The Reason Is You

Chapter 2

"So how was your night with my brother?" Lisa asked when Olivia got back that evening.

"It was good. We just went out for dinner," Olivia replied as she took off her coat.

"He said he was going to take you to Shenanigans.? How was it?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah he did, and it's nice. I'm really impressed with the work they did."

"I know. He just told me about it recently. He was good at keeping it on the down low."

"Yeah..." Olivia paced around the room, restless.

Lisa noticed something was up. "Is something wrong?"

Olivia stopped moving and looked at Lisa. "Huh? What? Oh. No. Nothing. Just tired, I guess."

Lisa wasn't convinced. "Bullshit. It's all over your face. What's on your mind?"

Olivia joined Lisa on the couch. "Okay..." she paused and took a deep breath, "I saw him."

"Who?" Lisa asked, clearly oblivious.

Olivia just stared at Lisa, and instantly it clicked and Lisa's eyes went wide.

"NO WAY. JOSH?!"

"Yeah. At the bar."

Lisa turned off the TV and put her full attention on her friend. "Oh my gosh! Did you guys talk?"

"No, he didn't see me. Gabe made sure of it."

"Wow..." Lisa shook her head. "I can't believe he's still alive. I mean, obviously, he is, but I haven't heard anything from that guy in so long. How do you feel?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Olivia sighed. "I mean, I knew I'd have to face him sooner or later, but I didn't think it would be so soon."

"Well, would you want to talk to him again?"

"I really don't know..." Olivia hesitated. "But I think I should."

"I think you should too," Lisa agreed.

Olivia was surprised by Lisa's response. "What? Really? I thought you hate the guy."

"I do, but I think you owe it to yourself to get closure and get your questions answered or your piece heard. I don't think you've dealt with it yet," Lisa replied objectively.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Olivia agreed, yet was still apprehensive. "I don't know. I'll think about it."

"Okay. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Lisa assured her friend.

"Thanks, Lee," Olivia smiled as she got up. "I'm gonna go get ready for bed."

Olivia was up all night and couldn't sleep. Her mind was just flooded with thoughts and questions. She knew coming back home would open a can of worms, but she didn't think it would all come instantly to her.

She hadn't seen Josh since the night before she left and hadn't heard from him since that last text, at least to her knowledge. She'd burned all bridges when it came to him — blocked his number and even changed her own, blocked his emails, and refused any information about him. It was harsh, she knew, but it was what she needed. She needed to cut him out in order for her to move on, which she did, or so she thought. Seeing him again gave her a weird feeling inside. It made her feel uneasy, nervous even. She hated to admit it, but Josh still gave her butterflies.

The next morning, Gabe and Lisa took Olivia out for brunch where she was surprised by having Megan and Ashley there. Gabe let the four girls catch up while he went out to do errands. When Gabe picked up Lisa and Olivia, the mood in the car ride back to the apartment felt strange.