Seven Minutes In Hell

Chapter eighteen

Chapter 18: (Olivia's POV)

"What the hell did you do?" I questioned while folding my arms across my chest and arching a brow at him.

"What makes you think it was me that did something? He told me something he shouldn't have about a person that's important to me, something he could have easily kept to himself. He didn't need to get in the way of me and my plan." Austin blabbered on through gritted teeth before abruptly stopped after saying that last sentence.

"What plan?" I narrowed my eyes down at him.

"N-nothing. You don't need to know. It's none of your business." he told me strictly.

"Actually, both of your little performance was done in my house so yes, it is my business. What plan, Austin?" I asked him more sternly this time, hoping he'd give me a straight answer.

"I can't tell you about the damn plan Liv!" he suddenly screamed, making me flinch and jump. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at me, his eyes softening instantly.

"Ok. You don't have to tell me." I said just above a whisper, I barely heard my own voice. I turned around to walk back up to my room because I thought he wanted some space but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. When did he get so close?

"I'm sorry for yelling." he said, quickly before pulling me into a hug, wrapping his arms around my waist. I stiffened for a little bit before wrapping my arms around his neck and giving him a reassuring squeeze before pulling away.

"Austin, are you alright? Like really alright?" I questioned while looking up into his eyes. I know he's not like my favorite person in the world but he's still human, if he's upset, he should talk to someone about it, it doesn't have to be me but someone, anyone.

"I'm fine." he said bluntly. Everyone knows when someone says 'I'm fine' they're really not so I'm gonna have to do something otherwise the guilt will eat me alive.

"Don't lie to me. If you don't want to talk about it, then say it. If you don't want to talk to me about it, then say that too. Just, don't lie." I told him softly. Pressuring him into telling me something right now would possibly be the worst thing I could do, so I'm not going to do it.

"I don't want to talk about it. Not to you, or anyone else." he paused. "Wanna watch that comedy movie right about now?" he asked, changing the subject. I let him.

"Sure." I nodded before walking into the living room and plopping down on the couch while Austin followed me and sat down beside me. We decided on watching We're The Millers because who the hell doesn't love that movie? It's funny as hell and it cracks me up every single time. We were halfway through the movie and the sun had slowly and gradually started to set.

"I'm gonna go grab a blanket." I said before sprinting up to my room and bringing my blanket down with me. I jumped back on the couch and wrapped the blanket around myself only for Austin to pull it off of me and wrap it around himself instead. "Mine!" I argued, pulling it back to myself.

"Mine!" he snatched it again.

"Ours!" I shrieked before pulling it to myself but leaving half of it over for him to take. "But still mine." I sheepishly smiled before throwing my legs in his lap so I was lying down, covered in the blanket while he just had it resting in his lap along with my legs.

He gave me a pointed look before we both turned our attention back to the movie. The movie was gonna end soon and I decided to skip dinner since I wasn't hungry. "Do you want dinner?" I asked him. He turned to face me from the screen before saying,

"I'm not hungry but thanks." he smiled before turning back to the movie. The last scene finished and the credits rolled. He threw my legs off of his lap before standing up with a sigh. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time.

"I still have about two hours before I have to go and get Amber. Wanna do something till then?" he asked while I stood up and stretched my limbs.

This was a foreign feeling. For once in my life, I wasn't being a bitch to the boy in front of me and I actually didn't mind his presence. But to be fair, for once, he wasn't being a prick. "Sure. What do you want to do?" I asked as I tossed the blanket on my couch and went to grab myself a glass of water.

He followed me into the kitchen and sat on a bar stool. "Let's talk about why you still won't go out with me." he pouted childishly while he rested his face in his hands which were propped up on the counter by the help of his elbows. We're gonna have this conversation again?

"I'm not having this conversation again. I've already told you why." I sighed as I rinsed the glass, dried it and put it back in the cupboard.

"But I don't get it." he paused. "So please explain again." he sighed. I walked over to him with a sigh before standing next to him.

"I. Am. Not. Interested. In. You." I said before I propped my own elbows up. "Got it?" I raised an eyebrow at him before nudging his elbow with mine, knocking his hand out from under his jaw.

He swiftly stood up and stood in front of me, placing his hands on either side of me, trapping me between the counter and him. "No, I don't get it." he spoke in a low voice as he got dangerously close to me.

"Austin can you please just leave if-" I began but he cut me off and leaned in even further.

"No, I'm not just gonna leave. Not without a proper explanation." he whispered softly.

"What I'm telling you is a proper explanation, Austin. I don't need a reason to not like you like that. If I don't like you, I just don't like you. It's just that simple." I spoke, trying my best to stay calm and not get affected by our proximity.

"Is it? Or do you not like me because you're scared whatever happens between us will never be real to me because you can't seem to get that stupid bet out of your head." he told me calmly. He was so calm and collected right now and while I was trying to be, I was failing miserably.

"Maybe it is because I can't seem to get that stupid bet out of my head, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a bet. I am a bet." I told him in a low whisper. I saw his eyes and it was as if he almost zapped back into reality and he realized what was really going on but he didn't bother to budge.

"You're not just a bet." he whispered. "Not to me." he held my face in his hands. Are you serious? What the hell is he trying to do by playing nice?

I pushed his hand away from me before letting out a sigh. "Austin, please don't make this harder than it has to be." I paused. "Who am I kidding? You want this to be harder than it has to be for me. You just want to win the bet. You don't care how bad I get hurt in the process." I scoffed before shoving him off of me.

Or well, trying to.

"What has gotten into you? We were fine just a second ago." he tried arguing but I was done with this. I knew something was going to go wrong today, it was going too smoothly and it was too good to be true.

"There is no 'we' Austin." I sighed in defeat. "This is not going to end well for me or you and you don't understand that. I'm gonna develop feelings for you which you won't actually reciprocate and I'll get hurt, or you'll end up developing feelings too but the bet will bound you and we won't work. We'll never work." I tried to explain but his eyes told me he wasn't gonna understand my point.

In the end, he'll win the bet and my heart will break or we'll both get heartbroken. "You're so scared to get your heart broken that you won't even let anyone in. You shut out every person that tries." he sighed.

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Tea.