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𝑶𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆
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"You fight like a girl"
Five words. Seventeen letters.
That's all it had taken for the guy to end up on the floor at my mercy.
I dug the heel of my foot deeper into his body, the end of my gun pressing into his skull, pulling a whimper from his lips.
I crouched down, dragging him up by his hair. "You say that like it's a bad thing"
"Please, don't kill me" He begged.
"That seems like a fitting punishment though, doesn't it?" I responded, mocking him by changing the tone of my voice.
I felt the eyes of all the others on me, silently judging and anticipating my next move. With a slight roll of my eyes, I turned to face the audience that surrounded us.
"Don't look at me like that" I frowned. "He had it coming"
"Get her off him" Someone yelled.
"She has issues" Another voice called out.
I chuckled, shaking my head a little bit. "You don't know the half of it"
"The bitch is deranged" A different person this time.
"You're just sad because you bet on the muscles for brains over here and he lost" I shrugged, poking his head with my gun.
"You want to see deranged?" Miles asked the audience, his gaze turning cold. "Insult her one more time and find out"
He turned to me, amusement quickly replacing the cold glare. "His fate was sealed as soon as those words left his lips"
"Damn right" I laughed, nudging the guy's head with my foot.
Without giving him a moment to react, I jabbed the back of my gun into the back of his neck, knocking him out.
"I go to the bathroom for five minutes and you've already killed someone" Miles and I groaned hearing Kai's voice.
"He's not dead... just sleeping" I mumbled.
"The match is over, you can leave now" He announced to the audience.
Groans and murmurs were heard but they all knew better than to argue with him. In a matter of minutes, the basement that had once been full only contained three people.
Oh and the dude that had made the mistake of being my opponent tonight.
"You won the match already, leave him be," Kai said, shaking his head.
"You're no fun" Miles sighed.
"You're supposed to be on my side, Moreno"
"Not if you're going against Olive" Miles shrugged.
"But Miles has a point though" I said, my arms crossed over my chest. "Do you know how sexist what he said was? He's lucky I'm not gouging his eyes out with my nails right now"
"You're scary, you know that?" He smiled.
"I've been told a couple times" I shrugged, rooted to my spot inside.
He gave me a pointed look and I let out a dramatic sigh before stepping out of the ring through the ropes he held open for me.
I gave Miles an appreciative smile as he handed me a small towel, rubbing the top of my head as a form of congratulation.
As I cleaned off the sweat around my face and neck, Kai handed me a huge stack of 50 dollar bills, wrapped neatly in a blue bow.
"Aw, you remembered my favorite color" I smiled at him, hanging the towel off my shoulders.
His response was a smirk as he moved closer to me, only leaving about an inch of space between us.
"I remember everything about you, everything you've told me."
"Okay, calm down lover boy," Miles chuckled.
A joke. That was what Miles had intended for that statement to be.
But Kai's response threw him off guard. "I can't keep it a secret anymore"
"What does that mean?" Miles asked confused, staring between Kai and I.
"After four months of living with her, it was bound to happen," Kai replied, his eyes fixed on me.
Miles' confusion turned to suspicion. "What was bound to happen?"
"Her smile, her laugh, her voice. Just... her. Why do you think I'm always so eager to spend time with her?"
"What the actual fuck is going on?" Miles' eyes narrowed to slits as he stared at Kai.
"Apparently, I have to spell this out for you. I'm in lov-"
I cut him off by pushing my palm into his face. "Cut the crap, dumbass or he's going to kill you" I chuckled, shaking my head.
Kai laughed as I took my hand off his face. "You can't lie, I got him pretty good. You should've seen the look on his face."
"This is a joke?" Miles asked.
"It is," I reassured him. "He thought it'd be a good idea to mess with you"
"And you went along with it?"
I shrugged in response. "I was bored" My attention went back to the wad of cash in my hands. "How much is this?"
"4 thousand" Kai responded.
"A thousand more than yesterday" I hummed in response, a smile tugging at my lips. "They really thought he'd beat me huh"
Miles laughed. "He was undefeated before he fought against you"
"And your entrance into the ring didn't help things either" Kai added with a smile.
"Very unique entrance, pumpkin," Miles cackled.
"Hey," I slapped the back of both their heads as I frowned. "That was intentional"
"I'm supposed to believe that you getting caught in the ropes of the ring was intentional?"
"Yeah. It was part of my tactic to get into his head" I responded to Miles' question.
