Page 35 of The Devils Melody
I look down at my drink, watching the condensation bead along the plastic.
“Oh my god, no one died right?!”
I blink up at her. “No! Jesus. No one died.”
“Okay, good,” she says, exhaling with dramatic relief. “You just scared the shit out of me. My fight or flight kicked in. I was about to start planning a funeral playlist.”
That makes me laugh. She’s so crazy. “Of course you’d be in charge of the playlist.”
“Obviously. I have impeccable taste. Now spill,” Olive says, locking eyes with me. I’m afraid she’s about to waterboard the truth out of me with cold brew. Sighing, I swirl the straw in my drink as if it’s some kind of magic wand and it’s about to give me the courage to say this shit out loud. I seriously wish it was that easy. “It’s…it’s Rich.”
Olive freezes, her expression shifting instantly.
“You’ve gotta be shitting me.”
I shake my head, not looking at her. “I wish I was kidding.”
She leans in, voice dropping but her intensity spiking. “What’s that piece of shit doing now? And I thought you said you didn’t see your nasty ex in public!”
“Well not at the grocery store! He’s just texting and calling a lot. And he showed up at the bar.”
“Shit,” she mutters. “Well what’d he do when he showed up at the bar?” She’s looking at me intensely and it makes me not want to say it. Olive never approved of Rich, rightfully so, and I just know this will send her over the edge. “Spill it before I force it out of you.”
“Alright, alright. He grabbed me,” Her eyes grow wide but I don’t let her say anything yet. “But then these two random hot guys just showed up like they had some weird savior complex and beat the shit out of him. Broke his nose and everything.”
“Wait, what?! And I’m barely hearing about this now? What the fuck, Wren!”
I wince, knowing I probably should have called her and spilled all of this a lot sooner, but I was so wrapped up inmy own head, I didn’t even think about it. I could barely think at all. Every time I tried, my mind was filled with shades of icy blue and soft sage.
“I’m sorry, Liv. I don’t know why I didn’t call you, there was just so much going on and I got overwhelmed.” I glance down at my cup and graze my finger along it, catching the condensation on my fingertips.
Olive takes a deep breath, collecting herself, and then shakes her head. “Ugh, you’re right babe, I’m sorry. But you’re going to tell me about these two hot guys later.” She points at me as if she’s scolding her nonexistent child and then gets back to business. “Now, tell me about Rich. What garbage is he spewing these days?”
I hesitate, then use my best Rich voice impression. “‘We need to talk.’ ‘I didn’t mean to scare you.’ ‘You misunderstood.’ That kind of crap.”
Her face darkens. “Unbelievable. Classic Rich. Acting as if you imagined the whole thing.”
“I haven’t answered,” I say quickly. “I haven’t said a word. I just…haven’t blocked him either.”
She softens, sitting back in her chair. “Okay. That’s alright. I get it. It’s not easy to shut the door, even when you know damn well that you should.”
I nod, swallowing hard.
“I just hate that he still has access to you,” she says, quieter now. “After everything.”
I don’t say anything. There’s nothing I could say. Everything that she’s saying is true and I’m just prolonging the inevitable.
She reaches for my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to explain. But you deserve better.”
This is exactly why I love her. She always sees me, even when I’m doing everything I can to stay hidden. She doesn’tlet me shrink. She doesn’t let me forget who the hell I am. When everything else in my life has fallen apart, Olive has always been there to hold the pieces with me, even if she didn’t fully understand them.
“You’re a damn good friend,” I whisper, glancing up at her.
She smirks. “I know. But keep telling me anyway. My ego lives for it.”
I laugh softly, but the moment is short lived. My phone buzzes on the table between us. We both look down at it at the same time.
Rich: Please just call me. I swear I didn’t mean to scare you. I was drunk and I fucked up. Just…talk to me, Wren.
