Chapter 16: Brooks
I have her in my arms after weeks and weeks of wanting her. She’s right here, willing and wanting me as much as I want her. She finally let her damn guard down.
That would be great, if she wasn’t drinking.
But I can’t be the asshole that takes advantage of her because she had one too many glasses of wine. So no matter how much my body cries out at the loss, I pull back. I put some distance between us. She watches me through wary eyes as I release her and run my hands through my hair.
Ignoring the taste of her on my tongue, the sweet vanilla scent of her skin, and the way her body curled into mine so perfectly, I try to do the right thing.
“I’m sorry, I--” I start to explain but Olive’s face crumples in pain and anger, her chest heaving with emotion.
“Oh, really?! You’re sorry? Again?!” She wrenches away from me. Storming towards the back staircase up to her apartment.
“Olive!” I bellow after her. “Just let me explain. I just didn’t want--”
“Can you please just fuck off!”
She’s out of sight in seconds and I’m left here alone as she slams the door behind her. What in the fresh hell just happened?! If she would just fucking listen to me for once and let me explain myself, none of this would even be an issue.
I knock on the door and when she won’t answer and when I try the handle she’s locked it. Infuriating woman.
“Shit,” I mutter. Slapping my hand on the doorframe isn’t the best response, but it makes me feel better for a minute. I scoop up my notebook from where I dropped it on the floor and pull my phone out of my pocket. I try to call her but it goes straight to voicemail so I send her a text message and hope she’ll read it when she turns her phone back on.
Me: “I get that you’re upset. Come back down so we can talk.”
I wait for a couple more minutes but it’s never marked as delivered or read. I don’t want to leave, but sitting in the bakery all night won’t do any good. Sighing, I clean up the broken glass. I let myself out the front door, making sure everything is locked up tight before I go. I’ll come back and check on her first thing in the morning.
I drive home in a daze, half wishing I had sat in front of her door and waited for her to come back down. She needs some time to cool down. I think it would have been a mistake. She can’t avoid me forever, but my patience is wearing thin.