When An Accident Prone No One Runs Into A Celebrity There Will Be Chaos...

Chapter 24

I don’t know how long I’ve been walking. All I know is that I’m still not ready to go back. I can’t face the office yet. I can imagine them all leafing through the article, seeing Ollie’s note and bursting into peals of laughter at my sheer stupidity. My tummy lurches just at the thought of it; I think I’m going to be sick. Speaking of sick I think I’m going to contract pneumonia. I’m drenched the rain hasn’t let up at all but I just keep walking ignoring everything and everyone; even if I do squelch with every footstep. I’m completely lost in my thoughts so I barely even notice when I almost slam into a hurrying business man. “Watch,” he barks at me in fury. I snap out of my trance and I finally take a look at where I’m at. I recognise the place immediately. A swell of emotion rises inside me as I take in the familiar street. My eyes quickly search for the reason this place is so familiar. With a new determined direction I quickly make my way to the familiar stone archway leading to the park. I breathe a sigh of relief to be at a place of familiarity. I don’t feel so exposed to the world who now knows everything. Finally I reach the swings and sink down onto one of them lolling my head against the chain in despair. Thoughts are flying in and out of my head at such a pace that I can’t keep up. I’m in an excruciatingly confusing position in between anger, embarrassment, shock and worst of all love. Suddenly my eyes click into focus and fixate on the figure walking towards me. For a second I think I’m hallucinating. For a moment I think that all this has finally caught up on me and I need to admit myself into the nearest mental asylum. But looking more sharply I see that it is no illusion. I leap up to my feet and storm off. I’m not confused anymore I’m just angry. How did he find me? “Izzie give me five seconds,” Ollie calls after me.

“No,” I retort defiantly not even turning around.

“Izzie did you see the bit in the article?” he shouts again hopefully holding up a, by now, soggy and disintegrating newspaper due to the rain. “As a matter of fact I did,” I reply coolly still not turning around. Did he follow me here or something? Why can’t he just leave me alone I don’t want to be a part of this! I don’t want to be in love with him! “And that’s all you have to say?” he asks.

“I don’t want anything to do with you!” I screech back finally turning to face him. I stand there for a few seconds staring at him in fury before shaking my head and leaving again.

Then there's finally a silence. I guess it's all over now. But just as I’m about to make an exit a hand shoots out in front of me blocking my way through the stone arch way. Ollie is stood in my path hair dripping with rain and panting. I don't realise in time to stop and I crash into his arm. I glare at him angrily massaging my now sore throat. “Izzie we've been through far too much for me to allow you to walk out of here without listening to what I have to say. I know with you I have made a lot of mistakes but I'm not going to make this one,” he informs me looking intently into my eyes. One look. That is all it takes to knock my brain out of my head and allow whatever it is that draws me to Ollie to take over. Not again. I can not go through this whole process again because I will inevitably just get hurt. He walks away unscratched and I get my heartbroken. “You can't do this to me!” I yell at him pushing all the thoughts telling me to forgive him out of my head with force. “How long is it going to be this time Ollie? How long is it going to be before you change your mind?” I ask him furiously.

“Izzie I know I have made mistake after mistake with you and I've had more chances than anyone should ever have but I really, really do care a lot about you,” he implores but I just make a scoffing noise. “You don't believe me?” he asks.

“Of course I don't bloody believe you,” I snap.

“Are you really going to make me say this?” he questions. I sigh and roll my eyes and I'm seconds away from walking away when he speaks again, “Fine. I’ll say it. Isabelle Emerson I love you. I have loved you for a while now but I've just been too stupid to realise it. Of course you still drive me absolutely up the wall but... I love you. I don't know why but I do. Even when I'm mad at you and we're furious at each other and we're screaming the walls down I am still in absolute awe of you because arguing with you is strangely exhilarating. Arguing with you gave me some control back in my life if that makes sense. It helped me to heal,” he explains. Here’s the thing arguing with Ollie helped me too. It made me feel less of a failure because at least I could beat him in an argument; I could win something. “And you have this cute little angry glare... the exact one you're giving me now funnily enough. You are genuine, hilarious, and unbelievably clever. When I'm around you I can just be Ollie instead of constantly having to put on an act like I do with everyone else. I don’t have to block myself off from you like I have to with everyone else.”