Never Really Over

Chapter 1

Maeve and Otis reluctantly walked into the dingy bathroom they called an office. It was their third appointment of the day; it was with a girl who wasn't sure her boyfriend was still attracted to her. All of this had become run of the mill at this point and Maeve and Otis had begun working like a well-oiled machine, in this department anyway. Things had been quite awkward between them since Otis had sent Maeve that voicemail and she hadn't responded; mainly because she had no idea it existed.

The session went off pretty well and the girl in question seemed quite optimistic, she became so optimistic in fact that she closed the door of the bathroom, leaving Otis and Maeve locked in.

"Uh oh." Otis said, trying to pull at the door.

"What?" Maeve asked, already sounding annoyed.

"We're locked in." Otis said, after pulling the door for the third time to no avail.

"We can't be!" Maeve said, pushing Otis aside and trying the door herself.

"Well, it's an old door and I don't think it opens based on who pulls at it." Otis said, clearly annoyed about being pushed around.

"Why are you the one who's pissed off? This is your fault." Maeve said, crossing her arms across her chest, giving Otis one of her classic death stares.

"My fault?! What the hell did I do?!" Otis asked.

"You should've held the door open, or at least told her not to close it." Maeve said.

"What? That's ridiculous. There was clearly not enough time to do that!" Otis said, surprised at how unreasonable Maeve was being. He decided to ignore her and text Eric to come and get them.

"There was and you would've known that if you ever paid any attention." Maeve said. She knew she was overreacting and being petty as all hell but all of this was a long time coming. There was a lot she wanted to say to Otis but she knew it would take something as ridiculous as them being locked in a bathroom for all of that to come out.

"I don't pay any attention?! Are you fucking kidding me?! All I ever do is pay attention, Maeve. Not that it would ever matter to you, either way." Otis said, he knew things were heading in a direction he couldn't control but at this point he just wanted to save himself from the weight on his chest that was his feelings for Maeve.

"Is there something you want to say to me, Otis? Because I would suggest coming right out and saying it instead of dancing around the subject." Maeve said, charging towards Otis a little. She was done with this miscommunication crap. If Otis had something to say, it was time he damn well said it.

Otis took a deep breath, trying to assess his options. He could always try and jump out the tiny window in the bathroom but he would probably get stuck in the window, giving Maeve the chance she clearly wanted to beat his ass. Or he could finally tell Maeve all he's been burying deep in his soul. Telling her would also mean finding out for certain if he has any chance with her. The window was starting to look really good right about now.

"Well?" Maeve asked, snapping Otis out of his thoughts.

"I told you how I felt and you didn't say anything." Otis blurted out.

"What the hell are you talking about? From what I remember, I told you how I felt and you responded by humiliating me and yourself and then sleeping with Ruby." Maeve said, turning away from Otis. She was fuming just thinking about how things had gone down between them. She would've punched Otis right in the face if she didn't love him so damn much.

Otis cringed just thinking about the memory. He hated himself for what he had done. Not only because he had hurt the person he loved most but also because he had acted like his father, something he swore he would never do.

"I'm sorry about that, I really am. But that's not what I was talking about." Otis said, putting his hand on Maeve's arm to make her face him.

"Then what are you talking about?" Maeve asked, calming down.

"The voicemail I sent you." Otis said, looking everywhere but at Maeve.

"What voicemail?" Maeve asked, getting super confused.

"I mean it's one thing to not feel the same way but to act as if I never sent it, that really hurt my feelings Maeve. I know I've been an arsehole but I guess I thought we could move past that." Otis rambled, ignoring Maeve's question.

"Otis, what the hell are you talking about?!" Maeve asked shaking Otis.

"You really don't know?" Otis asked.

Maeve shook her head as if to say no.

"The night of the Quizhead's competition, I sent you a voicemail, apologising and telling you I had feelings for you. And when I didn't hear from you, I went to the trailer to talk to you but you weren't there. I met Issac and told him to tell you to listen to your messages. Didn't he say anything?" Otis asked.

Maeve shook her head, words seemed to escape her in the moment she needed them most.

"Well, I waited for you to get back to me but you never did. I figured maybe you wanted to talk about it in person at school or something but when we met at school you didn't mention it. So I thought you just wanted to pretend it didn't happen so you wouldn't have to turn me down." Otis said, knowing Maeve wasn't in a state to talk.

Maeve's mind was running a 1000 miles/ hour but she knew it was important to tell Otis the truth. "I never got that message. Issac didn't tell me anything. Otis, I would never blank you like that, it really sucks that we're so far gone that you would even think that about me. Even if I didn't feel the same way, I would've still talked to you about it."

Otis didn't really know what to say. He wanted to ask her if she felt the same way but she had a boyfriend and if he was being honest, he wasn't sure he had it in him to hear her say she didn't like him anymore.

Maeve could sense Otis was overthinking the shit out of this situation, she was too but she knew she had to calm him down before he completely lost it. Just as she was about to say something, she heard the door open.

"Are you guys okay?" Eric asked, walking into the room.

"Fine." Maeve and Otis said at the same time.

"Did I interrupt something?" Eric asked. He could sense the tension from the second he walked through that door.

Otis and Maeve didn't say anything; they just stared at each other. There was always so much that ended up being unsaid between them. It was clear there would always be something between them but did either of them really have the courage to explore what it was?