? Did I do something wrong? Doesn’t he want me here?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s nothing to be worried about. How about we take a break, get some snacks, and continue?”
Jaxon nodded and flashed a smile, and I signalled one of the maids to bring us some snacks.
A tray with assorted cakes, sweets, and cookies was brought to us in a few minutes.
Jaxon and I ate happily together, made some more jokes, and talked about a lot of things.
Suddenly, he fell silent and looked at me deeply.
“Olivia, there is something on your lip.”
Before I could raise my hand to wipe my lips, Jaxon leaned towards me slowly, and I felt my body stiffen.
His face was barely inches away from mine when suddenly, a loud booming voice filled the air, making the both of us jump in terror.
“What on earth is going on here?!”
My heart stopped beating.