Exclusively Yours - Episode 36
Subtitle; {Please, Love Me}
✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿
Riccardo's POV
Three years ago, when I first saw Olivia at that bar, I felt the wall I had built around me since the age of thirteen break into a million pieces. As she stood downstairs, below me, dancing with a pretty smile on her face, I immediately knew that something had changed in my heart.
I needed to have her.
I don't know how she managed to push her way into my heart without even trying, unlike many other girls. Whenever I am with her, my heart starts to beat faster, and I tend to smile more often than I used to.
It will take some getting used to for me to finally convince myself that she is mine. Olivia has her way of making me extremely happy one second and the next añgry, and I wouldn't know how we got there.
I am no therapist. Héck, I don't even like them; they all want to listen to people's problems and take their money for practically doing nothing. But I do know when something is bothering my Sunshine.
She is like an open book with her eyes. Her mouth might lie, but those dazzling eyes never do. And, I was absolutely right.
When I entered her room, she was sleeping but holding that necklace around her neck so tightly that I thought it would húrt her. Pánic further flooded my body, drenching me in horrór as I realized she was having a nightmare.
I rushed to her, sat down at the edge of the bed, called her name once, twice, thrice. No answer. More terrôr seeped into me slowly, relishing in my plight.
"No. No. No." Was all she could mutter in her slumber, her face covered in sweat and apprehension. That only further frightened me beyond measure, and I wrapped my fist around her forearm to snap her out of whatever was causing her so much pàin.
Now, I remained still as Olivia rested her head on my chest. The air in the room was cold yet hot. The rain was still pouring as if it would never stop, and the more Olivia squeezed her body toward me—although there was no gap left between us—the more I wrapped my hands around her, ready to protect her from anything that could put her in this condition.
This is the second time Olivia and I are lying on the same bed—without engaging in anything sexúal—and instead of feeling ecstatic, all I could feel was depressíon.
Although she tried to make it subtle, I could clearly see and feel her body shivering, and each gulp she took sounded louder than a bómb in my ears.
"Aren't you going to ask me about it?" Her voice finally came out normal without the earlier shake.
"No."
Yes, I am desperate to know what could have made her so scared, screaming in her sleep, but I don't want to push her to tell me.
"Why?"
"You will tell me on your own terms, and I will wait until you are ready."
Olivia nodded once on my chest. Silence enveloped the atmosphere, and we breathed it in until she spoke again. "Your heart is beating fast."
"Um, well, that may be because I was scared out of my mind for you," I replied, slipping my fingers into her hair.
A whisper of a sigh escaped her mouth as she lifted her head, and her normally bright eyes met mine, now glassy and fragile. "You shouldn't waste your heartbeats on me."
In her words, I could hear her indirectly saying, "I'm not important enough for you to stress about," and Lord, she is wrong because she has no idea how important she is to me.
This is the first time since I met her that there is this anxiety of not feeling deserving of love in her eyes.
The overwhelming urge to wrap my hands tighter around her small body became almost unbearable. But she was already so close to me that if I did that, she would be inside my body. "That's quite impossible, Sunshine. You are my heart, and without you, I am nothing but dust on Earth."
"You have a way with words," she chuckled, though it was obvious it didn't come from her heart.
"I do?"
She nodded. "You do. Is that how you spoke to all your ex-girlfriends?"
For the first time since we returned, a hearty laugh erupted from me, and Olivia tried her best not to smile, but the corners of her lips quivered up.
"Is that a yes?" She teased, her eyes slowly becoming brighter.
"No. It's a no, baby," I replied, still finding it amusing.
I had never felt compelled to date or be in a relationship since puberty. In fact, my friends thought I had a problem with myself and my díck. No one ever piqued my interest enough to be in a relationship with them. And yes, I know what you're thinking; I am not a vírgin. I stopped being one at fifteen.
So, no, I have never had a girlfriend. That's why I took everyone by surprise when I introduced Olivia.
"Hmm. Why don't I believe that?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
As quick as a cheetah, Olivia straddled me, taking me by surprise, but that didn't stop me from immediately taking hold of her waist. She looked down at me with inquisitive eyes. "You have never been with any girl?"
"Yes."
"Not once?"
"Yeah."
She took a ten-second pause before asking again, "What about boys?"