I moved away from them, gathering my stuff before putting them into the small bag I had brought along with me, placing the wad of cash in there as well before putting on the bag.
"But we didn't see it that way," Kai laughed. "And neither did the audience. If anything it just solidified the idea that you were a helpless woman into their minds. Of course they'd bet against you"
"Sexist French idiots" I chuckled. "I benefit from it though so I'm not complaining"
"You guys head home, I feel like opening the bar early today" Kai said.
"I still don't see the point of keeping that bar of yours open," Miles said. "I mean it's not like you need it for the money"
Kai laughed. "Just because I run a fighting ring where I make thousands of dollars daily, does not mean I can't have any hobbies"
Miles gave him a look - surprise, confusion and disbelief laced in one. "Can you hear yourself?"
I pulled out my phone and groaned when I noticed the time. "As much as I love hearing you two argue," I received glares from the both of them but kept talking. "It's almost 10am"
"Okay?" Kai looked at me, expecting me to continue.
"We were supposed to go for a grocery run today and I have to drop by the hospital to check on a few patients before her shift at the club tonight," Miles explained.
"Why did you quit working at the club?" I asked him, recalling that he wouldn't be joining me on stage tonight. Or any other night for that matter.
"Taking care of you isn't easy or cheap. I needed a more practical job" He responded, his eyes soft as he stared at me.
I frowned. "You quit because of me? But you loved dancing"
"Love" He corrected me. "And I love being a doctor. It's fine, Olive, really" He assured me. "Plus, I can dance whenever I want to"
I looked away from him, fumbling with my fingers. "Yeah... but I hardly see you anymore. It's been four months since we moved to Bordeaux, you'd think I'd be used to it by now"
"Awe, does someone miss their big brother?" Kai's voice was mocking and obnoxiously loud.
"Out of all the friends you made here, you just had to pick the loud and stupid one for us to live with" I told Miles.
"Hey" Kai frowned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not loud"
"So you're stupid?" I concluded.
He looked at me like I had suddenly sprouted a second head. "When did I say that?"
I shook my head with a sigh, refusing to continue the conversation. Luckily for me, before Kai was able to open his mouth to speak again, Miles started talking.
"My life before moving to L.A and meeting you was... complicated and out of all the friends I had here, he's the one who stayed" A soft smile broke out on Miles' face as he placed a hand on my head. "I'm sorry we haven't been hanging out a lot lately and I promise I'll make up for it"
"I could help too," I mumbled. "I could go back to making games. If I go back to Princess-"
"Pumpkin, you're already helping. If I went through all the shit you did this year, I don't think I'd still be willing to live. But you are. You're fighting each and every day. That's what makes you and I so different. You're not a quitter" He snuck a look at my face and smiled. "If you're happy, I'm happy"
I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off by Kai's annoying voice. "Aw this is so sweet, I'm going to vomit" Sarcasm heavy in his voice. "I'll be going now but if you two want to stay and starve to death, be my guests"
Of all the people in the world, it just had to be this dumbass that Miles chose to be his childhood best friend.
Miles let out a string of courses as Kai walked through the ring and got out on the other side, heading toward the door at the back of the basement that was always locked.
His laughter reached us as Miles and I caught up with him when he opened the backdoor of the underground basement, revealing the small hallway and the set of stairs at the very end.
It led to the first floor where the bar Kai owned was and the second floor where Kai's house - where Miles and I were currently living - was located.
Not only was Kai a dumbass, he was a workaholic who just had to live above his two jobs.
"I hate it when you act like the ring, the bar and the house aren't in the same fucking building" Miles told him.
Kai grinned, placing a hand on Miles' shoulder. "And I hate sappy shit. Guess we both have to stop doing things the other hates huh?"
I was the last to head up the stairs. After making sure all the lights were turned off because those two always forgot to do so themselves, I locked the door behind me using one of the keys from the bunch of keys Kai had tossed me before heading up.
I caught up with the two guys on the first floor and scoffed, rolling my eyes when I saw them arguing for what seemed to be the thousandth time this morning.
"I don't want pancakes for breakfast, we always have pancakes" Kai complained.
"I'm sorry" Miles placed his hand on his chest, leaning back a bit. "Can you cook? No? Fucking thought so"
Kai rolled his eyes. "I can cook, you just won't let me into the kitchen"
"And have you ruin my beautiful pots and pans? No thanks."
