Michael Gray: Better Man

A Wakeup Call

The next day Olivia woke up and hadn't realized that it was noon by then.

She couldn't sleep last night. It was if all her suppressed thoughts and feelings for the last two years were finally catching up on her. Deciding to go lock herself in the office, she got up to get ready.

A bath later, she was standing in the mirror, brushing her wet hair. And thanks to makeup, it concealed how tired she really was.

Let's hope Michael had left to wherever.

Opening her bedroom door as slowly as she could, she flinched when it made the slightest creak then walked as silently as she could. Pausing to try and listen to any noise indicating that Michael was still in the apartment, she sighed when there was nothing.

Coming down the stairs, her relief didn't last when she saw that he was lying down on the couch.

Michael had his eyes closed but didn't seem to be in deep sleep, wearing the white dress-shirt and dark pants from yesterday; only that the shirt was unbuttoned, exposing his toned chest.

Her breath hitched at how he looked, almost forgetting how mad she was.

And just her luck, he started to stir. She was still a little bit far from the door to even bolt out and get away from there. But that didn't stop her.

And just as she had opened it to finally get out, he called her name.

Turning around to face him with a coldness evident on her face, Michael was now up on his feet looking at her in confusion.

"Liv-"

"We can't be friends anymore, Michael." She said sternly, cutting him off, and harshly shut the door.

It wasn't until she was finally a block away, that she let out the breath she didn't even realize she was holding.

I've got some paperwork to drown on. She told herself.

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The disappointed look Olivia gave Michael was confusing and haunting him, but more on the latter.

We can't be friends anymore. Well they were never going to be just that.

He decided to go out for a walk to try and figure out what he's done to make her snap like that. He wasn't stupid to rule out the possibility that she actually saw him yesterday with Charlotte, but he was also hopeful that it wasn't the case.

On his way back, he decided to get something to eat. He figured that he wouldn't be able to think straight with an empty stomach.

Coming across a diner two block away from their apartment, he thought it'll do.
Going in, he was overwhelmed by the smell of coffee and grease.

Nowhere near the smell of cigarettes and booze you get from any place you walk into Birmingham. He thought to himself.

Sitting on a countertop, an older lady about his mum's age got out from the kitchen, took a second when she caught sight of him, then raised an eyebrow. Neither friendly nor disrespectful.

"Hi, I'll take one order of your number 3 special please" Michael said to her.

Giving a grunt as acknowledgement, the woman wrote his order down and went to the kitchen to probably tell the cook, Michael was alone again, left to look around the dinner.

The people seemed to be enjoying their food and the service. Sat on one of the booths was a couple that clearly came from a night out wouldn't stop giggling to each other.