29: WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT.
He dived into the pool, water splashing all around him. It wasn’t until he thrusted back out, hands in her wet hair that he saw Liv. She walked out of the back door, in shorts that barely grazed her thighs and a pink netted bralette to go with.
There was a chair by the pool which she headed to, and Luke watched her every move. She had her design pad in her hands, hoping a few sketches would take her mind off the things that bothered her. Her eyes immediately locked with his as he floated backwards. “Hey again” He yelled to the atrociously blue skies and she took a seat, crossing her slender legs.
A butterfly clip held up the ends of her hair and she took off her glasses. “It’s you” She replied, unenthusiastically and he swam closer to her. “How about you join me in the pool?” He was semi naked, letting his muscled torso bathe in the sunlight. It may not have been the best for his already reddened skin but Luke seemed to be the type of person that didn’t really care much.
About anything.
A smirk appeared on the side of her lips as she cupped her chin, uttering not a single reply and he raised his arms from the water. “How does it feel being my brother’s fiancé” His whisper laced her ears and she looked at him. “How does it feel haven lived with him all your life? How does it feel being his blood?” Luke let out a soft chuckle. “We were barely together for the most of our lives” He replied, in an undoubted tone.
“And this is barely even an arrangement”
“To save the company?” He added and Liv pushed a lump down her throat, as if humming. “I wish he didn’t try so hard to save a company that wasn’t already six feet under” Liv chuckled, as their eyes met again. His arms rested against the edge of the pool as he smiled as well, revealing his perfectly white set of teeth.
“How does one hate his family’s company?” She asked and he shrugged lightly. “I honestly couldn’t give two fucks about it” Luke replied and she uncrossed her legs. “I wish he was like you. I mean how are you so different from each other?” Liv asked, her voice toning down in a whisper and Luke pulled away, allowing himself to remain buoyant on the water surface.
“We were raised by different people.”
“Hank was a nice man” Liv immediately interrupted, holding the minutes that they spent together when he was still alive to her heart and Luke scoffed. “There are alot of things you don’t know” He’d liked to think he had instantly connected to her. Liv.
“My father was very selective.”
“To those people he liked, he seemed like an angel. But Hank was a danger to those he hated, he was a monster” Luke’s words came a shock to her. “And i’m guessing you were one of those?” Olivia asked him and he shook his head.
“I was privileged to not meet him. To not remember him.” He replied her. “Your perfect role model chased my mother out of his house when she was pregnant with me.” Liv closed her book, giving him all of her attention as her lips fell wide. “I’m so sorry” She was obliged to say but he shook it off. “And Damien?” She consciously asked. “It turned out for the best, didn’t it?” He said.
“What are you doing back here?”
He looked to her. “If you hate it so much.” She added and he swam towards her again. “What are you doing in this arrangement with him?” He threw the question back at her. “If you hate him so much” Her eyes fell apart. “What gave it away?” She asked.
And Luke chuckled, a very infectious smile. “It’s really obvious, isn’t it? My brother isn’t really the most likable person” He added and Liv sat forward. “That’s what i said” She whispered and for a brief moment, silence fell between them and his hands tossled in the waves of the water. “You sure you don’t want to join me?” He said in a low voice and Olivia slowly stood from the chair.
“I can’t swim.”
She heard the metal gates open and footsteps climb up the front porch and she immediately knew it was him—she had to speak with him. And Luke watched her pull away, his signature smirk buried into his chapped lips.
Her eyes met his back before it disappeared behind the door and Liv forcibly held it open. “Damien” She yelled with a crack in her voice and dripping a little water across the floor.
He had walked to his desk before he looked to her, and the tip of his fingers cracked against the wood. “We need to talk about last night” The door closed behind her and she was sure was soundproof and he rolled his eyes. “This is not the right time, Ophelia” His voice soared deep down and her hands found her hip.
“Are we not going to?”
“Are we just going to forget everything that you did to me like i was some drunken one night stand with a rando you met at the club?” Something about his glare angered her. “You were—“ He paused his sentence. “I was a drunken one night stand huh?” She echoed even the words that he didn’t say and Damien just heaved a deep sigh. “I didn’t say that” He said in a least convincing tone.
“No it’s okay” Her shrill voice filled the room. “It’s okay, Damien. I understand you. I understand it’s how you are—“ “There’s nothing to talk about the last night” He interrupted, inching close to her till they were mere meters apart and she looked into his dark eyes. “What you want me to say—that i love you, that it magically changes everything?” His voice fell on her ears and she scoffed lightly. “Of course not” She whispered, tears in her eyes.
“Then what are you doing here?”
Her hands brushed against his as she sniffled. “I’m here to tell you that i’m done. I’m done with you.” She replied. “Everything.”
“I’m done with everything.”
To be continued…