"Sure thing princess, princess, princess..."
I jolted right up in my bed, startled from the nightmare that had consumed my mind. I watched my chest rise and fall as I took deep, sharp breaths. My brain wanted to sleep, telling me to close my eyes. But every time I did, all I saw was him. All I saw was the memories, the pain, the tears. The monster.
"Princess."
My brain wanted to sleep, but my body was awake. Awake and angry.
I made my way down the hallway of Irene's house. Irene was my mother's former foster carer, and she had reluctantly decided to let me stay with her for a little while, but I was hoping to turn it into a more permanent visit.
"What are you doing girlie?"
"Irene!" Her voice startled me, and the tone of her voice hinted that she was not in the mood to spare me her pity.
"Go back to bed."
"What are you doing up?"
I was curious to know why she was up so early in the morning, although it wasn't any of my business. She confirmed that for me by telling me to go to bed a second time.
I knew that there was no point in arguing with her, so I slumped my shoulders and staggered slowly back to my room.
I was eager to get out of the house. I needed to find him. Which was strange because, I didn't even know where he was.
***
"Olivia! You have a visitor!"
"Uh, give me one second Reeny!" I yelled back to Irene as I tried to adjust to my surroundings after my interrupted sleep that I had just endured.
Who could be wanting to see me at this time in the morning?
I wasn't too eager to find out that answer, so with hesitation I quickly chucked on some clothes and made my way down the stairs.
"Hunter!"
"Surprised to see me?"
"What are you doing at my house? How do you know where I live?"
"It's called Instagram," he said with a small chuckle, as if I had never used a social media platform in my life.
"I don't have Instagram," I said smugly as a small grin crept across my face.
"Okay, maybe that didn't lead me here. But how come I found an account with a girl who looks exactly like you?"
"What!"
"Yeah, something Fraser-Richards... I'll get her account up now if I can find it.." he began to say as he started scrolling through his phone.
"Don't!"
"It's okay Olivia, I only have eyes for you."
Oh gosh. He was making me blush already, and it wasn't even 10am.
"So why are you here anyway?"
"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday," he said hesitantly, as if he expected I would bite his head off about why I brought our previous conversation to an abrupt halt.
"Yeah, what about it?"
I didn't want to talk about it, but I didn't want to push him away either.
"I called you 'princess', does that mean anything to you?"
I could lie to him. I could. But I wouldn't.
"Yeah, it's just a dumb nickname my ex boyfriend used to give me."
"He must've done something pretty big for you to get so worked up."
It's not what he did. It's what I did.
"Uh yeah. Do you think we could get out of here? I don't exactly like having a conversation with a cute guy if it involves my ex."
"So I'm cute now?"
"Don't push it."
***
We made our way to Yabbie Creek to stop for breakfast and catch a movie. Yabbie Creek wasn't as beautiful as Summer Bay. For one, it didn't have a spectacular beach that was practically right at your doorstep. But nevertheless, I was glad that I was there with Hunter.
Hunter was a really great guy. He was funny and sweet, and we shared a lot of common interests. I wasn't ready to dive into anything just yet, but if the time was right, Hunter seemed like the perfect guy.
"What are you so deep in though about?" he asked me as soon as we left the movie, while waving his hand in front of my face. "Thinking about me where you?"
"Because you need the ego boost, I'll say yes," I replied, before playfully punching his arm. "The nice thing about doing that," I continued, "is that you can't punch me back."
"Is that so?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Boys can't punch girls," I shrugged. "It's a rule."
"I'm not a boy!", he objected. "I'm a man!"
"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
"Come on," he said before extending his hand out to me. "I have something I want to show you."
***
We made our way back from Yabbie Creek and through the outskirts of Summer Bay. I sat in the passenger seat in silence for most of the ride, a mix of anticipation and anxiety occupying the space in my stomach.
"Everything alright there?" Hunter asked me, before proceeding to place his free hand on my knee.
I was startled by his sudden touch, but at the same time I didn't want him to take his hand away.
"Are we there yet?" I complained like an impatient 5 year old.
"Almost," he replied, reassuring me with a small smile.
We drove peacefully for a few more minutes before Hunter finally pulled into a small reserve.
"What's this?"
"Zac used to take me here when I was younger."
"Oh. This place is beautiful. It must've been hard when he left."
"Yeah, my mother and him weren't really together for long after I was born, but I miss the times I had with him."
"What about now? Are you close to him?"
"You could say that. It's been a rough few months, but we'll make it out alive."
"If it makes you feel any better, my mother died when I was 5, and my dad died a little while after I was born."
"I'm so sorry." His usually cheerful smile and lively eyes had turned into a look of sorrow and compassion.
"It's not your fault," I tried to reassure him. "I just wanted you to know that I know how it feels like for you to want to make up for lost time with your dad."
"Does this place get any better?" I asked him after I had absorbed my surroundings.
"There's a really cool rock pool right down there," he replied as he gestured to where it was situated.
"What are you waiting for? Come on!"
***
"Wow," Hunter said between pants. "You sure know how to run!"
"You're just sad that you got beaten by a girl!"
"Stop rubbing it in! I'll chuck you straight into that rock pool!"
I knew he wouldn't.
"Try me," I said smugly.
"Okay then," he said happily before proceeding to pick me up.
"I was kidding! Stop!"
"I would never do anything to hurt you," he told me, before advancing to putting me down.
"I've had a really nice time with you today Olivia."
"Same. I mean, at first I wasn't too sure about you, but you've turned out alright.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"At first you seemed like a really cocky guy who was so full of himself, hence the constant ego boosts throughout the day," I replied with a small smile.
"Oh yeah? Well I guess you've turned out alright too."
"Please," I scoffed. "I've been incredible from the start."
"Yeah. You have been."
I took the silence between us as a hint to kiss him, although in most cases the girl would wait for the guy to go for it first. I wasn't one of those girls.
I wrapped my hands around his neck, closed my eyes and leant towards him.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this."
. . . . . .
Second chapter ahh! Hope you enjoyed! There were a few hints throughout this chapter about what's to come and I'm very excited for you guys to see what's in store for Liv! Thoughts on Hunter's sudden rejection?
Dream impossible dreams x
Chantelle