Daniel offered to drive Olivia as she had a few drinks, and the ride home from the reunion was filled with laughter and lighthearted reminiscing. Daniel had Olivia doubled over laughing with his impression of their old class clown, Tony Henderson, who apparently now worked as a motivational speaker.
"Can you imagine Tony giving life advice?" Olivia chuckled, her cheeks flushed from the drinks and the good humor.
Daniel grinned, glancing over at her. "I know, right? The guy once tried to convince everyone he could backflip off the cafeteria table and ended up in the nurse's office with a sprained ankle."
Olivia laughed so hard she had to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. "Some things never change. It was nice seeing everyone, though. It felt like stepping back in time."
"It really did," Daniel agreed. His tone softened as he added, "And it was nice spending time with you like this, Liv."
She offered him a small smile and turned her gaze out the window, a flicker of discomfort creeping in at the sentiment behind his words. The night had been nostalgic and warm, but her mind had wandered to Ethan more than once.
As they approached a stoplight, Olivia's gaze fell on a couple standing under the glow of a streetlight. They were locked in an intimate embrace, with the man leaning in to kiss the woman gently.
"How sweet," she murmured absentmindedly. But something about the man's posture caught her attention, and her heart began to race as she squinted to get a clearer look.
Her breath hitched. No. It couldn't be.
Her chest tightened as recognition dawned. It was Ethan. And Lauren.
Lauren's arms were wrapped around Ethan's neck as if she belonged there, and he wasn't pulling away.
Olivia gasped, her hand flying to her chest as the reality struck her like a punch to the gut.
Daniel immediately noticed her shift in demeanor. "Liv? What's wrong?"
She couldn't tear her eyes away. Her stomach churned, and her throat felt like it was closing up. "It's... nothing," she lied, her voice trembling.
Daniel followed her gaze, his brow furrowing as he pieced together what she saw. "Is that Ethan?"
Olivia swallowed hard and nodded, unable to form words as a deep ache spread through her chest. All the laughter, the ease of the evening, evaporated in an instant, replaced by a heavy cloud of betrayal and heartbreak.
The light turned green, but Daniel hesitated, his eyes flickering between Olivia's stricken face and the scene under the streetlight. "Do you want me to pull over? Or...?"
"No," Olivia said quickly, her voice sharper than intended. She tore her gaze away from the couple and looked straight ahead. "Just... keep driving."
Daniel's grip on the wheel tightened, but he did as she asked, the car pulling away from the scene that would undoubtedly haunt Olivia's mind for the rest of the night.
Olivia entered her apartment in silence, the soft click of the door closing behind her echoing through the stillness. She didn't bother with the lights, letting the shadows swallow her whole as she made her way to the couch. She slumped down, her legs curling beneath her as though trying to make herself as small as possible.
Her chest ached, but no tears came. The weight of her emotions felt too heavy for crying. Instead, they simmered inside her, raw and unrelenting, like an exposed nerve set ablaze. She pressed her palms to her face, trying to ground herself, but the image of Ethan under the streetlight with Lauren seared into her mind.
*Why?*
Her skin felt like it was on fire, every nerve ending alive and protesting, and she thought she might come apart at the seams. The depth of her feelings for Ethan scared her in moments like this. It wasn't just love—it was something consuming, something that could either fill her with euphoria or burn her to ashes. And tonight, it felt like it was the latter. The sight of Lauren's arms around him had set her aflame with doubt, with pain, with questions she wasn't sure she wanted answered.
Her fingers curled into fists as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She tried to reason with herself. *There's probably an explanation. Maybe I didn't see what I thought I saw. Maybe…* But the voice in her head, the one that was fiercely protective of her heart, whispered back, *What if you did?*
Olivia tilted her head back, staring into the darkness of her apartment. Her mind replayed the past few weeks with Ethan—his warmth, his intensity, the way he held her like she was the center of his universe. Was it all an illusion? Or was Lauren a storm threatening to tear it all apart?
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, the screen lighting up with a notification. She stared at it for a long moment, debating whether to pick it up. She didn't need to check to know it was Ethan. But did she have it in her to face him tonight? To hear his voice, the one that could unravel her defenses with just a whisper?
Her fingers hesitated over the phone. Finally, with a shaky breath, she picked it up and stared at the screen. Ethan: Please talk to me.
She didn't respond. Instead, she set the phone down and leaned back into the couch, letting the darkness consume her once more. For tonight, she wasn't ready to face the flames.