"Livy! Hey, what's taking so long? oh my God, you are…"I turned around and found Finley Spencer, my best friend of five years standing there with this look of awe on her face. "…I'm sorry, who are you?" She asked Lucious.
"I am Lucious Reign. And you are?" Lucious asked and brought his hand out for a hand shake.
"She's none of your…" I started to say but Finley beat me to it.
"I'm Finley Spencer. It's a pleasure!" She turned to me. And mouthed "He's hot!" Followed by a thumbs up.
"How do you know Mr. Reign, Livy?"
"I don't".
"She does!"
We said in quick succession.
"I don't" I said in between my clenched jaw and drew him a glare. It seemed to quiet him down but only for a second.
"But you are my…"
I didn't think...I simply reacted when I stumped on his foot as hard as I could. He was an Alpha but Lucious still hopped on one foot while yelling 'ouch! Ouch! Ouch!'
"Dramatic much?" I asked him, feeling irritated before turning to Fin.
"Finley, I will be with you very soon. Please leave"
"No.. no" Lucious said with his signature one sided charming smile "Let her stay. Any friend of yours is welcome anytime, Katy"
"Who's Katy?" Finley asked and looked at me. She must have seen my uneasiness because she took a step closer to me.
"You look ashen white, Livy. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Just go. I will be with you shortly" I told her. "Please, let me handle this, okay?"
"Okay" Finley agreed reluctantly "If you need help... scream, okay?. I have pepper spray in my pulse and I am not afraid to use it on that beautiful face of his, okay?"
I smiled.
Fin…as vain as she can be sometimes was a girl's girl all the way and the best BFF one could ask for.
"Bye Finley" Lucious said with a little wave.
"Bye, Gorgeous"
Flirty Finley at it again!
With her gone, I needed to make sure Lucious leaves too…forever.
He must never stay close enough to discover my secret.
"Katy…"
"Stop!" I said forcefully "I don't know you. I don't want to know you. Do you understand me, Mr. Reign?" I asked him.
"But I know you" He came closer to me and lifted my face with his index finger. Seriousness lined every aspect of his face, it was like whatever he wanted to say came from the innermost part of his heart…like he was wearing his heart on a sleeve.
"I want to know you. I want to…love you to the best of my ability. And it is a piss poor bargain, I know that" His eyes stayed on mine
"but I'm yours if you let me" he exhaled heavily through his mouth.
"I wanna spend the rest of my life making it up to you, sweetheart. For every hurt I inflicted, I will atone ten folds. For every pain…I will pay it back with devotion. You are someone I want to know, Katy. Because…I don't know how to live without you anymore. I tried to and I failed miserably"
I exhaled as a little drop of tears fell down my face.
Damn it! It was like being eighteen all over again.
It is so easy to flee into his arms and have him hold me. Have him say more of those things he just said…hear more of it.
But sometimes when things break…they can't be fixed.
"Goodbye, Mr. Reign"
I turned around and walked away as fast as I could…I needed to put a world between me and him.
It just had to be done.
***
I made it home in one piece. I went straight to the bedroom and pulled out two bags. I needed to pack.
I needed to run again.
Cate city was way too small to contain Lucious and I.
"Livy, what are you doing?!"
"We are leaving" I murmured and opened the wardrobe to pull some clothes into the suitcase.
"It's time to leave" I told her again
"Why?" Finley asked me, she was looking at me like I had gone insane and I might as well have.
"No reason…it's just time to leave" I answered.
Finley came to grab my hand and she held on to it tightly. She refused to let it go.
"Who's Katy? And how do you know Mr. Reign? Don't you even bother lying. I want the truth, Livy!"
I pried my hand off her. It was easy. She was human…I wasn't.
"Don't wanna talk about it" I answered.
"Too fucking bad! You are crying. You've been crying for a long time. Your eyes are red and puffy, and your face is sad, not 'my dress is ruined' sad but real sad!"
"Fin…"
"Did he hurt you? Who's Katy?"
I turned around and stared at the image in the mirror. I didn't recognize the person staring back at me.
Her hair was messy, and her lips were turned down. She looked lost, like she was thinking about something sad.
There was a little bit of mascara smudged on her cheek, and her chin was quivering.
I saw Katy staring back at me in the mirror,
I haven't seen her in a long time.
"Olivia…"
I swallowed. I didn't speak for a full minute.
"I loved him" I told Finley
"You love who, Livy?"
"I loved Lucious" I declared.
"Olivia…"
"Let me finish, please" I pleaded with her fresh tears emerging from my almost tired eyes.
"I have been in love with him way before I realized what love is…way before I got my period or my first bra. I have loved him for so long that I…" she exhaled deeply. "I have loved him even when he looked at me like this annoying little kid whom he calls Pim-pim because I never stop talking and follow him around like a parasite. I love him"
I shrugged and rubbed my hands together.
"I loved him but he loved her. He only had eyes for her…for Caley"
"For who, Livy? Who's Caley?"
"She's my sister. Lucious is in love with my sister"