10 Things I Hate About You

Chapter 14

A week had gone by, and Claire had never been more grateful for the ability to adapt that she seemed to possess. It had been a very quiet one on her end, still not knowing who had thought that playing with her feelings would be something fun. She avoided talking face-to-face to anyone unless she had to, and even then she was brief and fast.

She had also started to work on her laptop outdoors, at either Winston's or any of the other restaurants, getting lost in the sea of guests who didn't know anything about how she was feeling and could have never potentially mocked her.

There were times when she couldn't help herself but wonder who could have possibly paid Owen to do that; it had to be someone who despised her enough and thought of her as a heartless, emotionless monster. It was when she found herself on the edge of tears that she realized she didn't even care who it had been: Owen was the one who had directly hurt her, leading her on and going out of his way to make her fall in love.

Owen had been watching her from afar. She was so beautiful, even if the light he had brought to her was gone. He could feel how much it hurt with each beat his heart gave. Every afternoon, for his lunch break, he sat at the restaurant across from hers and took a table that would allow him to observe her.

It was hard to wake up very morning wanting to see her and hold her, desperate to kiss her and feel her. He knew better than to approach her, though: each passing day she seemed more and more in peace and he would be selfish if he ever perturbed her. Owen needed to tell her how much he loved her, that he wasn't lying when he'd told her that he wanted to give her the world and build her a throne. Claire was the queen of his heart. He just took his cellphone out and started to type everything that he wanted to tell her. He didn't know if she would read it, but at least he could let it all out without being interrupted.

He didn't know how long it had taken him to type it all out, but he hit 'send' as he brushed the tears on his cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt, and immediately looked up. He watched her move her eyes from her laptop and pick her cellphone up. Those green eyes saddened when she read the notification. Owen looked down to his screen, the text now showing it had been read. Hazel eyes turned back to her and watched her read the message:

Am I a coward for sending you this text message instead of standing up and walking over to face you, letting my eyes look into yours? Maybe. But believe me, I'm fighting the burning need to kneel down and beg you to hear me.

Very soon after we met, I found myself realizing you are the most amazing woman I've ever met and it kills me that it's because of people like me that you live with so many walls surrounding you, not letting the world see the real you. I betrayed your trust and I will never forgive myself for it, Claire. And please, know that I don't expect you to, either.

I remember the first time you smiled and how right away I knew my purpose in your life. I hate that I welcomed myself into it in the worst kind of ways, completely ruining my chances to fulfil my desire to make you the happiest woman on earth.

It's not that I feel like I owe you an explanation, because there's no excuse for what I agreed to do. I never meant to hurt you, my intention was not to break your heart. Maybe you feel like I was leading you on, but truth is, I was genuinely wooing you. This is why I need to tell you everything, and also because I don't want you to hear it from anyone else.

I was sitting just a couple of tables away from you on that afternoon when we met, and god, honey...you have no idea how much I wish I could turn back time and approach you without any hidden agenda, because it's not that I wouldn't have. We belong together, and somehow I would have ended up under your hypnotizing spell anyways, wanting to meet you and make you mine for the rest of my life.