Chapter Thirteen #2
Olivia glanced down to where his calf rested against her leg, at the subtle sway they had been doing without noticing. Correction, she had not noticed she had been doing. With every gentle nudge, he would retaliate.
“You already react to me, which is good. It will help us sell that we are in a relationship,” Theo stated, bumping her leg once more with a small grin.
Olivia gulped. “You said your sister met him in Dublin, what lead her there?”
Theo picked up one of the loose sticky notes off the table and flipped it between his long fingers. “A teaching conference. She teaches the reception year at a primary school.”
“She must be very caring and patient. If I had to wrangle thirty four-year-olds, I think I would go insane.”
“She’s definitely one of the most caring people I know.
Which is why I don’t want to hurt her feelings with this.
” Theo took a deep breath. “I neglected to tell her about my break-up ’til recently…
it was messy, and I kept it from my family.
Not my brightest hour, but it seemed like the best thing to do.
My family, especially my mother and sister, seem to always get attached to my partners quickly.
My mother will most definitely bring up grandchildren with you when you meet her, and don’t be surprised if my sister throws her bouquet directly to you at the wedding.
It’s their mission to get me settled down as soon as humanly possible. ”
“Do you mind me asking what happened with your ex-girlfriend?”
Theo swallowed the thick lump in his throat and found a happy distraction in glancing towards the rainy London Street outside the large glass windows to their left.
Considering it was nearly the beginning of summer, the sun was nowhere to be seen.
The cloak of rain falling heavily over London for the second week in a row had put a damper on summer plans.
“I was dating her for three years, we were living together and if I’m completely honest, I was out looking for engagement rings on the weekends like a lovesick puppy.
After two years she made a comment about me proposing, but I hadn’t even considered marriage before then.
Before her it seemed like a crazy idea my mum had for me, but once we moved in with each other and did everything normal couples did – go on weekend walks, make breakfast in bed, go grocery shopping together, fight over what cushions we wanted on the sofa – it all became real.
I was ready to commit to her. But then, towards the end of last year, just after my company Christmas party, I found her with her legs wrapped around another man’s waist in our bed, yelling a name that definitely was not mine. ”
“Oh God, that’s awful,” Olivia exclaimed.
Theo considered it. “After that, I came to the conclusion I hadn’t ever really wanted to marry her, I think I just felt the pressure.
I had just turned thirty and my mum was making comments about us; my sister got engaged and was planning her wedding.
It seemed like the right thing to do. But underneath it all I think I knew it wasn’t meant to be. ”
“How can you be so nonchalant about it?” Olivia asked. “If that happened to me, I would swear off of love altogether. Probably buy five cats and live my days out as a proud spinster.”
Sitting quietly for a moment, Olivia regarded Theo with a questioning gaze.
If it happened to me, I would swear off love all together.
It took that small, innocent sentence to realise that she had done exactly that.
That after the accident she had sworn off love forever.
Because that’s how long she felt it would take her to get over him.
The dim café lights shone streaks of gold into his eyes, the curls around his ears looked soft to touch, falling perfectly around his defined jaw and handsome features. Theo chuckled. “Well, I’ve had nearly nine months to think it over. Plus, it’s not too different to your leading man situation.”
How can you be so nonchalant about it? she thought again.
When I am burning from the inside out with grief.
Its hot scorch left nothing but ash over her heart when she thought of loving another.
Giving her heart, her hand and her mind to someone other than the one who was supposed to her leading man forever seemed impossible.
Her eyebrows drew low on her face. “Nine months isn’t a long time when you put it into the perspective of three years. You dedicated years of your life to her, and she just cheats on you? People are terrible.”
“At least we weren’t married.” He hummed.
His lunch hour was up, and standing from the small wooden chair seemed like the hardest thing he had to do in his life.
Theo shrugged on his coat, leaned over and kissed Olivia on the cheek.
“And at least, we can organise another date for you. One that better suits the attributes you’ve written down. ”
“Hmm.” The corners of her lips turned up as the heat from his lips tingled against her cheek with much more meaning than just a goodbye.