Mine for the Year

Chapter 27

It had been two weeks now, that I had been hiding out in Ash's house. After Matt had found out what happened, he had come over immediately.

I pulled myself together and found two jobs, one waibles at a small restaurant and another serving drinks at an overnight bar. I promised myself that I was going to pay back Damon every cent of his money, even if it took me the rest of my life. I hadn't spent all the money, maybe only around $200,000 and if I worked hard enough, I was sure I could pay it back.

I knew Gabe and Delaney had come by a few times, but I either hid in the bedroom or wasn't here. Ash made excuses for me, understanding that I didn't want to see them. The person I wanted to see right now was the only one who hadn't come to see me.

In some ways, I was happy to be constantly working; it helped numb the pain of not having Damon anymore. Not that I ever truly had him.
But a downside to working two jobs was that I was constantly exhausted. I got maybe 5 hours of sleep a night, if I was lucky, and I forgot to eat a lot. I was so used to eating with Damon that it felt weird not having him around at mealtimes.

"Olivia, I'm taking Emma to her playdate. You better be asleep when I get home." Ash called out to me on her way out the door.

Matt sighed, giving me a worried look. "Olive, you need to rest. This whole moving on thing doesn't work if you're barely living."

I rubbed my eyes. "I know Matt," I whispered quietly. "It just hurts so bad." I laughed bitterly. "And the best part is that I thought I had a chance. I really did."

He wrapped me in a comforting hug. "Olive, You're the kindest and most selfless person I know. And if he's too stupid to see that, then he doesn't deserve you."

I fell asleep cradled in Matt's lap, with him taking care of me, instead of it being the other way around.

I was woken up by the sound of the doorbell. I groaned and turned to look for Matt. "Matt?" I called. When I heard no reply, I sighed and began to get up. He had probably gone to the library to work on his college essays.

I glanced blearily at the time and realized I'd only been asleep for 2 hours or so. I was about to open the door when I remembered to look through the peephole. I choked a little on my own saliva when I saw who it was. Gabe and Laney.

I panicked, not knowing what to do. Maybe if I didn't respond, they would go away.

Nope. Laney began pounding on the door. "Olivia Lanhurst, I know you're in there. Open the freaking door. We're not leaving until you do."

I sighed. Laney was stubborn enough to stand outside all day if she had to. I threw open the door, letting them in. "Hi guys."

"HI GUYS?" Laney shrieked. "You disappear on us with no explanation about what happened between you and Damon and the first thing you say is hi guys?" Gabe shot me an apologetic look as he tried to calm down Laney.

"Didn't he tell you what happened?" I swallowed nervously. I couldn't say his name.

Gabe shook his head grimly. "He's been locked up in your room for the past two weeks, he hasn't even gone to work."

My mouth dropped. Damon not going to work was unheard of. I felt myself begin to soften a little, but then remembered that he was the one who rejected me.

I stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

Delaney started talking, a little quieter. "All I know is that he ran down to our apartment saying he screwed up. That he got you chocolate pudding because it was your favorite, but you weren't there when he came back."

I cupped my face in my hands, trying my hardest not to imagine him running up the stairs with his arms full of chocolate pudding cups, a stupid smirk on his face.

"Look guys, I know you want the best for him. I do too. But he made himself pretty clear that night that he wanted nothing to do with me."

Gabe sighed. "Liv, it's not just him we're worried about. You're part of our family too now. Eva's been worrying nonstop since she found out that you two missed the wedding things she had set up for you."

I squeezed my eyes shut. "I know you both mean well, but it's just too painful right now. I can't think about him."

They both got up, taking it as their sign to leave. "We love you, Liv," Laney whispered in my ear as she gave me another hug. "I hope you know that we're still here for you."

I smiled and then turned to hug Gabe. "Take care of yourself, doll," he mumbled before letting me go. I smiled at them both one last time, knowing that this could quite possibly be the last time I saw either of them.

After they left, I looked at the time. It was 7:30, which meant I had another hour and a half to sleep before work. I fell asleep to the image of Damon and his stupid chocolate pudding cups.