Light *on hold*

Light 7

"Well, my middle name is Avi. My favorite animals are the panther and wolf. I like to play volleyball, I don't have a favorite food, and I like doing anything that isn't stressful. I guess." I shrug and look at him.

Maddox chuckles and grabs both of my hands.

"No, Octavia. Tell me about yourself. Well, more about yourself."

Alrighty then.

"Ok. I grew up originally in Florida. West Palm Beach is my city. I loved it there even though the people weren't typically nice, we had each other's backs. Well, most of them. I grew up in an ok neighborhood where everyone knew my mother for her cooking. My dad was in the picture as well but he had so many jobs I barely got to see him. When I did he would take me out to eat and spend time with me. I was spoiled by my aunts and uncles and older cousins. I have two older brothers but one is in prison. He was a rebellious teenager and his actions finally caught up to him. My other brother is trying to get drafted in the NFL as well as studying criminal justice. I wanted to be a family doctor at first but you already know why I stopped. And yeah, that all leads up to here." I shrug and look up at him.

He studies my face for a while and smirks. "Describe yourself." He says.

"I'm selfless most of the time but selfish when I need to be. For example, I'd jump in front of a bullet for anybody. Whether it be a child or the elderly I'd gladly do it. I'd risk my life for someone else to see another day. I even put my drama and life aside to help others when they are desperate and need advice. But I also take time to myself to release stress. I'd have a day to myself and just relax. I'm an easy going person yet complicated at the same time. I always need reassurance because you never know when the other person's answer might change. Then I make it easy by doing what I have to do to make things work and have a nice flow of things. I also put up a front to make it seem like I'm fine but in reality I'm not. I smile at everyone I see and make them laugh because I want them to grasp onto that feeling of joy and happiness and hold on to it. Doing so makes me feel like I have the purpose to make others smile a real smile because most of the time mine is fake." I see Maddox smiling at me.

"I can already see that you are a beautiful person on the inside. What makes you feel sad m, Octavia?" Concern leaked through his voice.

Should I say it? Is it too soon? You know what just do it. If he says something stupid then call an Uber.

"I'm insecure and I sometimes get sad out of nowhere. I sometimes love my body but then I also want to change it. Like my stomach, I sometimes like the little pudge. Then some other times I also want to get rid of it and have a flat tummy. Then I wish I was skinny and then boom I want to stay the same size. It's all just weird." I put my head down in my hands. I'm fucked up on the inside. Completely and utterly fucked up.

I stop rubbing my forehead when I feel sparks on my wrists. Maddox's hands pull mine from my face and makes me look up. His face is closer to mine as he looks into my eyes.

"It's not weird at all. I'm interested in you a lot and I really like you. I want to know all about who you are and it starts with this." He holds my hands and kisses them.

Oh God, he's so sweet.

"Ok next question. I need to know how you are when something goes wrong. What do you do in a argument?" He asks.

"Well first I put my two cents in and leave to area to get some space. Then after I'm calm and the other is ok, I go back and ask to talk it out. Then when it's all settled we both better ourselves to avoid having that same problem again." I notice his hands are still on mine.

"Oh thank God." He says and raises his hands. I laugh at how ridiculous he looks.

"Why do you say that?" Yeah, why did he says that?

He grabs my hands again. "Because some women like to make it extremely hard for a man to fix his mistakes, depending on what it is. My mom used to leave the house for a few days if my dad made her upset over something small. Now they both sit and talk it out. I don't want to argue with someone and then go to bed mad at each other because tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. I don't want the last thing I say to someone be out of anger."

Oh yeah, I'm going to have the best dream tonight.

I chuckled at what he said about his mother. My mom would tell me to always make it hard for the man but that's not what I want to do. I want to make sure I do whatever I have to do so that the man I love is ok and well taken care of. I don't want my man to complain about what I do to him. I want him to be happy and content when he thinks of me.

"Yeah I don't want that either. I rather talk about what is wrong rather than to hold it in and put up with it. That's not me anymore. I don't want to deal with that again." I say and look up to Maddox's face.

"Well if you are interested in me, you won't have to deal with that." He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.

He opens his mouth to say something but hesitated.

"Say it, Maddox." I tell him.

"I just- I just hate that you went through what you did with your ex husband. You're a beautiful woman, Avi. And I can tell that you really cared about him and dropped everything to make him happy. I've never met a woman like you and you really caught my eye the first time I saw you. I know that you're a strong person but hearing you admit some of the problems you have with your personal issues makes me admire you." He says.

"Why is that?" Who could he admire someone like me?

"Because when someone needs a strong shoulder to lean on, you're there for them. Tell me, who is your strong shoulder Octavia?"