Only if you know (Book 1)

Chapter 9

Everything was blurry when Olivia opened her eyes. Her head was a little dizzy, and she was suffering from a severe headache. For a few long seconds, she couldn't make sense of where she was. But when her vision slowly cleared, she found herself surrounded by Eliana, William, and, to her surprise, Caleb.
"How are you feeling, my dear?" Eliana asked gently, her face etched with worry.
"Fine, I guess." She replied softly.
She had fainted before, many times, in fact, but she'd always woken up alone, forced to tend to herself and pretend she didn't need anyone. The warmth of concern in Eliana's voice felt foreign.
After William checked her pulse and murmured a few reassuring words, Eliana went downstairs to make her something to eat.
"How did I get here?" Olivia whispered, half to herself.
Caleb's voice startled her. "We got you here. You were unconscious at that old house."
Her stomach dropped. 'Oh my goodness!! Eliana and William would have undoubtedly discovered me there. How could I have been so oblivious? So much for the escape plan.'
"I should have looked for a better place." She muttered under her breath.
"And get me in more trouble?" Caleb listened, even though he wasn't supposed to.
'What is it with this guy, startling me over and over?' Olivia pondered. "I didn't get you into any trouble. I did what I had to do."
"Really?" Caleb's tone hardened. "By disappearing and scaring the life out of me... everyone here?"
"I did what you said, Caleb. You should be grateful. I was doing both of us a favour." Olivia was now staring hard at him.
This was new to him. Till now, he had never seen her glaring at anyone, and this was the most he had ever heard from her.
"Excuse me! But if I had told you to jump off the bridge, would you have done it?"
"That wouldn't have been such a bad idea!" She murmured to herself again.
This made Caleb lose all his senses. The words sliced through him. Caleb froze, disbelief flashing in his eyes. "What did you just say?"
"Nothing," she replied quickly, fear creeping into her voice.
"No, you said something."
"It's none of your business what I say or do." She said firmly to him.
He took a slow breath and ran his hand through his hair, forcing himself to calm down. "Look... I just wanted to apologize for how I behaved that night. I shouldn't have been so harsh."
"It's okay," she said quietly. "You were right, in a way." He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. "It's fine, Caleb. Really." She hesitated, then asked, "Anyway... how did you even realize I was missing?"
"I had my doubts when you didn't show up the other day. But I just assumed you were upset, so I didn't bother you. Then today, mom and dad showed up early. Then I saw that the pizza I got for you earlier was kept exactly as it is."
She sighed. "I got the rest." She said, sighing.
Caleb turned toward the door, ready to leave, but something made him stop. "You never asked how we knew you were at that old house."
"I suppose you have a right to know," she said after a moment. "That's my parents' house. Eliana and William must've guessed I'd go there."
Her voice was quiet, but the admission carried a weight that silenced him. Caleb felt a pang of guilt twist in his chest. He wanted to ask more, wanted to understand her, really understand her, but he knew it wasn't the right time.
Day by day, it was making Caleb realize that maybe he had assumed too much about her and had gotten her all wrong somewhere along the way.