Start Again | Forbidden Book 2

24. Moonlight

There's something that happens after you believe you're about to lose the person that you love the most. When you think their life is about to be taken away. For Max, he didn't want to leave Olivia alone, not for a second, he needed her close all of the time. He craved to be near her, to hold her, to protect her. Although he clearly knew by now that she had the temper and the wits to take care of herself. Still, he just wanted to hold her close and lay his head on her chest and feel her heart beating. There was nothing more soothing than that.

For Olivia, surviving was like an adrenaline rush. It was a sense of power that rushed through her body and an energy she felt expanding from her chest to the tip of her toes. The colors around her seemed brighter as they pulled her out of a place of darkness. Specially feeling Lila with her, it sent the life back into her. 

She didn't want to stay locked up in a hotel room. She wanted to keep on living now. It seemed like every few months someone threatened to take her life away and she refused to give it up. Now she refused to stop living at all. It was time to make some more beautiful memories. 

As Max and Olivia had breakfast inside their suite, Olivia stood up to go get some coffee when Max pulled her in by the waist and puller her to his lap. 

Olivia giggled as she placed her arm around his shoulders and Max said "Let's just have breakfast like this" while he kissed her shoulder. 

"Seems counterproductive but I like it" she said stirring to settle on his lap. 

As Max kissed her lips she thought about her conversation with Carola prior to Ashley's appearance. "Hey there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about" she said carefully thinking of her next words.

"What is it?" said Max as he sipped his green juice.

"Well we made so much plans based on us having a family and now that we're not, I'm not sure if you'd like some things to change" she said slowly "I mean.. with the apartment or the beach house or.."

Max nodded "You know what I do think we need to change one thing" he said decidedly.

Olivia's eyebrows rose, she braced for impact "Oh yeah? What is it?"

"The apartment" said Max shaking his head in disbelief with a pained face "I think we need to move out"

"We?... Both of us?" asked Olivia not quite understanding.

"Yeah it's like you said yesterday, Ashley took away the safety we felt there. We should sell it, find a new place for us" he said convinced.

Olivia sighed in relief as a smile appeared on her face, she looked down as her cheeks flushed "You had me scared there for a moment, yes I actually love that idea".

Max chuckled "What did you think I was going to say?"

"I thought you were going to ask me to move out!" she laughed

Max started laughing "After everything it took to get you to move in?!" he kept on laughing loudly. 

Olivia's face got redder but she was smiling "Well I don't know! Things have changed since then"

Max tried to keep a straight face and stop laughing but he was still smiling brightly at her "You're not getting away from me Olivia, that's not changing".

Olivia looked at his bright blue eyes before leaning in to kiss his lips "Good" she said with a smile "I don't want to go anywhere".

After breakfast they got ready for the race. Olivia wasn't completely back to work. She wasn't supposed to be there at all, but since she was, she thought about picking up a camera and getting to it.