[Previously titled 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲]
❝No, Ace. I can't do it," I sob.
"I know you can take more than that, sunshine, come on," he encourages, pummeling into me in fervent motions. "One more for daddy, yeah?" He coaxes in a gruffly voice...
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O L I V I A
"Why don't you eat first? You must be hungry," he suggests softly and I hesitate but eventually agree.
As he reaches out towards me, I instinctively back away. I see the disappointment flicker in his eyes, but he doesn't push the issue. We head to the kitchen, where I see he's cooked dinner. It's really sweet of him, and I almost tear up, but I blink the tears away. Ace pulls out a chair for me and gets everything ready while I sit and watch.
"I hope you like it. I made one of your favorites," he says softly.
Even with everything that's happened and the issues we've faced, I still have strong feelings for Ace. The thought of being without him is almost too much to handle. But as I watch him, I can't ignore that our relationship is far from normal. It's complicated and full of problems, and I'm not sure if we can ever really make it work.
"Ace, I...I don't know where we go from here," I begin and Ace's expression saddens.
"I don't have all the answers, Olivia. But I do know I love you, and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to make things right, to make us work," he explains quietly, and his sincerity touches me.
"I love you too, Ace, but things can't stay like this," I respond softly, looking down at my hands.
Ace looks sad and desperate as he listens. He carefully places a plate of food in front of me, reaching for my hand, but I pull back.
"Thank you for the food," I murmur.
Ace smiles faintly but genuinely as he sits next to me. I start eating, but I notice he didn't serve himself.
"Why aren't you eating?" I ask, concerned.
"I'm not hungry,"
I sigh, feeling the tension. It's hard to eat comfortably when he hasn't had a bite. Without waiting for him to speak, I stand up, serve him some food, and sit back down. Ace looks at me, surprised and thankful. As we eat in silence, he stops mid-bite.
"Olivia, I can't imagine life without you. Please, don't leave me," he pleads and a lump forms in my throat.
Seeing the tears in his eyes makes it hard for me to breathe. His vulnerability hits me hard and I sigh, feeling sad and resigned.
"Ace, you know our relationship isn't normal, and we can't keep pretending it is," I say softly.
Ace reaches out and desperately grabs my hand, and this time, I don't pull away as our hands entwine.
"I know it's complicated, but please, just give me some time to sort things out. I'm divorcing Marisa anyway, and she won't be a problem," he pleads again, his voice quivering and I bite my lip.
"It's not just about her, Ace. You're going to be a dad soon, you're much older than me, and you're my professor to top it off!" I blurt out.
