She didn’t seem to be in any kind of distress the entire time they were talking. She actually seemed like she had enjoyed being in his presence.
So what could it be? Only one person could answer his question, if only she would respond to his messages.
Miles: Good morning, my Little Bunny. Just give me a message.
Miles: Even it it’s to tell me to buzz off. I just need to know you’re okay.
Miles sighed, slipping his phone into his desk. He needed to push the thoughts of her from his mind.
The numbers in front of him weren’t going to take care of themselves. It was time he focused on the quarterly reports that were due before Emmett got onto his case about it.
CHAPTER THREE
OLIVIA
Olivia looked at the texts from Miles on her phone again. She knew she needed to reply to him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it just yet.
How did she explain to him that she didn’t run because of him, but rather something he said?Later that night, once Olivia was able to think with a clear head, she figured out what had caused her panic attack.
Miles called her darling. While for anyone else that might not have been a big deal, it was to her. Darling was the only pet name that David ever gave her.
It’s silly, she knew that. It’s just a word, but that word sent her right back to that man’s clutches and she freaked.
Miles deserved an explanation, but she couldn’t give him one. Not yet anyway. She had typed out a message to him several times before deleting them, repeatedly.
The words didn’t seem right no matter what she tried to say. Finally settling on something, she typed out a response to his last message.
Olivia: Hey Miles. I’m okay, I just wanted you to know so you can stop worrying.
The response was immediate which made her think that he was sitting by the phone just waiting for her to text him. That made her feel even worse about making the man worry for so long.
Miles: It’s okay, Little Bunny. I’m glad to know that you’re okay.
Miles: Can we talk about what happened on Saturday?
Olivia: I don’t want to talk about it. Just know I’m okay.
Olivia: I ask though that you don’t call me darling again. That’s not a name I’m okay with.
Miles: Okay, sweetheart. I can do that. Can we meet up for coffee one day this week?
Olivia knew that she shouldn’t accept the coffee date, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn him down anymore.
She was tired of running away from what could possibly be something good. It’s not like he would be her forever, but maybe he would be a good step in the right direction.
Olivia: Sure, we can grab coffee. Is Thursday okay?
Miles: Absolutely, I’d love that. I can’t wait to see you again.
They worked out the details of the date and Olivia felt like she was living her life for once, instead of running from it.
It had been nine months since she escaped, there was no reason to not have a little bit of a life. She was kind of excited for Thursday to get here.
She just hoped he didn’t think that she wasn’t worth the effort to get to know because she feared that, once he knew about her past, he would turn in the other direction. Maybe she was setting herself up for heartbreak, but she was trying not to care.
Today was a hard day.It started with Olivia waking to her usual nightmare. They were becoming more frequent and vivid.
It was becoming harder to distinguish between what was true and what wasn’t. Some mornings it felt as if she could feel his hands still wrapped around her throat.
