Chapter Twenty-One

Cormac

I stumbled out of the bar a few minutes later. It wasn’t just the alcohol that was making me disoriented; it was everything that had happened in the past few days. The fact that Olive was now gone forever boggled my mind. I wasn’t used to feeling this strange. I didn’t know what heartbreak felt like. Missed opportunities and a chance at having something real for a change kept flashing through my head.

To my surprise, Selina followed me out. I could hear her heels clicking against the pavement as she followed me.

“Cormac! Wait for me,” she said with a giggle. I thought leaving the table abruptly while she was in the middle of saying something would have done the trick. But apparently, it hadn’t.

I whipped around to her then, gathering as much strength as I could.

“Please, just leave me alone,” I barked at her, and for the first time since I’d met this woman, there was a crease on her forehead.

“Excuse me?” she said with a sizzle in her voice, and she planted her hands on her hips. She looked offended. I stepped toward her, holding my hands up in self-defense and apology.

“Look, Selina, you’re a very attractive woman, and I’m flattered that you’ve heard of me and you came looking for me for a good time—I’m just not up for it. I’m not interested. I don’t know what else to say to you,” I explained, and I could sense my words garbling as I spoke. Selina looked confused.

“You mean you don’t want to take me home with you?” she asked, pouting her lips seductively, and I sighed deeply and shook my head.

“I’m not taking you home with me,” I stated firmly, and for a few moments, her eyes dimmed beforeglimmering again.

“What about tomorrow night? We could meet up tomorrow night?” she insisted and then started taking her cellphone out of her purse, presumably to take my phone number down.

I started backing away from her.

“No. I don’t know when I’ll be back to feeling myself. Right now, I can’t be with you, as beautiful as you are. Sorry,” I said.She looked at me disappointedly, before starting to dial a number on her phone. I assumed she was going to call a cab.

I turned from her, and stuffing my hands into the pockets of my pants dejectedly, I made my way home. I was feeling more lost than ever. I’d messed everything up. Not only had I driven Olive away, when the truth was that I wanted her to stay, but I’d driven Pierce out of my life too.

How had my life changed so drastically in a matter of three days?

***

I woke up the next day with another splitting headache. I wasn’t even hungover. When I looked at the clock on the wall, it was only seventhirty. I’d barely slept a wink. All I could think about was Olive and how beautiful she was, and how deeply she’d affected me.

I jumped out of bed, somehow managed to shower and change, and then realized that it was too early to go to the office. It was only a quarter past eight, and I didn’t have to be at the office until ten.

I stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes, just staring at myself blankly. I really needed to fix this thing with Pierce. I needed him to listen to everything I had to say. He needed to hear me apologize again for sleeping with his sister, and I had to find a way to make him forgive me.

He’d said the previous day that he was going to learn to start trusting me more. Well, it was a good time to start doing just that.

I left my house and drove maniacally over to Pierce’s place, and I rang the doorbell and stood outside, trying to amp myself up for the speech I was about to give.

When the door opened, I had already opened my mouth to command Pierce to hear me out. He had to listen.

But my words hung in my throat somewhere, suspended in shock. It was Olive who’d opened the door. She was supposed to be in Venice!

The shock of seeing her again, and the physical effect that she had on me, made me immobile and speechless at the same time. I couldn’t do anything but stare at her. At her beautiful face, her blonde shining hair, her half-hidden green eyes. She was wearing a vintage-style yellow dress with a wide skirt. That same collection of silver necklaces hung from her neck. Her lipstick was bright red against her pale cheeks.

She was staring at me openmouthed too. Her eyes sparkled for a few moments, before they darkened and she clutched the door tighter.

“What do you want?” she snarled at me, and I couldn’t understand why.

“I thought you were in Venice,” I said, and Olive stuck her chin up proudly in the air.

“Well, I’m leaving now,” she replied, and I looked past her at her bag and guitar case in the hallway.

“I don’t understand. Pierce told me you were gone already,” I said. Olive rolled her eyes, like she was bored of my voice. Nothing was making sense. I had no idea why she suddenly hated me with such passion.

“Well, he lied and I’m glad he did because you showed me your true colors,” she said.Her words stung me, even though I still had no idea what she was talking about.

“Can I come in so you can explain this to me?” I asked, looking at her expectantly,but instead of stepping aside, Olive crossed her arms over her breasts.

