“Olivia.” His tone was softer, and I could see the struggle within him. “I’ve waited . . . It’s not . . . I don’t want to lose you,” he declared, running a hand through his hair. I stared at him, momentarily speechless.
“We have to forget about this,” I implored finally. “We barely even know each other.”
“You keep saying that, but I know it’s not how you feel.” He waited, his brown eyes searching mine. It was true, but it was an argument I couldn’t afford to lose, so I didn’t say anything.
After a few moments of silence, he looked at me calmly and asked, “Is this really what you want?” I looked back at him, urging myself to speak, urging myself to put an end to it once and for all. Just one word. His expression changed as he waited, and I recoiled into my sheet. “Is this really what you want?” he intoned with increasing volume. I knew he was demanding an answer.
I nodded, and he grasped my blanketed arms forcefully. “Tell me, then. Tell me you want this!” I opened my mouth but the words failed me. He shook me once, pressing his fingers into me. “Look me in the eye, and tell me you can forget,” he hissed. “And . . . and if you can tell me that, I promise, we’re through.”
I felt my knees, and my resolve, begin to buckle beneath me. I reached deep inside for a modicum of strength. Any woman would be lucky to have this man standing in front of her, asking her to stay. Any woman would be horrified to know that I would be willing to give up my life for someone I’d met only months before.
I squared my shoulders, still firm under his grip, and tried unsuccessfully to look him in the eye. “I - I . . .”
“I can’t hear you,” he said, backing me into the doorjamb.
“You’re hurting me,” I whimpered.
“Say it,” he commanded. “Say it, Olivia! Say it!”
“This is what I want!” I yelled at him, wriggling to get free. “It’s over!”
He released me, and I hastily grabbed my belongings from the floor, running out of the bedroom. He didn’t come after me this time, and I was grateful. I didn’t think I could ever look into those eyes again without remembering the look I’d just seen. I ran into the foyer, hit the ‘Down’ button, and, dropping the sheet, dressed speedily as the elevator ascended.
Once inside, I bit my lip to hold back the tears. I tried, in desperation, to push David’s expression from my mind. The doors parted to the regal, eerily quiet lobby that echoed with the click of my heels as I raced through. I sensed eyes on me, but I fixed my gaze on the revolving door ahead as though it would get me there faster. When I pushed through to the other side, I was forced to shield my eyes from an unrelenting sun. Stumbling down the block, I stopped to lean my back against a cool, scratchy brick wall to catch my breath. It was then that I sank down to the ground, put my head in my hands, and sobbed.