delicate

74

I kept twisting the ring on my finger as they talked around me. I felt Kai sit next to me, keeping room between us. He grabbed my hand and turned it over, placing a glass of bourbon in it. I gripped the glass tighter and pulled it between my hands.

I expected to snap out of this bad mood I've been in for the past week, but it feels impossible. Every time he crosses my mind, I sink lower into the pit of depression. Kai was able to convince me to try and get out, so now we're here at the boarding house.

I didn't expect to stay around him the entire time, but as it turns out, he actually helps. Although he is the reason I'm in this mess in the first place.

"It just doesn't make sense."

I looked at Caroline. "What?"

She moved to the edge of the couch. "Why would he leave you at that moment? What did he say?"

The moment flashed through my head. I've explained everything ten times now, but I've omitted the part about Kai.

"Where did he even go," Elena asked.

I shook my head, "Away from me." I looked down at the glass in my hands again.

"And you haven't tried talking to him?"

I looked at Caroline again. "I don't see why I should. If he wanted to talk to me, he would."

My phone started ringing. I looked at it sitting on the coffee table. Oliver's name made my heart jump. I wanted to answer it, but talking to him would go against my better judgment.

Caroline reached across the coffee table and grabbed my phone, answering the call from him before I could stop her.

"What do you want?"

I was getting a headache from thinking about this for so long.

"No, you can't talk to her. Especially not over the phone!"

I got up and walked into the kitchen to refill the glass in my hands, even though I could've done it in the living room.

I drank what I poured and then sat the glass on the counter before walking out of the kitchen. I froze seeing Oliver standing in the living room. I could feel the tension through the quiet, encircling the room.

I walked closer. "What are you doing here?"

He turned to look at me. "I want to talk to you, Evelyn."

I tilted my head, "We have nothing to talk about."

"Yes, we do. You know we do."

"No, you pretty much said it all."

"So I was right?"

"You're unbelievable," I rolled my eyes as I started to turn away.

He grabbed my arm, making me turn to face him. "Evelyn, please. Just hear me out. You owe me that much."

"I don't owe you anything, especially not after what you did."

"What I did was express my concerns and stop you from making a mistake. And you proved me right considering where you went after!"

"Maybe you two want to do this privately," Caroline suggested.

I tilted my head, "We're not doing this at all. I'm leaving."

"With him, no doubt."

"You were right about one thing. You can never do what he can, which is actually give me what I need."

"And what exactly did he give you?"

"You're smart. You can figure it out."

I could see the anger forming in his eyes. "You know, you can blame me all you want for how unhappy you are right now, but nothing will ever change the fact that I was right about not being with you."