Page 43 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
“Yes, it is,” I gave her a serious look. “Because I’m not sure if I can trust him. I’m not exactly someone who trusts easily.”
“Then give it time,” Lisa said. “Observe him until you decide, by watching his actions, that he’s a man worthy of you. You’re already married. It’s not like you’re in a rush or anything.”
“You really think I should give Oliver a chance?” I asked, but I already knew her answer.
It was my answer, too.
“Yes, definitely,” Lisa smiled. “Now, does your heart feel any lighter?”
I laughed out loud, for the first time in a long while, feeling less burdened by all that had happened to me and my intense feelings. “I’m going to give Oliver a chance.”
“That’s the spirit. Now let’s go back to work, and please don’t spill any more of our precious coffee.”
“I won’t,” I chuckled.
Chapter 14 - Oliver
When I came out of the garage, having finished my evening of mending old apparatuses, Pauline was sitting in the living room reading a book. She laid it aside and gave me a piercing look.
I braced myself for whatever she was planning to say. She looked serious enough to slice through my soul with her gaze.
“I want to talk to you,” she said.
I nodded and sat down on the couch. I waited for her to speak.
After a moment, she did. “You’ve told me you didn’t mean to bully me that day under the oak tree. You meant to tease me.”
“That’s right,” I nodded.
“Why did you want to tease me in the first place? Why did you pick me—a nobody who spent her time reading books and avoiding everyone—as the person whom you wanted to ‘pull out of her shell,’ as you so poetically told me? Was I some kind of project for you?” She frowned.
I shook my head. I took a deep breath and then let it out, readying myself to bare my soul to Pauline. “Ever since I met you in my first year of high school, I have felt attracted to you.”
She snorted. “Wait, you’re trying to tell me you wanted me? You, the popular hot guy, wanted me, the shy mouse?”
I smiled at how she pictured us. “You’re still shy with me, although you’re not much of a mouse anymore—you’ve grown into a true beauty.”
She gave me a look of disbelief. “No flirting now; we’re having a serious conversation.”
My smile widened. “I’m only stating the truth. But yes, Pauline, I’ve always liked you. At first, it was a small crush, but the more I interacted with you, the more I learned about what you’re really like—a smart, wonderful girl.”
Pauline frowned. “And the fact that you had a crush on me made you want to… what, bully me?”
“Tease you,” I corrected. “I was a teenage kid. I didn’t know how to express my feelings for you.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Pauline gave me a look of disgust.
My heart sank. In hindsight, she was right—if I hadn’t had so much trouble telling her how I really felt, then none of the pain I had caused her would have happened in the first place.
“All I can say is that I’m so-” I started, but she put a hand up to stop me.
“No, I’m not buying it. How could such an ugly thing originate from you liking me?”
I gave her a sad look. “I don’t know the answer either.”
She frowned, clearly dissatisfied with my response.
“But it’s not like only bad things came from me liking you,” I tried to salvage the conversation. “I liked you back then, and right now I do as well.”
