Chapter 17

Chapter 17
OLIVIA

When I opened my eyes, my head hurt so much, like it was going to explode. 

I blinked, trying to clear my blurry vision, but it was still there throbbing and heavy. 

I groaned quietly and raised my hand to my forehead, but it didn’t help . Everything in my body felt sore. My arms, my legs, my stomach…everything ached. 

I tried to sit up, but as soon as I moved, I felt dizzy.

The room spun around me, and I had to lay back down quickly.

I just wanted to stay still and make the pain go away.

My mouth felt dry, and I felt sick. I didn’t know what happened last night. It was all fuzzy in my head, like a dream I couldn’t remember. 

Tears started to build up in my eyes. It hurt too much.

My body felt heavy, like it did
n’t belong to me. I didn’t know what was going on, but I wanted it to stop.

Then I heard a voice. 

“Olivia ?”

I turned my head slowly and saw Ryan standing in the doorway. 

His face was serious, but his eyes looked soft, worried. He walked over to me, his steps slow.

He knelt beside me. “What’s wrong?” His voice was quiet, like he didn’t want to scare me.

I couldn’t answer at first. My throat was dry, and it hurt to talk. I shook my head. I couldn’t explain it. Everything just hurt too much. 

Ryan looked at me for a moment, then reached out and gently put his hand on my back. “You’re okay,” he said softly. “You’re just hungover. You’ll be fine.”

I wanted to say something, but all I could do was shake my head again. I wanted to get up, but my body wouldn’t listen. Everything felt off. 

Ryan’s voice was calm. “Come on. I’ll help you.”

He stood up and held out his hand. I didn’t know if I could stand, but I didn’t want to be stuck in bed anymore. Slowly, I reached out and took his hand. 

With one arm around my back and the other under my knees, Ryan carefully lifted me up. It was strange, but I felt safe in his arms. 

“Let’s get you up,” he said softly. 

I didn’t argue. I just leaned into him, feeling too tired and sore to do anything else.

After taking my bath and having breakfast, that's when I realized Ryan was dressed in a suit.

I glanced at him, then back down at my tea. “Are you going to work today?” I asked quietly.

He looked at me for a second, then nodded. “Yes,” he said simply.

I bit my lip, thinking for a moment. I feel better now. 

The pounding in my head had softened, and I didn’t feel as dizzy. 

The aches were still there, but they weren’t as bad. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to spend the whole day lying in bed again.

“I want to go with you,” I said, surprising myself with the words.

Ryan stopped moving, his hand still holding a mug. He turned to look at me, his brow furrowing. “You’re still not 100%. You should rest,” he said.

I shook my head. “I feel better now. I’ll be fine.”

He sighed and walked over to the table, leaning against it as he stared at me. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re still recovering from last night. You need to rest, Olivia .”

“I’m fine,” I repeated, a little more firmly. “I want to go with you.”

Ryan’s expression softened, but his tone remained serious. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. You can barely sit up for more than five minutes.”

“I can do it,” I insisted. “I don’t want to stay home all day.” I tried to stand up, but my legs wobbled slightly. I steadied myself against the chair.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “See? You’re not ready. You should take it easy for a while.”

“I’m not going to sit here all day. I’ll be fine, Ryan,” I said again.

He rubbed the back of his neck, obviously torn. “Olivia …”

“Please,” I said, meeting his gaze. “I want to go.”

Ryan exhaled slowly, his face softening just a bit. He looked at me, really looked at me, like he was considering my words. “You’re stubborn, you know that?”

I smiled slightly. “I learned from the best.”

He chuckled, but it didn’t last. His expression turned serious again. “Fine,” he said, shaking his head, but there was no anger in his voice. “You can come. But if you feel worse, we’re going straight home. Got it?”

“Got it,” I said, grinning a little. 

“Let’s get you dressed then. I don’t want you making a scene at work looking like you just crawled out of bed.”

I stood up and nodded, feeling a little proud of myself. “Thanks, Ryan.”
While we were on the way to Ryan’s company, my phone suddenly buzzed in my hand. 

I glanced at the screen and saw a name I hadn’t seen in a while. Melody. My heart skipped a beat. 

I hadn’t spoken to Melody since I’d come to Ryan’s house. 

I stared at the phone for a moment before answering. “Hello?” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Olivia ?” Melody’s voice came through, sounding surprised and a little worried. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for days! Why haven’t you answered?”

I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. It felt strange talking to her again after everything that had happened. “I... I’ve just been busy,” I said, trying to sound casual, but my voice felt weak. 

“Busy? You’ve been missing, Olivia . You don’t even answer my texts! What’s going on? Your dad's line is not reachable.” Melody asked, her voice growing more concerned. 

I glanced at Ryan, who was driving, his hands tight on the steering wheel. He wasn’t paying attention to me, but I still felt a little uncomfortable. 

“I’ve just... I’ve been going through some things,” I replied quietly, not really knowing how to explain.

Yo. I wasn't going through shit. Or maybe I was?

Nothing, I'm not just in a good mood.

“Things? You can’t just disappear on me like this! I need to know what’s going on. You’re my best friend, Olivia . Talk to me,” I could feel the anger in her words but I'm damn tired.

I closed my eyes, feeling guilty. 

I hadn’t meant to push her away, but everything with Ryan had been so confusing. 

“I’m sorry, Melody,” I said, my voice soft. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I just... I’ll explain soon, okay?”

There was a long pause before Melody spoke again. “Alright, but you’d better. I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” I whispered. 

I really did miss her, but everything felt so complicated right now.

My feelings for this man?

And oh, I miss my dad.

“I’ll talk to you later,” she said, and I could hear the worry in her voice. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Okay,” I replied, and with that, the call ended. 

I sat there, looking at the phone in my hand. 

“Everything okay?” Ryan’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I looked up at him. His eyes were focused on the road, but I could tell he was curious.

I nodded slowly, not wanting to share too much. “Yeah, it was just Melody. She was worried.”

Ryan didn’t say anything for a moment, but I could feel him watching me. “You should talk to her. She’s your friend.”

“I will,” I replied quietly. I wasn’t sure how to explain everything to Melody yet, but I'm scared of how she would handle it.

I haven't told her this from the very start? 

When my crush started for Ryan, down to making out with him? No, Melody would freak out.

Involving a third party? That's something I would want to do and for the fact that Ryan is seated right here, I wouldn't want to complicate things more.

“Get down from the car.” I heard a rude and familiar voice order.

“Rachel?” I looked up in surprise.