A grin spread out across my face and quickly became a full-blown laugh. "What? No."
"You sure?" I nodded. "One hundred percent certain?" Another nod. "So, does that mean I am the first well-nigh girlfriend you have been with?"
"Yeah. Except, you're my wife, not my girlfriend, Sunshine. We are legally married in case you forgot."
I have always mentioned how beautiful Olivia is and will continue to do so, but as she straddles me and her lips stretch out into a wide smile, I feel myself falling in love with her all over again.
"Oh, I don't think I can forget that. You remind me constantly."
"I have to so it will be etched into your pretty little head as it is in my soul. I would have said heart, but you are already my heart."
Her wide smile withered as the loud strike of thunder hit the house and she flinched on top of me. All her playfulness was gone in the blink of an eye, and fear and caution returned.
"Hey," I cooed, drawing her closer to lie on me. "Where are your earbuds?"
"In the cupboard," she whispered.
"Which?"
"Left."
"My left or your left?"
"I...I don't remember."
"Ssh, it is fine. Can you get up? I'll look for it."
She did, and I came down to look for her earbuds in the cupboard, and when I found them, I connected them to my phone before making her wear them. I tapped play on the song I think would take her mind off the outpour and ruckus outside.
It did. After forty minutes of her trying to hide her shivers from me, she fortunately drifted off to sleep, leaving me to ponder on why the rain frightens her so much.
I mean, I can remember very vividly when she came to my office when it was raining. That was before our marriage, and she didn't look so shaken up about it then.
What happened?
I know I said I will wait for her to tell me whenever she is ready, but the curiosity is killíng me. I am also itching to slày whatever is torturiñg her to the extent of her not counting herself worthy to be loved.
That necklace, who gave it to her?
Why does she cherish it so much?
I need to find out. Fast.
✯✯✯✯
I woke up without Olivia on the bed with me. She was downstairs, doing something on her laptop while sipping her hot coffee.
"Hey," I said, coming to stand beside her.
"Hey," she replied, throwing a quick glance at me before returning her gaze to her laptop.
"What are you doing?"
"Something. You got some mails."
Mails?
Who sent them?
"On the glass table in the living room," she quickly added and hissed. "Fúck, I burnt my tongue."
"Sorry." I walked over to the living room, picked up the envelopes, and walked back to her. I picked one at random, opened it, and read the lines. "Desert Life?"
Olivia stopped what she was doing and took the paper from me. The excitement in her eyes wavered. "They are inviting us, but why?"
"I don't know."
"Are you going to go?"
"It depends." I tactfully replied.
"On what?" She asked.
"Are you going to go?"
"No."
"Why?"
"There is a rumor that your friend might be there too." She answered and dropped the paper on the kitchen island, picking up her coffee mug with the other hand.
"Yeah? But you like my friends."
"All but one." She muttered that I almost didn't hear her.
"Asia?" I asked as if I didn't know the answer, and she threw at me a heated glare. "Just needed to be sure. Sunshine, this might be fun."
Olivia shook her head, closed her laptop, and faced me. "There is nothing fun about staying in the desert for days while being broadcasted to the whole world. Absolutely no fun in that, especially not with Asia. End of discussion."
"You don't get to end the conversation when I haven't had my own say." I almost snapped but held myself back.
"If you want to go, then you're free to do so. As for me, I don't want to be in the same vicinity as her. Can we please not talk about this?"
"Alright. I'm sorry for..."
"It's fine, Riccardo. I'm going to my room."
My fist grasped at her wrist as she turned to walk away with her laptop and her coffee. "Wait, you're not màd at me, are you?"
"No. Why should I be?" She murmured.
"Really? You look màd. Your pretty eyes are literally drilling holes into my head right now."
"Don't compliment me, Riccardo."
Point proven.
I shouldn't have talked about Asia when I know she doesn't like her for reasons that make absolutely no sense to me.
Asia can't like me like that. It's impossible.
"See? You're màd at me."
"Why wouldn't I be? You said that we shouldn't fight because of Asia and Axel, and now you are...leave me alone."
"Sorry, Sunshine. It's fine if we don't go."
"As I said before, you can go if you want. I don't care. I think it's better if you stop working from home." She managed to slip her hand away from my grip and climbed the stairs.
F+ck.
No comments