Page 75 of Heart Match

Today at 5:36 pm

Dad: Tell him congratulations from me, love.

I roll my eyes, but smile, at Dad, and at the fact that Luc won.

After the match, there’s a press conference. I was never one to watch sports press conferences, until now. Luc answers a few questions about the match, using many technical words I don’t understand. The press likes him, it might have something to do with his kindness, how he replies to every question patiently and almost always with a smile on his face despite his visible tiredness. When he’s about to stand up and leave, one more reporter throws him a question.

‘Is Olivia Charlton your girlfriend? Is she going to attend the match on Sunday?’

Luc puts on an impartial face, like he gets asked this question all the time.

‘I’m not discussing my private life. Does anyone else have another question about tennis? If not, I guess we’re done here,’ he says in such a calm tone it makes you think he just said something nice and not something that if said in another tone would sound rude.

I still manage to work for one more hour. I’ll probably need to work over the weekend to finish what I need. It is extremely important that everything goes as planned for Monday. But right now I’m exhausted, and looking forward to an evening read and early bedtime. The universe, however, is still conspiring against me, and before I make my way to the balcony, someone’s at the door. It’s probably Amazon for a neighbour who’s not home. Working from home also involves receiving packages for the neighbours.

But when I open the door, it’s no Amazon, or any neighbour, or Luc or any friendly face. In fact, it’s my worst nightmare.

Chapter Twenty-Two

It’s Josh. The same Josh that hurt me from the inside out, not in that order. It’s the cause of my nightmares, of my control freakiness, of the walls built around me and my heart, the one who hit me until I blacked out, the one I’ve been running from for three years.

Right now, as I hold the door and my eyes quickly take in the tall male dressed in a million-dollar suit, my first reaction after the brief shock, is to close the door on his face. But it’s too late—he’s faster than me and his foot is already blocking the door.

‘Livvy,’ he says with the voice that has been haunting me all these years. The voice that puts me down when I’m cheerful, that wakes me up at night when I think he’s sleeping beside me. I flinch at the sound of it.

What do you do when you have to face your worst fear, alone?

I don’t run. I knew this encounter was a possibility, and trust me, I’ve been preparing for this moment for way too long. I’m not running, but I’m not stupid.

‘How did you find me, Josh?’ It’s the first question that comes to my mind. Because the most obvious one would be what are you doing here, but I already know the answer to that one.

I take a few steps back.

He lets out a sarcastic smirk, the one he used to give me that said do you think I’m stupid?

I turn around slowly and walk toward the kitchen. I grab my phone from my jeans pocket as imperceptibly as I can. I go behind my kitchen island, as if this was enough to make him stay away from me. It’s enough for me to gain time and send the letter H to Naomi and Lexi, on our group chat. I hope they remember the code. It was Lexi’s idea after what happened the last time I saw Josh. H is for help, and it’s an easy letter to find and press on the keyboard, being right in the centre.

‘You’re all over the press, love bug.’

Hearing him call me by the nickname he gave me years ago makes my blood heat up through my veins and burn my insides. The smug smile on his face makes it even worse.

‘How you’ve been? I haven’t heard from you in a long while,’ he says, making himself comfortable on one of the stools.

My body is trying to find a way to cope with his presence, but I’m panicking—I can feel my heartbeats in my throat, my voice trying to find its way out. My legs are trembling, trying hard to keep me standing.

‘I’ve missed you,’ he says.

I close my eyes and wish very very hard that this isn’t real. I still don’t run. I also don’t cry.

Breathe, don’t forget to breathe.

‘What do you want?’ I say, finally.

‘Just wanted to stop by and say hello, see how you’re doing. It seems as though everyone that knows you disappeared or don’t know anything about you all of a sudden.’

All of a sudden? It’s been three fucking years.

‘Well, you’ve seen me now. You can leave,’ I say, my voice trembling.

---