Kai huffed. "How are you sure I'll ruin them? You've never even tried my food"
"You think I'd take that risk?" Miles scoffed, a teasing smile on his lips. "I'm positive that someone who has never cooked in their life would be better than you. Actually, I'm sure Olive-"
As soon as I heard my name, I continued up the stairs to the second floor, not wanting to be dragged into their fight.
Sooner or later, they'd make up and Miles or Kai - or both - would come up here and complain about something again.
Using a key from the bunch I already had in my hand, I unlocked the door to the house, stepping inside.
I smiled, noticing how clean and arranged everything was. Miles had insisted that we cleaned up as soon as we got up, something about it pissing someone off if he didn't.
As soon as the words left his lips, he realized he was referring to his ex boyfriend and stopped talking, but that didn't stop him from making sure we left the house spotless.
Tossing my bag on one of the couches, just so I could piss Miles off, I headed into my room and straight into the bathroom.
After almost 6 hours at the fighting ring, fighting against sexist dumbasses that thought they could defeat me because I was a woman, I was tired, sweaty and insanely sticky.
I quickly peeled off my clothes and stepped into the shower, the water pouring down on me from the ceiling shower head as soon as I pressed a button on the wall.
If there was one advantage of Kai owning a not so legal fighting ring, it was him being able to afford amazing things like the shower I was in.
I lathered soap onto my body and winced slightly when it came in contact with some of the scratch marks all over my body.
I really need to find another way to control my anxiety. But until then, scratching it is.
About forty minutes later - twenty of me actually showering and twenty of me standing under the shower, pretending I was singing at a concert for millions of my adoring fans - I stood in front of my closet, wrapped in a fluffy towel as I picked an outfit for the day.
Simple and functional, yet stylish too.
I let my hair down, not bothering to do anything to it apart from running a brush through. I headed to the kitchen where I was met with not only Miles but Kai as well.
"You guys aren't arguing anymore?" I smirked, heading to the fridge in search of something to nibble on.
Miles shook his head, stepping in front of me before I could get to the fridge, in his hands a plate full of breakfast foods.
"You haven't had anything since 4 am. You're crazy if you think I'll let you leave without eating" He said, handing me the plate of food. "And if you must know, we came to an agreement"
I smiled, thanking Miles for the food before placing the plate next to Kai on the kitchen island, sliding into the stool next to him.
Stuffing a piece of sausage into my mouth, I turned to Miles who had joined us on the table. "And what's that?"
Miles sighed, a forkful of food entering his mouth immediately after. "He agreed to shut up and not tell me what to cook-"
"-if he agreed to let me come on you guys grocery run" Kai finished with a huge grin, clearing his now empty plate.
"What happened to opening the bar early?" I asked.
"Changed my mind" Kai shrugged, washing off his plate.
"He just wants to make my life a living hell this morning," Miles sighed.
"Not true" His best friend interjected with a smile. "I do that every day"
Before long, we were all finished with breakfast and washed the dishes. Miles and Kai headed down to the bar ahead of me while I grabbed my bag and the keys.
Making sure I hadn't forgotten anything else, I walked out the door, locking it behind me before heading down to the bar.
"Finally" Miles and Kai chorused as I walked through the back door of the bar that led directly to the staircase.
I rolled my eyes, walking through the back bar where Kai stored all the stuff he needed to bartend before walking through the front door, tossing the keys at Kai.
I smiled when I heard Miles and Kai cursing me out under their breath as they headed after me, the loud click of the doors as Kai locked them.
We walked out of the bar, right into one of Bordeaux's cold windy mornings. Good thing I decided to wear a hoodie.
"Naming your bar after your last name is really creative, Kai" Sarcasm, sarcasm and more sarcasm was the only thing I could hear in Miles' voice.
"I personally think 'Raven' is a perfect name for the bar, Miles Myles Moreno," Kai snapped back.
Without looking back at them, I could tell Miles was about biting the inside of his cheek, the gears in his head turning as he tried to think of a comeback.
And I for one, didn't want to hear them argue again. So what did I do?
I walked as fast as I could to my motorcycle without seeming too suspicious and before either of them could register anything, I hopped on it, starting it up with the keys before speeding out of there as fast as I could.
"At least where your helmet" I heard Miles yelling as I drove away, his voice fading into the background.
Not wanting to worry him, I decided to listen and grabbed my helmet that was hanging off the handle of my bike - how it hadn't fallen off was a mystery to me as well - and placed it on my head.