“No, you can’t come in,” she replied, but she didn’t have to say anything. I already knew I wasn’t welcome.

I ran a hand over my face exhaustedly. My headache hadn’t gone anywhere, and as relieved as I was to see her again, I was also confused.

“Okay, so please just explain it to me here. What true colors are you talking about?” I asked, and Olive looked away from me. I couldn’t tell if she was angry or embarrassed.

“You thought I’d left Brunswick,” she began.

“Because that’s what Pierce told me!” I declared in a loud voice, and Olive narrowed her eyes at me. I’d fantasized all night about those eyes, but this was not the scene I’d pictured us in.

“Yes, I know that’s what he told you, but the moment you thought I was gone and all chances of us sleeping together again was gone too. you were quick to find someone else to fill that need,” she said in a snarling voice. I shook my head in more confusion. This couldn’t actually be happening! She had no idea how desperately I’d yearned for her all night.

“Olive, what are you talking about? This is crazy,” I said, and she rolled her eyes at me again.

“I saw you, Cormac. There’s no point in you lying to me anymore. I was there, at the bar—I saw you with my own eyes! You and that woman in the silver dress and blonde hair,” she hissed, and I ran a hand over my face again.

“Or were there more than one? Are you confused about which one I’m talking about?” she snapped again, and I slammed my palm against the door to make her stop talking. Olive flinched but held her ground. I could see her clenching her jaws. She was pleased with my reaction. She believed she was winning.

“No. I’m not confused. I know who you’re talking about. She was coming on to me, and I did my best to push her away,” I barked. Olive let out a sarcastic laugh and rolled her eyes again.

“It didn’t look like you were pushing her away, not when she ran her hand up and down your arm, or when she was whispering sweet nothings in your ear,” Olive continued. I could hear a buzzing in my head. All that time last night at the bar, when all I wanted was to see Olive again, I had no idea that she was right there, watching me, judging me.

“Okay, I know how it might have looked to you from a distance, but believe me, Olive, I was trying to get rid of her. I tried to push her away, and she kept throwing herself at me,” I tried. Olive shook her head, her mouth was set firmly and sourly.

“Is that what you told yourself when you took her to your place later? That you were somehow tricked into sleeping with her? You had sex with her because you couldn’t get rid of her? Poor helpless Cormac!” She spat out the words, and I could see the rage in her wide green eyes. How could someone who looked so beautiful also be so angry?

“Olive, I didn’t sleep with her. I didn’t take her home,” I argued, and she shook her head angrily and looked away from me.

“How am I supposed to believe that? It didn’t look like you were going to deny her anything she wanted, and she wanted you! Isn’t that what you do best, Cormac? Isn’t that what you’re known around town for? Pleasing women?” she continued. I tried to remain as calm as possible. She had no idea what I’d been through the previous night, and somehow, I was getting the sense that it was all my fault.

“Olive, I didn’t sleep with her. She was hitting on me, and I pushed her away. I left the bar as soon as I could. I probably had a conversation with her for like, ten, fifteen minutes, no more,” I tried explaining.She fixed her gorgeous eyes on me again, breaking my heart just a little bit more.

“How are you going to prove that to me, Cormac? Why should I believe anything you say? The moment you hear that I’m gone from Brunswick, I see you back at the bar, appreciating the sexual advances of another woman. How can I trust you? My brother was right!” she was shouting now, and then she turned to go back in the house.

My first instinct was to reach for her hand. She stopped in her tracks and yanked her hand away from me.

“Didn’t you almost break a guy’s jaw for doing that?” she said with her voice sizzling, and I stepped away from her. Olive turned to me, bringing her snarling, angry face close to mine again.

“I can’t believe I cried over you, Cormac! I actually thought we had something. The truth was that it was all just sex. So, don’t come here and expect me to believe a word of what you’re saying! Please leave now so I can get on with my day,” she hissed, right at my face, and stepped back inside to shut the door.

Pierce’s hand appeared behind her, and he stopped the door from closing.

I looked up at him with anger. I was angry. I was feeling helpless. I didn’t expect Olive to hate me with such passion for something I hadn’t done.

“Come in, old boy,” Pierce said in a quiet calm voice and widened the door.

“Pierce, what are you doing? I don’t want to see him!” Olive yelled, but he brushed her aside.

“Cormac?” he said to me and held the door open.

There was no way I wasn’t going inside.