Page 68 of Pomegranates and Olive

His lips upturn briefly at the word Vespa. He knows he had me at Vespa.

"All I'm asking is you to spend the next three days with me, to see whether we can talk things through. And if in three days you still feel the same way, I'll leave and you can deal with your mother by yourself." He laughs knowingly at that threat. "I want us to at least try to work this out, if we can."

Shitfuckshitfuckshitfuckshit!

Deniz's steel-grey eyes stare back at me from inside my head, but I will his face away. The chemistry between us is definitely off the chart, but even Deniz himself says that chemistry can sometimes be dangerous. A little time apart might be just what I need to allow me to assess my true feelings for him.

For the second time in as many minutes, my eyes fill with tears. Luca is a good man and could do a lot better than me. I take a couple of deep breaths, if Luca wants three days, then damn it, Luca will have three days.

I owe him that much.

I turn to Luca and nod in the affirmative. "And where are you staying?"

"Aydin and Ginny said I'm welcome to stay here, but if you think it’s weird he offered to take me back into town."

Yes, it's weird.

"I guess."

"You don't sound sure."

Because I've never been less sure of anything in my life.

"No... of course you should stay."

There is no way this is a good idea.

His smile is genuine now, and infectious, and for a moment I can see the Luca that I grew up with, the easy-going, surfer dude that I love... that I loved. "I'm going to do what I have to do to win you back, Olive. You know I love you, and I think you still love me as well, so give me these three days to prove that we can make this work."

Luca looks at me, daring me to say no but I smile as he leans over and kisses me lightly before pulling me to his chest, crushing his lips down onto mine. I didn't expect that kiss and I gasp as my body unwittingly responds to the familiarity of his body against mine. "You have no idea how much I've missed you. After everything you've done, after you humiliated me and betrayed me by running away, I still want to screw you. What the fuck does that say about me?"

I pull myself out of his arms and shake my head. "Luca, stop it!"

"Don't worry, Liv, I'm not a total moron. As much as I want to fuck you, I won't." The sarcasm drips from his voice as he turns to leave. "I don’t want anyone’s sloppy seconds."

"Don't be crass."

He may think that he loves me, and he may think he still wants me, but the anger in his voice and the hurt in his eyes tell another story altogether.

"That wasn’t cool. I'm sorry, Liv. Listen, it's late and we’re both tired. Let's talk more tomorrow."

Will talking tomorrow change anything?

"Aydin said they're harvesting the olives tomorrow and everyone's going to help. It sounds like fun."

Harvest?

With Deniz there?

Sono fottuto!

15

That Moment When You Realise That Your Life Really Is A Turkish Dizi

Waking up at the crack of dawn is not my favourite thing to do. Ever. Waking up at the crack of dawn when I've only fallen into a restless sleep minutes earlier? Brutal.

I am a mountain of misery.

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