A content sigh left my lips as I felt the wind against my face and my hair flowing behind me. I missed this, missed feeling this way - free.
Miles had decided to send my motorcycle to Bordeaux, even though I had specifically told him not to as it reminded me of a certain guy I was trying my best to forget about completely.
After all, said guy was the person who flew it all the way to Italy so his grandmother could fix it for me.
But Miles called me a dumbass and said I was crazy if I thought he was going to let me throw away the present my dad had kept for years - which I had found in our basement when I was 16, the night my mum kicked me out - just because some dumbass - his words not mine - had fixed it for me.
And fuck was I grateful. I didn't realize how much I missed it being just me and the open road.
Unfortunately, I was snapped back into reality when I heard the familiar beeping of Kai's car next to me. Rolling my eyes, I pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket, parking and dismounting my bike as Miles and Kai parked as well.
Miles practically ran out of the car, rushing to me to check if I had gotten hurt or anything remotely close.
"I'm okay" I told him, laughing.
"You're going to kill me one of these days" Miles sighed, running a hand over his face.
"Are we going to get groceries or are we going to stand here and freeze to death?" Kai asked. "I'm fine with whatever you choose either way though"
"Remind me to look for a new best friend while we're in there" Miles sighed.
Kai frowned, slapping Miles' arm while I laughed as we all walked into the store. As soon as we stepped in, I unzipped my hoodie, feeling hot almost instantly. Miles took a look at the list he had on his phone and sighed.
"We've got a lot of shit and I have to be at the hospital by 1:30. It's 11:30 right now and it's an hour drive from the house to the hospital and a ten minute drive from here to the house, so we have about forty minutes"
Kai grumbled, grabbing his head. "So much math. My brain is hurting"
He turned to Kai and I, ignoring his childish friend. "I've split up the list and sent you guys copies. We'll meet back here in an hour"
"Bossy much?" Kai scoffed.
"Aye aye captain" I teased as I began to walk away.
Cereal, chips, bread, snacks and fruits. That's it? I was about to head back to him and yell at him for making such a big deal out of a small list when I noticed something Miles had added to it.
Snacks (you can choose whatever and as many as you want)
With a smile, I hurried through the store in under 10 minutes, making sure to pick everything else until it was just the snacks and fruits left.
I made the decision to get the snack first before the fruits so I headed to the snack aisle, pushing my trolley along with me.
After spending about five minutes picking out snacks that not only I but Miles and Kai would enjoy as well, I headed to the fruits section.
Last thing on the list with 25 minutes to spare. Good job, Olive.
I smiled, patting myself on the back mentally as I grabbed a bunch of fruits - grapes, bananas, tangerines, not oranges, strawberries - putting each of them in the little plastic bags before placing them in my trolley.
I decided to pick a few more, because well, I loved fruits, and I'm about to walk away when something hits my foot, catching my attention.
Looking down, I notice it's an apple. Confused because I wasn't anywhere close to the apple stands.
"Whose apple is this?" I asked, trying to see if anyone had accidentally dropped this or something.
"I'm so sorry. That's mine"
My entire body froze. I couldn't move.
That voice.
I heard footsteps coming towards me, most likely the person that had spoken to me, but I refused to look up.
I had heard that voice before. It had been a while since I had heard it but I recognized it.
The walking came to a halt and I could feel a pair of eyes on me. Gazing at me. With such an intensity that I felt like I'd internally combust. And melt into a puddle. Right there on the supermarket floor.
Deja vu; having experienced a current situation before but in a somewhat different manner, not exactly the same as the first time.
That was the perfect description of what was happening to me.
Fuck.
I could feel myself begin to panic.
And Miles wasn't here to calm me down.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck. Fuck.
And my inhaler was back home because I didn't think I'd need it.
Of all the times the universe chose to screw with me, it just had to be when I was finally moving on.
When I was finally getting over it. When I was finally healing. When I was-
You know what? Fuck it.
I've been through too damn much to actually give a fuck anymore. The universe wants this to happen so let it fucking happen.
Letting my eyes rise from the pair of shoes I had been solely focused on for the past two minutes, I let my gaze meet his.
And fuck was I not ready for what I saw.
The man in front of me was hot.
I mean he was always hot - which is probably not something I should be saying seeing as we were broken up - but somehow, he got hotter.
Like holy fuck he was HOT.
