¶ Whenever You're Ready ¶

Don't Leave Things Like This

Brightly lit with glowing lights from the seas of busy buildings and full streets, Las Vegas enthralled Olivia. Pulling her bags behind her down the sidewalk in search of her cab, she stood frozen at the sight of Spencer's name shining on her phone screen. Breathing heavily, she wondered if she should reject his call.

"I'm in love with you."

His confession refused to leave her mind, arguing with her guilty conscience.

"I promised to wait for Asher. I love him." Liv repeated to her inner self, desiring to force herself into submission. "I don't have feelings for Spencer. Not anymore." She asserted weakly.

Eyes glued to her phone, she momentarily allowed her heart full control. "I just want to make sure he is alright." She told herself as if her rejection could cause Spencer to lose his sanity.

Truthfully, she yearned to hear his voice once more. His absence resulted in a void inside her heart, believing that she might have lost him completely after tonight's events.

Swiping her finger to the green icon below his name, she answered his call.

"Hello." She managed to muster, wishing to ---but failing to-- say everything that was pounding within her mind.

"Liv, don't leave yet." He voices gently as if his life depended on her presence.

"Spencer, tonight can't happen again." Olivia preached sorely, secretly wishing tonight could be every day. Hoping that one day she and Spencer might have a chance, to be honest with themselves and others about how they feel. Dreaming of a time when she wouldn't feel guilty for yearning for him. However, that time wasn't now.

He had Layla and she had Asher. If either of those two found out what happened Liv couldn't live with herself. She'd be the girl who ruined her friend's relationship --- again. Shaking her head, Olivia refused to be tainted as the home wrecker or boyfriend stealer. And things were already rocky with Asher currently. If he found out about tonight, she'd lose him for good. Not just as her boyfriend, but as her best friend.

"Tonight was a mistake, Spencer." Liv sighed sadly, giving in to her insecurities and doubt.

Despite her ever-growing denial, Spencer was confident in them.

"Listen to me." He urged with a firmer tone than before, hoping to convince her to stop running.

Thinking back to when he first arrived with his friends, Spencer couldn't stop feeling like something was missing. Las Vegas was a city of adventure and amusement, but Spencer felt stagnant without Liv at his side. The first chance he got to call her, he took it, knowing she'd come if he needed her. "You coming here was not a mistake."

They'd spent the entire summer glued to the hip doing the smallest things. Movies nights at each other houses. Volunteer work at the shelters in town. Working on catchy stories for her Podcast. Attending art exhibits for mainstream artists. Playing board games with her brother and Darnell. And every day he found them getting closer and closer.

Whether it be how she naturally leaned into his arm when they were cuddled together, watching a movie. Or how he'd find himself gawking at her in amazement while she participated in feeding the homeless, or giving out school supplies to kids during the back-to-school giveaway that Crenshaw held every July before school started back up in August. He even recalled the time they ended up in a compromising position after a painting lesson gone array.

She pinned him to the ground, laughing up a storm about how good he looked covered in orange and blue paint. His laughing ceased before hers when his finger grazed her painted covered cheek. Her giggles halted at the change of tension between them. Had it not been for Kia calling Liv's phone, Spencer might've taken his chance that afternoon. "....And me kissing you was not a mistake."

He was a fool for missing the obvious all this time. The first week he met Liv he could tell she was vibing off him. Although Chris was into Olivia, he'd been honest on Homecoming night, acknowledging Olivia's feelings for Spencer.

Ever since Kia and Liv started hanging out at the beginning of summer break she teased him and Olivia on their undeniable connection. And to top things off, his mother even doted on the idea of Liv and Spencer being more than friends. "Us being together would not be a mistake, Liv."

At a loss for arguments, Olivia used the only thing she could think of to pressure him into backing down. A hardcore rejection. "I can't change the way you might feel, Spencer." Olivia rationalized, knowing that there was no changing his mind. "But I still love Asher, and-"

Understanding that he had no right to argue that Olivia's relationship was finished, Spencer stated what he knew to be a fact. "Look, I know you feel the same way," Spencer interjected before she could finish, openly acknowledging that Olivia's secret feelings weren't so much of a secret.

Olivia went quiet, unable to deny his claim. Sighing heavily, Spencer softened his tone conveying his vulnerable side once more. "So please, don't leave things like this."