𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒 | rini & jolivia oneshots

burning the letters, the memories

Plot: Olivia sends one final goodbye letter to Josh. Major angst up ahead.

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Okay. I'm actually doing this. I need to move on and get over him. I've spent enough nights crying while driving alone past his street. The show has ended, and so does this. It was just a casual fling, a brief affair. A showmance, nothing more. I'll just admit it: we were lovesick teenagers. Showmances aren't meant to last. That's the literal definition of it: it's only meant to last through the duration of a show.

I don't have the courage to knock on his door and say it straightforwardly, so I'll do it this way. Texting, FaceTiming, and emailing sound so...it's just overused, you know? I know I haven't written a letter to anyone in years, and they're obsolete now. But I have to do this. I can't just leave this matter hanging in the balance. Just to make it seem like the 1800s, I lit a candle and took out a quill and an inkpot from inside the closet.  What? I work better in this environment.

I took a deep breath and began to write.

Dear Joshua,

     Hey. Hi. Hello. It's your old friend Olivia here. Umm...I know it's been a long time since we've talked. Yeah, that's all in the past now. We're adults; we've moved past that stage.

God, I've never been the best at writing letters. Sure, I've written plenty before, just never in a serious and formal tone.

     Uh...how's your family?  I heard that Winter's got another kid on the way, tell her I said congrats. My deepest condolences and sympathies for your grandpa. He was a great guy. How's Sabrina? I saw the news about your engagement. Congratulations! I'm sure you guys will lead a very happy and wonderful life together.

     If you're asking how I've been doing, I'm well. My albums have become acclaimed worldwide, and it's one of my greatest accomplishments. The reason behind why they were written isn't as black and white. I also got to compose music for this new movie, Passion and Perilous Pining. Quite alliterative, ain't it?

That was all he needed to know. He didn't need to know all the messy details. Three heartbreaks, three exes, yet none compared to the one when I was seventeen. That was the most painful.

Honestly, it would be nice to receive a response, but just know that I'm not expecting one.

Normally, I'd be signing off with something cheesy like "Love, Liv" or "Love you lots, Livvy." But we didn't talk anymore. We weren't working on a show together, we drifted apart. To me, this is just like signing some business contract or a deal with a client.

Sincerely, Olivia.

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When I finished writing the letter, I took another deep breath for the second time that night and nodded as I placed it into the mailbox. When I went home, I removed the dusty, old shoebox from my closet.

It contained all of our memories, Josh's and mine. Everything over the years, such as every hoodie I'd stolen from him. The Harry Styles tickets that he bought one year for my birthday, the wilted roses that he brought me on our first date. The love letters that once led me to believe he was mine, and only mine. Various and scattered memorabilia brought back all the sunlight of our past.