Free Falling

Chapter 3

"Meet me out front." Liam woke Olivia up by whispering this in her ear.

Olivia shot up and before she could say anything, Liam walked out and left a pretty white dress behind. The dress had strawberry print and puffy sleeves that reminded her of a ball gown. She assumed maybe they were going on a new mission and got dressed and pretty as quickly as possible. When she walked out from there Liam stood with the limo ready.

"Where are we going?" Olivia asked, climbing into the backseat with him.

"One of my favorite cafes of all time. We're going on a proper date." Liam flashed a smile at her and grabbed her hand.

They drove along for about 20 minutes talking about miscellaneous things until the car stopped. Olivia opened the door to see a quaint little cafe with plants everywhere. There were ivy's growing on the walls, succulents on the metal tables, planters hanging off the porch's overhead. Liam held out his hand and led her inside. It was the perfect cafe. It smelled of cinnamon rolls and looked like a cottage. It truly felt magical. As they sat down and ordered coffees they started to talk and discuss life.

"So, I did my research on you. You come from a pretty wealthy family, two sisters, absent parents. You were engaged to Alex Litrel, you lived in a studio apartment downtown and get your bachelor's degree at the college nearby. Didn't you go to an art school for two years?"

Olivia laughed. "Wow, you really did do your homework. All of that is true, what my parents lacked in parental skills they made up for with money. For some reason, they thought that paying us would be an adequate substitute for love. So, as all good artists do, I dedicated myself to channeling my trauma into art. I actually had a few art shows before I decided to take a break to focus on my engagement."

"What happened with that?" Liam asked, holding her hand.

"Well to put it simply, when my ex proposed I found out he was sleeping with another guy. It's okay though, our relationship was bound to fail anyway" Oliva waved her hand dismissively.

"How so?"

Olivia sighed. "Well as you can imagine, I didn't grow up in the best environment. From an early age, I experienced trauma and had to see a therapist. As I got older I got diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety. I've learned to deal with my anxiety so now it is not as severe, but my depression has been an ongoing battle for years now. I can go months without a rough patch but when it hits, it hits hard. Alex never quite understood this... he kept trying to fix me."

"I would never try to fix you." Liam took her hands and looked into her eyes. "I want you to know I will always be here for u. No matter what. Over the past few months, I have really enjoyed getting to know you, and I have really started to fall for you. I know that it could be rough but I really want to give us a try."

"Liam i-" Olivia started to smile.

"What do you say, will you be my girlfriend?"