Chapter Eight #2
“I...I have a crocodile,” I say, and he seems to nod knowingly as if he’s met the stuffed toy already. “He’s called Chops.”
“Chops. Great name.” He grins, all tension seemingly dissipated.
“What was the name of your stuffed toy?”
“Are you just going to ask the same questions as me?”
“Depends. Yours have been quite insightful so far.”
“I had a polar bear. But I couldn’t say polar, so I called him Pillow Bear.”
Imaging a small dark-haired boy with his thumb in his mouth and his polar bear tucked under his arm, my mouth tilts up. I can imagine another little one running around our feet, joyfully clutching his own stuffed polar bear. Austin picks him up and swings him around as he reaches for me.
Good god. Lock this down, you maniac.
“Are you missing Pillow Bear? I’m sure I can find something to keep you company at night.”
He raises an eyebrow, and I inhale. That one was a hundred percent not on purpose.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “Hey, you said it, not me. I have certainly been missing something to hold at night.”
Oh god, does he have a girlfriend? How had I not even considered this? Of course he does. He’s gorgeous, filthy rich, and dangerous. He’s irresistible.
“Do you have a girlfriend? ”
“Is that one of your questions, Killer?”
I hesitate, but decide to commit. “Yes.”
“No, I don’t have a girlfriend, or fiancée, or wife. No significant other.”
“Good.” I nod, mostly for myself. I knew I hadn’t made this up...whatever this is between us.
“Yet,” he adds with a wink.
“By my calculation, we have one question left each. Let’s save this for later. I want to think about mine for a while, and I really need to get some work done.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket and see another new video I’ve been tagged in.
I can feel my brows knit together. What am I going to do about this?
The posts are coming in thick and fast. Not only is it Millie and Travis, but comments are spreading across multiple platforms, while I’m wasting my time flirting with a man I’m trying to convince to release my brother.
I haven’t even mentioned Danny during the last twenty-four hours. What am I really doing here?
“Hey, is everything okay?” Austin’s soft voice brings me back to the basement.
I shake myself off. “Yeah, just work stuff. I have to go do some things. I’ll be back later, okay?”
“Sure, I’m here if you need to talk, Olivia. I might be able to help.”
I nod, grab his empty plate along with mine, and head back upstairs.
By the following afternoon, I’ve worked myself into such a state that I find it hard enough just to drop food downstairs.
I barely say more than a few words to Austin.
His worried look guts me every time I drop something down to him.
I’ve included a few more books as well to keep him occupied, but otherwise, leave him alone.
By mid-afternoon on Tuesday, my despair has all but taken over. The comments are relentless and the private messages are coming in thick and fast until the inboxes across all my platforms are unmanageable .
My phone is blowing up, and eventually, I can’t take any more. I pick up my phone, flip it over, and head to my channel.
I’ve been tagged again in another video. I suck in a deep breath and brace myself for another onslaught of insults and accusations.
I hit the play button and watch.
Austin
I’m sitting up on the bed, reading another romance novel, when Olivia skips down the steps. Like a puppy bounding along, she hums a tune low in her throat.
“Hi,” she says, smiling shyly.
“Hi.” I grin. “You look happier this evening.” And thank fuck for that. I would have picked the lock and consoled her myself if she had stayed so despondent.
“Oh, yeah. Some good news, kind of.”
And she’s come bounding down to tell me.
“Kind of?”
“Well, I’m not sure it can count as good news if it means something bad happened to somebody else.”
“Depends if they deserved it or not.” I shrug.
She thinks for a moment. “I mean, yeah, they did deserve it, but I still don’t want someone to be hurt.”
I had a small doubt in my mind, but now it’s been eradicated. She really is just a good person through and through.
“Care to share your news?”
She bites her lip. “You might think I’m a terrible person.”
“Doubtful, Killer.”
“The video of Millie Gilbert and Travis, you know, my ex.”
“Ah yes, the disappointment in bed.”
Her eyes pop out a little, and she tries to hide her grin. “Yes, that’s the one...well, they’d been posting videos about me that aren’t true. You know the ones I told you about?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Well, they released another video. Apologizing directly to me and their fans .” She says the words fans while making air quotes with her fingers. “They wanted to reflect on recent events that they felt were cosmic karma for what they had done to me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Do you want to see the video?”
