Chemistry (Otis Milburn)

42

"Don't be silly Otis, you don't love me." Without hesitation, that was the first thing that came out of my mouth. 

"How would you even know that?" 

"Because I- I've put you through so much it doesn't make any sense. There's no reason for you to love someone like me. There just isn't." I couldn't even look at him in the eye. 

"That's the thing, when you love someone, you overlook all of the bad they've done because love is blinding. Don't you think I'd move on if I could? Anyone in their right mind would. Let's face it, Vivienne. You're as toxic as it gets. I don't know how Nick deals with you." He leaned over and took a sip of the glass of orange juice sitting on his nightstand. 

"What do you mean you don't know how 'he deals with me?' What are you trying to say?" 

"Come on Vivienne, you're not stupid. You know exactly what I mean, and knowing you and how sensitive you are, I don't think you'd want me to explain any furth-"

"Okay enough! I get it, I did all this to you and you let me get away with it because you're in love with me, but that does not make it okay for you to sit here and constantly attack me. it is NOT okay, Otis!" I cried. 

"Then tell me your secret. Tell me what you've been hiding from me. Tell me the real reason why I'm in this situation. Tell me every single word without hesitation and I will forgive you and let all of this go. Go on, I've got all day Vivienne." He sat back, looking deep into my eyes.

Every time I want to tell him, my paranoia convinces me that either Amy, her team, or Camille is around, watching me. I stopped myself, but I almost slipped. 

"They're going to kill you." I whispered. Desperately holding back tears, I ran out back to Nick's car. 

"You okay? How was he?"

"Just drive." 

__________________________________________________________

"So what are you going to do?" Nick responded after I had told him what happened with Otis. 

"I don't know how long I can keep it a secret with him. I can't do this anymore."

"You can't say anything Vivienne, remember?" 

"Let it ruin my career. Right now I'd rather have that than spend another day living this lie of a relationship and keeping it from my own friend. He told me I was to blame for everything and that I am as toxic as it gets and you know what? He was right." I felt like an abyss. An empty, dark, abyss that lay at the bottom of the ocean floor. I didn't know what to do anymore and not knowing how long Nick and I's 'relationship' is supposed to last made everything worse. 

"I wish he could just let all of this go, Nick. Why doesn't he?"

"Because he's in love. It makes you do some pretty crazy things. He's not going to stop either, there's no way he's letting this go." He paused. 

"Vivienne are you sure you don't feel the same way towards him?" 

"What? I- I don't know! I don't know right now." 

"You may not know, but your heart does. Maybe you should listen to it sometime." He headed upstairs. 

As much as Nick tried helping me, I knew he didn't fully understand where I was coming from, nor did he have a problem with our publicity stunt. It was benefitting him in all the right places. Unlike me, he didn't attend a public high school, or be the reason his friend got shot. He didn't get kidnapped by his agents and thrown in a car, nor did his agents threaten the one person who saw him as an actual human being. 

I had stayed up all night, doing nothing but solely thinking. I was numb. My emotions, body, soul, everything was numb. I had to save Otis from the hands of the evil that lay within this industry, and there were two crucial things that needed to be done in order for it to happen. 

Suddenly, I get a phone call from Otis. 

"Hello? Otis?"

"Hey Vivienne, how did I know you'd still be up? Anyways, I thought over everything one more time. I decided that me getting injured is and should be the last straw for me. I thought maybe this time you'd finally tell me since I had almost died. However, I was wrong. So, I'm going to give you 2 days. If you don't tell me everything in those 2 days, I'm going to go to the police and have everything further investigated, telling them you were responsible for this. See you in 2 days, Vivienne."