Unpleasant love

Chapter 7

Marry

A sudden wave of nervousness swept over me. Parties and crowded events were never my favorite, but I was here for Ivy. Tonight, I planned to express my true feelings to her. "Hey, are you okay?" Olive inquired, genuine concern etched on her face. "I—yeah, I'm just not a fan of social gatherings, especially with this many people around," I confessed, taken aback.

"Do you want to step outside for a moment?" Olive suggested. "Just for a minute, then I'll be fine," I replied. "Sure, follow me," she said, already leading the way to the back entrance.

Navigating through the bustling crowd, we finally stepped out into the night. The atmosphere grew quieter. "Hey, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about," I began, leaning against the restaurant wall. "Don't make me nervous, Ms. Clark," she teased with a smirk. "Cut it out, Olive," I said, playfully hitting her shoulder, though I feared it might have been too much. Perhaps I was imagining things, but I thought I saw her cheeks flush for a moment.

After a brief silence, I continued, "I'm really sorry about the comment I made in class, implying you were lazy. I didn't mean it that way; it was just a joke."

"Oh, that? Yeah, it's fine. People always assume I'm lazy, even though I work as hard as everyone else, just in different ways," she explained, absentmindedly kicking a stone with her foot. "But hearing it all the time gets pretty annoying after a while."

"I understand. I genuinely apologize, Olive. I won't let it happen again," I reassured her. She flashed me a quick smile. "Hey, since we're on the topic, should we start working on the project soon?"

"Right, Saturday? I'll pick you up," she suggested. I nodded in agreement. "Shall we head back in?" she proposed. "Yes, we shouldn't keep away for too long; it wouldn't be polite," I agreed. She gestured to the door. "After you, Miss Clark."