Everything Between Us

Chapter Ten - Olivia

I finally managed to push the strange guy off of me when I looked around to see Slate staring at me angry before he turned around and walked out of the bar. Oh shit.

I ran after him, he had barely forgiven me for what had happened in high school there was no way he would believe me now. When I finally got outside I saw him on his way to his truck, I ran to him grabbing his arm to turn him towards me.

"Get off of me," He growls at me.

"It's not what it looked like. I swear, I wouldn't do that to you." I plead to him, but from the look in his eyes I can see his walls going up and my pleads falling on deaf ears.

"We are done," He says with an amount of finality I'm not comfortable with.

"Slate---" I begin to plead with him again but he cuts me off by grabbing something out of a pocket and handing it to me.

"You can take this I won't be needing it anymore." He says gruffly handing me a ring box before quickly getting in his truck and pulling out of the parking lot before I can say anything.

He was going to propose? Am I really going to lose everything I ever dreamed about because a random stranger decided it was his right to kiss me even when I refused. This couldn't be happening, I thought over and over as I rushed back into the bar with tears streaming down my face. I clutched the ring box so tightly my knuckles turned white as I reached Mackenzie who was making out with Ethan in the corner of the bar, something I couldn't bring myself to care about at the moment.

"Mackenzie, I need a ride home." I said through my sobs. At the sound of my voice she rips away from Ethan and looks at me with concern.

"What happened?" She says as she looks at my tear streaked face and the object in my hand that was clearly a ring box.

I tried to tell her but I could barely get a word through my sobs as they wrecked my body harder. He was gone, he would never forgive me... give me a chance to explain. What was I going to do?

In less than ten minutes I had lost my forever.

***

Mackenzie had taken me home and Ethan had gone to see Slate trying to find out about whatever had happened between us. I sat in Mackenzie's kitchen now silently staring at the cup of tea she placed in front of me. I cried enough that the tears couldn't come anymore, but I still couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"Olivia... what happened? You guys were smiling and drinking then you were crying and Slate left."

I almost started to sob again as I bit out my next words, "I went to the bathroom and after some random guy got in my face and kissed me. I pushed him off of me but all Slate saw was me kissing a stranger. I tried to talk to him but all he did was give me an engagement ring and tell me that we were done." My voice cracked on the last word, I still couldn't believe what had happened.

I continued, "He barely forgave me for what happened in high school. He will never forgive me or give me the chance to explain, what am I going to do without him?" I start to tear up again.

I saw pure anger enter Mackenzie's eyes at her brother's actions, "It's okay, we will fix this I promise."

"How? He will never listen to me."

"Give him a few days and try to talk to him. Make him listen. I know he's an asshole for what he did, but don't give up."

"I won't, I want to be with him. But, he thinks I've hurt him again and he will do everything in his power to shut me out."

***

I had decided to give Slate a week, one week and he would be at his new house and I would get him back. I would make him listen. It had been hell being away from him knowing how things were between us, but I knew that if I wanted a chance at fixing things I needed to give him a chance to cool down.

I had been sad, then mad then everything in between. I had realized how it must look to Slate considering our history but it also stung that he didn't trust me enough to give me a chance to explain what had actually happened. And I wasn't naïve enough to think he would have actually believed anything I would've said if he had let me explain anything.

I knew he loved me, that he wanted to be with me but I also knew that the last time I had hurt him it had destroyed him. He was just trying to protect himself... I just hated that he felt he needed to protect himself from me.

I stood at his door my hand raised to knock, I took in a deep breath and exhaled before finally rapping my hand against the door. I hoped he was home, I hadn't sent a text or called before my visit because he wouldn't have answered. He might've even purposely left to avoid me.

How we could go from being in love and smooth sailing to this bewildered me, but I guess that was life you get comfortable and then you get thrown again. The door swung open to reveal a terrible looking Slate. The sight of him tugged on my heart and pain seared through me. He had stubble on his normally clean-shaven chin and his hair was wild. His face had turned stormy the moment he had seen me.

"What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk to you, I need to explain what happened it was really just a misunderstanding. I understand what you think you saw but it really wasn't like that." I rushed out nervously, the scowl on his face setting even harder as the words released from my mouth.

I awaited his response as I watched him give it a quick thought before he slammed the door in my face. I stood there as my jaw dropped in shock, as I registered what he had done a strong sense of pure hurt slapped me and tears began to pour down my face.

I walked back to my car as the realization that I would never have the chance to fix this hit me at full strength. I sat in the front seat of my car and tears rushed me. I needed him, he couldn't shut me out like this. How could he completely cut me out of his life so easily?

I drove the two minute drive to my house blubbering. As I got into my house and sat at my dining room table in the darkness there was one thing I truly didn't understand and wasn't sure when I would...What was I supposed to do without him?