HURT FOR ME

Chapter Fifty-Two - Mischievious

"We all want to be a little glamorous, a little playful and a little mischievous at times."

- Jason Wu

Olivia Bennett

Aaron and Layla hugged multiple people as I stood closely behind, observing my surroundings. The lights were dim, with a few pointed directly at the dance floor, and each table was accompanied by a candle and a vase which held a beautiful arrangement of flowers.

"This is Olivia," Aaron took my hand, guiding me towards an older man.

"Oh, sweet Olivia!" The man took both of my hands in his, kissing both palms. I smiled at his kind gesture and tried my best to appear confident to the group of people forming around us.

Suddenly, an older woman approached us with a shocked expression on her face, "Olivia Bennett," She gasped. "Is that you, mi amor?" My face lit up due to her cute nickname for me.

"Hi," I responded, reciprocating her enthusiastic energy, even though I had no idea who she was. It felt peculiar that she recognized me while I remained clueless about her identity.

"Alright, I'm going take her to her seat." Aaron guided me to a vacant table with a gentle hand on my back with Sebastian and Layla following closely behind.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief and Aaron must have noticed because he leaned over, resting his hand on mine under the table.

"It seems Uncle Flores and Gramma Ortiz approve of you," Layla said cheerily across the table.

Acknowledging her point, I nodded before proceeding to familiarize myself with the new surroundings, aiming to settle in and get comfortable for the upcoming hours.

"Ma'am," I glanced up to find a young waiter standing beside me. "What would you like? We have the best wine selection in all of-"

"She's pregnant." Aaron intervened, picking my menu up from the table and handing it back. "She'll take a water."

The waiter eyed Aaron for a moment before walking away from the table with the menu and Aaron laughed into his glass of champagne.

"You're such an ass," I stated, prompting glances from everyone at my table. Layla leaned towards Sebastian, attempting to conceal her smile, while Sebastian remained silent, simply observing the situation from a distance.

Aaron glared at me, his eyes filled with intensity. "Why? Because I refused to let the fool serve alcohol to a woman who is clearly pregnant?" He gestured towards my unmistakable baby bump, but that didn't excuse his behavior in any way.

"You could have approached it with more respect," I replied, turning my head away from him, no longer wanting to engage in the conversation.

"Fuck this," he scoffed, rising from the table and storming off. Feeling exasperated, I rested my hand on my forehead, no longer concerned about what Sebastian and Layla were up to, as it was likely they were staring at me in disbelief.

❁

Layla is deep in conversation with a woman who's about our age, occasionally glancing over to check on me.

Since Aaron left, I've remained at the table without moving, and I still haven't seen him after the argument.

I look around, observing everyone at surrounding tables in hopes to find Aaron but my search is no use. The woman stands from her seat and disappears in the crowd, and Layla finally turns her attention back to me.