Page 108 of The Recovery Coach
She followed his instructions and entered the treehouse, settling onto her beanbag chair and scooping a bite of marshmallow-filled cereal into her mouth so she wouldn’t say something stupid and ruin the moment.
He’d decked the treehouse out with fairy lights.Casually romantic shit like this fucked with Olivia’s head.
Connor settled into the beanbag beside her and said, “It would have sucked to come home and not spend some time in our place again.”
He grabbed the remote from a pocket in his chair and switched on the TV.He navigated to YouTube and hit play on an ambient music video.
“I didn’t think we would get time to be out here together,” Olivia said.“The days went by so fast.I can’t believe we have to be back in Seattle tomorrow.”
Connor nodded.“The break is never long enough.”
He took a bite of Lucky Charms.
The pit in Olivia’s stomach grew; something about the soft way he spoke set off alarm bells in her head.
“Is everything okay?”she asked.“You’re being weird.”
Connor’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.His voice cracked when he said, “Thank you for coming home with me.It wouldn’t have been the same without you.”
She grabbed his bicep and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Of course.”She gestured to their surroundings.“I’ve missed this.I’ve missed you.”
“I always miss you.I’ve missed you since Seattle called my name.”
The reminder of that night did nothing to endear Olivia to him.She took her hand off his arm and returned her attention to her empty cereal bowl.She set it on the ground next to her chair and cleared her throat, wiping at her eyes.She had nothing to say to him.He’d broken her heart.He’d moved away.He didn’t want her.He’d driven a wedge between them that never fully healed.
Connor handed his empty bowl to Olivia, who stacked it on top of her own.He rubbed his hands over his thighs and then through his hair.
Olivia watched him, the gnawing sensation growing as he seemed to get more anxious.Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he avoided looking at her.
“You look like you’re about to throw up.”
She couldn’t be sure what he muttered under his breath, but it sounded like ‘I fucking might.’She nudged his foot with her own.
“I have a present for you,” he said.
He reached under his seat and pulled out a shiny wrapped package.Hesitating for a few beats, he handed it to her.
Olivia stared at the small present for a long time.Small enough to fit in her palm, the weight of it had her stomach twisting in painful knots.In seconds she’d gone from worrying Connor might vomit to worrying she might.
“You can open it,” Connor prompted.
She couldn’t bring herself to rip into the packaging.Instead, she handed it back to him.“You can’t keep buying me things.The dresses, the makeup, the letting me stay with you.It’s all too much.”
Connor refused it.“If you don’t open that right now, I’m going to lose my mind.Please.”
He hit her with his signature pouting, puppy-dog face again, and she rolled her eyes.She should remove herself from these situations.To move on.But in the fairy-lit treehouse with soft music playing in the background, shadows dancing on the walls, snowflakes floating past the windows, in the dead of night, she couldn’t deny him.
Olivia ignored every warning her body gave her and slid a rainbow-painted fingernail under the tape on the present.Removing the paper revealed an iconic blue box, and she didn’t dare open it before she shoved it at him again.
“I can’t take this,” she insisted.
He took the box from her, pain etched on his face.She gathered their dirty bowls and stood, looking anywhere but at him.
When she turned around, she almost stumbled over him.He was down on one knee before her, the pretty blue box open and held out to her in offering.A ringing filled her ears, her fight-or-flight response going into overdrive.She shook her head and skirted the tiny room; the cereal bowls clutched to her chest like a security blanket.
“No.You don’t know what you’re asking.”