“Rules one and four, Killer.”
“What’s rule four?”
“Don’t hand your hostage a phone.”
She laughs. “I’ll hold far enough away. Are you gonna give me a grade at the end of all this?”
“If you like roleplay, sure. I’ll play your teacher, Olivia.”
She flushes beautifully, and I smirk, rubbing my stubble with my hand.
I like the rough feel against my palm. I’ve missed seeing her like this.
So relaxed and happy. We’ve been getting on so well.
I thought I might have pushed too far with the flirting, sending her into a tailspin.
When really it’s external factors that have caused her discontentment.
A hum of energy buzzes through my chest. I’m on the right course; I know I am.
She’s going to see me as more than a monster.
“Show me this video.”
She pulls out the phone, the app ready. She holds the phone in front of me, but her loose grip suggests she’s not worried about me taking it.
She’s so close I can smell her shampoo. A hint of cotton, fresh linen, and citrus fills my nostrils, and I inhale deeply.
Our thighs graze as she watches over my shoulder, chewing her thumbnail.
A short, slim girl with long blonde hair fills the screen.
She’s in a black legging and crop top set, similar to what Olivia wears.
This girl is polished, her hair styled, and her makeup perfect.
However, I still notice her bloodshot eyes and puffy face.
The man next to her looks to be in his mid to late twenties.
With sandy blond hair pulled back with a hair band— it isn’t long, but it falls past his ears.
His vest top is loose and baggy, his chest on show.
They hold hands as they look somberly at the camera.
“We’ve had a little time to think over the last twenty-four hours, and we need to be honest with our followers. Our previous video, which called out ‘Train with Olivia’s,’ Olivia Daniels, was inaccurate...”
A small cough can be heard in the background as Millie’s eyes flit to someone behind the scenes.
“Actually, no, it wasn’t just inaccurate.
It was an outright lie. I used to look up to Olivia, and I wanted to achieve everything she had.
But in trying to build my own brand, I chose to tarnish hers instead of focusing on myself.
When I met Travis, who used to date Olivia, it felt like I would always be in her shadow.
So to Olivia, I’m sorry. You’re an inspiration to us all.
If you haven’t seen her videos, her work is amazing, and she’ll get you fit in no time at all.
Go and subscribe. I’ll be taking a hiatus while I reevaluate how I conduct myself with my channel. ”
She gives a small hiccup before looking at Travis.
While Millie could almost be considered sincere, her crocodile tears are for no one but herself.
Her great epiphany is the result of Luca and the boys stopping by and making it very clear how this will go if they don’t remove the videos.
Essentially, her livelihood will be destroyed.
All for the sake of making a shitpost for this treasure sitting to my right.
“I, too, would like to apologize to Olivia,” Travis grits out, less convincingly than Millie.
“I was hurt when you broke up with me. I wanted to punish you for your success when my channel was so lacking. Millie and I brought out the worst qualities in each other: jealousy, pettiness, and cruelty.” He clicks his tongue and pushes it into his cheek before continuing.
“I, too, will be deleting my channel to focus on how to conduct myself in the future. I just hope that I can learn how to be a man who accepts his wrongdoings and tries to be a man worthy of someone like Olivia.”
A small sob slips out of Millie, and the uncut video is posted for all to see.
It has over fifty thousand views already and hundreds of comments. Ironically, this video might actually make them go viral. Shame Luca insisted they delete all their other videos and backup files. If they did want to start another channel, it would be from scratch.
Most of the comments support Olivia, but I’ll be ensuring Luca discovers the identities of those who are particularly bad.
“So, what do you think?” she asks me, pulling the phone away and slipping it into her pocket.
She hasn’t moved away from me. Instead, she pulls her feet up onto the bed and crosses her legs.
I lean back, scratching my jaw.
Play it cool, man. Let her relax. Let her find this position and proximity the most normal fucking thing. Let her feel natural.
Shrugging, I say, “Maybe they found Jesus overnight?”
She laughs. “Travis isn’t the type, and something tells me Millie isn’t either. Although I’ve only met her once at a fitness event. And look at this: all their other videos have been taken down...It’s odd. I could never imagine either of them doing something so drastic.”
“So what do you think happened?”