Chapter 3

The next morning, my phone's vibration woke me up. I fumbled for it and saw it was only 6:30.

It was Emily's alarm, she had an interview today and needed to catch the early subway.

She slipped out of bed quietly, kissed me on the cheek, and whispered, "I'm heading out. You guys get some more sleep. Olivia seemed upset last night, so let her rest."

I mumbled back, half-asleep.

She leaned over to check on Olivia, and then I heard her quietly getting dressed, grabbing her bag, and slipping out the door.

The room was dead silent.

Now, it was Olivia and me.

Outside, the rain kept falling, it had been pouring all night and still hadn't stopped.

I stayed still, but sleep had completely left me.

My thoughts were all over the place, sometimes I kept hearing Olivia's muffled sobs from last night, sometimes I kept thinking about her saying, 'Why me?'

Just then, Olivia shifted beside me.

She rolled over, turning from facing the wall to lying flat on her back. There was the spot where Emily had slept between us, but we were still pretty close.

I could see her eyes were still shut, her long lashes damp, maybe from tears that hadn't dried yet. Her breathing was uneven, her chest rising and falling a little shakily.

Then, she opened her eyes, and her gaze locked right onto mine.

I jumped a little, I hadn't expected her to be awake, let alone staring straight at me. For a second, I froze, totally forgetting to look away.

She didn't look away either. Her eyes were red and a bit swollen, but her calm stare was almost unnerving.

She kept looking at me for several seconds, and then her lips curled slightly, like she wanted to smile but couldn't quite pull it off.

"Morning," Olivia said, her voice hoarse.

"Morning," I replied, my throat feeling parched. "Emily left for her interview."

"Yeah, I heard her," Olivia said.

Silence hung between us, the rain outside sounded even heavier.

The damp, earthy smell in the air mixed with the faint coconut scent from her hair, and the combination was almost overwhelming, filling my nose.

The atmosphere was so tense it was almost unsettling.

I wanted to say something to break the tension—maybe ask if she hadn't slept well last night, or why she was crying.

But I swallowed the words before they left my mouth. I couldn't bring myself to ask.

"Ben," Olivia suddenly spoke up, still staring at the ceiling.

"Huh?" I answered.

"Do you ever think people are messed up?" Olivia said, her voice flat. "Like, we know there are things we shouldn't mess with, people we shouldn't even think about, but we can't stop ourselves."

My chest tightened. 'What was she getting at?'

Before I could respond, she rolled over to face me. We were so close I could see my own surprise mirrored in her eyes.

"Emily can't stop singing your praises," Olivia said softly, her tone unreadable. "She says you're steady, reliable, good to her—the best person she's ever met."

I muttered, not really knowing what else to say, "She's... really great too."

"Yeah, she really is," Olivia echoed, her gaze drifting. "So there are some things she never needs to know, right?"

A cold sweat broke out on my back. 'What was she trying to say?'

She reached out, not toward me, but gently traced her fingers over the spot where Emily had been sleeping, the empty space still holding a bit of warmth and the shape she left behind.

"Like this spot," Olivia murmured, almost to herself. "Once it's empty, it's empty. Even if you put something else there for a while, it's not the same as it was."

Rationally, I knew I should get up, leave the room, and put some space between us. But I felt rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Her gaze, her words, and the scent of coconut and rain seemed to trap me, wrapping around me like a web I couldn't break free from.

"Olivia," I tried to keep my voice steady, "did something happen? If you need any help..."

"Help?" Olivia interrupted, suddenly letting out a real laugh, but her eyes were completely empty. "You can't help. No one can."