restored love

18

OLIVIA

Telling Alyssa I forgave Tristan wasn't the best decision I had made. She said he should have done something grander to show how sorry he actually was but I was satisfied with him getting on his knees and begging for my forgiveness.

"It's never too late to take back your forgiveness," she says.

I laugh. "I think it is just a bit late."

It's been a week since I forgave him.

She lets out a sigh before holding up two dresses for her date with Ezra. One was a long-sleeved black dress that would hug her pregnant stomach perfectly and the other was a red-short sleeved dress.

"Red." I immediately say.

She looks at the red dress for a second before looking down at her healed scars on her arms and shaking her head. I already knew what she was thinking. Alyssa struggles heavily with depression. It resulted in her self-harming. She tells me how much improvement she is making with help from Ezra and her therapist. But to me, I think she helped herself the most. It wasn't easy watching her struggle but Alyssa managed to drag herself out of that and look at her now. I am so proud of her.

I stand up and walk up to her. "Alyssa your scars are beautiful."

She nods her head sadly. "I just don't like them. They remind me of a bad time of my life and sometimes when I'm walking, I notice people staring and I hate it."

I gently wipe away the tear falling from her eyes. "I know. Fuck what everyone else has to say, Alyssa. These scars define how powerful you are as a person. Fuck anyone who says otherwise."

Appreciation washes over her eyes as she nods her head. "Thank you, Olivia."

I smile at her as I rub my thumb against her cheek comforting her.

She lifts her head to the door and her expression faltered. I turn around and stare at Ezra. If he heard anything we were saying, he didn't make any indication to show it. He had a blank expression on his face and I turn to Alyssa confused.

"I'm going to go." I slowly say.

She finally drags her eyes away from Ezra and looks at me. I welcome her into a hug. "Remember what I said," I whisper in her ear.

I leave their apartment and head up to Tristan's to get ready to meet up with Sebastian. Tristan wasn't supposed to be working today. When I walk in, the apartment was empty.

"Tristan," I call out.

No response.

I furrow my brows before looking around the apartment. There was a long hallway next to the kitchen. Tristan told me not to go there but if he was insisting that I move back in then I don't really care.

My hand encircles the door handle and I try to push it open. I half expected it to be locked but when I came to realise that it wasn't. I slowly pushed it open. Amazement doesn't even begin to explain how I felt. Tristan was sitting in the centre of the room. His back turned to me, earphones plugged in. A canvas in front of him. Paints scattered beside him and he painted. Tristan was painting.

I look around the room. Shelves of paintings. There were so beautiful. I pull my eyes back to Tristan. His leg was tapping, probably in beat with the music he was listening to.

I turned back to the art and as I was admiring I heard a voice.

"What are you doing in here?"

I jerked and turned around to look at him. His brows were pulled together. His blue eyes were dark, probably in irritation. I wasn't meant to be in here. Maybe he didn't want me to know he proceeded with his fascination for art.