His beautiful black hair had grown longer. Long enough that he had it in a small, a very fucking small yet hot ass bun at the back of his head. But not so long that it irritated or disgusted me. I was sure that if he let it down, it would stop a few inches above his jaw.
His face was still as perfect as I remembered it. Those beautiful sapphire blue eyes transfixed on me, hiding away behind his long lashes every time he blinked as he stared at me.
His ears now housed not one but TWO piercings on each one, both on his ear lobes. What baffled me however was the earrings he was wearing - the silver star stud earrings that I had bought him.
He still had them?
Behind the star earrings, on his second piercing were simple gold studs which matched perfectly with the gold chain that was lying on his neck.
That neck, where the tip of a tattoo could be seen. I was positive it was a new tattoo because I had never seen it before.
A tattoo covered the back of his left hand but I couldn't make out what it was due to the distance between us, my eyes just focusing on the light reflecting off the rings adorned on each of his fingers.
My gaze moved to his body. He was wearing a white shirt that clung tightly to his muscular body, leaving nothing to mind, a gray unzipped hoodie and gray sweatpants.
He has the audacity to look that good without even trying? How fucking dare he?
Wait- Gray sweatpants.
Don't look. Don't look. Don't look. Don't you dare look. Don't-
"Princ- Olive, hi" His voice broke me out of the internal struggle I was having, my eyes immediately finding his.
A stupid mistake really.
Maybe if I hadn't looked in those captivatingly blue eyes, my resolve wouldn't have faltered.
Maybe then, I would've remembered everything that happened on that Valentine's day.
Maybe, and just maybe, I wouldn't have forgotten that I was mad at him for a split second.
"Hi" The word left my lips as a whisper before I could stop it.
He looked taken back. Surprised. Like he couldn't believe that I actually responded. Then the best worst thing that could possibly happen that day happened.
A huge smile emerged on his face. The kind that made even the corner of his eyes tip up. The kinds that you'd see in the movies when the male lead realized that he was in love.
When he smiled- no, when he smiled at me, I could swear his eyes lit up. And that sight alone, fucked with my head.
"Hi" He repeated.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but stopped when I noticed a little head peeking out from behind one of the fruit stands next to us.
Xavier followed my gaze to the brunette girl hiding from us and his eyes softened. "Did you get the apple back yet?" Her voice was so small I could barely hear it.
"Not yet but-" Without letting him finish, I placed the apple in his hands, doing everything in my power to make sure our fingers didn't come in contact with the others.
But of course the universe had other plans.
I held my breath as the pads of our fingers touched, waiting for him to pull away or retract his hands. But it never came.
Looking up, I saw him already looking at me with one of the softest looks I had ever seen on anyone - ever.
He realized that I had caught him staring and cleared his throat, a soft pink hue painting his cheeks as he turned to the girl, showing her the apple.
"It fell on the floor so we're going to have to get another one, alright sweetie?" He told her, his voice impossibly soft.
She wasn't one of his little sisters, or any of Xamira's kids which left me with only one option of who she might be.
The thought in my head was confirmed when she responded. "Okay, papa"
"Papa." I repeated, grabbing Xavier and the girl's attention.
He looked confused at first before realization set in. I saw his mouth moving, most likely saying something but I couldn't hear him. He was tuned out.
The word 'Papa' rang in my ears, sinking straight to my chest, leaving an aching feeling there. Why? I wasn't sure.
I heard my name being called as I tried to register all the feelings I was... feeling. Turning around, Xavier and the little girl doing so as well, I saw Kai running up to me, his face contorting in worry when he noticed the look on my face.
"You okay?" He asked.
I hadn't even realized I was hyperventilating until I felt his hand rubbing up and down my back, a movement that Xavier noticed no doubt.
"I need to get out of here" I forced out, not daring to look back at Xavier.
"Olive, let's talk. Please. Hear me out. Just let me explain" Xavier pleaded, his daughter holding onto the leg of his pants.
"Please Kai. I need to go" I begged him, fisting his shirt in my palms.
Kai nodded, noticing the desperate look on my face and with one final look at Xavier, he led me to the cashiers where Miles was, dropped all our stuff with a very confused Miles, before leading me to the car.
Somewhere in the back of my head, I couldn't help but feel that this wouldn't be the last time I'd be seeing Xavier.
....::::**•°✾°•**::::...
Well????
C.O.D.: Real nice bony/fleshy ankles you got there ;)