2

Nolan. My chest is starting to tense up as I focus on my phone and watch it ring at the same time.

"Olivia?" As she said, Lizzy's tone of voice was soft yet troubled sounding at the same time.

I'm startled out of my trance and force a smile onto my face as I look up, then quickly come back to myself. How much of my life have I thrown away by gazing into the void? I tell her that it is her brother who is phoning before I take up the phone and talk to him myself.

I welcome him with a calm tone of voice in spite of the fact that my pulse is racing very quickly. "Hello, Nolan," I say to him.

As soon as I hear his chuckle, an overwhelming sensation of need surges through my body all at once. "I can't believe you even picked up the phone, Olivia; I find it hard to believe. You are so difficult to get in contact with these days that it's virtually impossible. You have a schedule that is even busier than the one I have.

I have a smile on my face and am content as I lean back in my chair. It had been a considerable amount of time since the last time that I remembered hearing him speak my name. "What exactly is going on here?" I question about it despite the fact that I am well aware of the fact that whatever it is that he is demanding from me will always result in my experiencing some kind of suffering. My addiction to Nolan is something I simply can't seem to kick. He is a murky little secret and a despicable addiction at the same time.

"Would you be interested in coming shopping with me? Since I need to locate something appropriate for Bella to unwrap on her birthday, I've been intending to seek your aid for some time now since I need to find something to give to her.

I should say no. The absolute last thing I want to do is accompany Nolan on his shopping trip so that we may choose a present for my sister. When he talks about her, I can see the love and devotion in his eyes, and it makes me want to smack him in the face. I just can't help but want to hit him. On the other hand, if I were unable to see him at all, I'd rather see him as he became absolutely smitten with her.

"Sure," I tell him, against better judgment.

Lizzy's eyes narrow and she casts a peek in my direction as soon as she realizes the phone call is over. She explodes in anger, demanding to know, "What did he want?"

I can't help but crack a wide smile in spite of the fact that I am well aware that she will not be happy. Bella's birthday is coming up, and he is obligated to get a present for her.

Lizzy grits her teeth and averts her sight as she continues to be angry. "Don't leave," she suggests, dropping her voice a little bit more than usual. "Rave, you really need not go go there. It is up to him to figure out what kind of present he should buy her. Why does he need your cooperation in this matter?"

Despite the fact that I have my reservations, I try to give her the impression that everything is going to be well by telling her that it already is. Even after all these years, I still find that I am unable to keep anything from him.

Lizzy maintains that this is not the situation in her argument. She greeted him with the words, "I adore my brother, but I love you just as much." "I love you just as much." If you don't want to be left feeling down every time you meet Nolan, you need to stop making it so simple for him to interact with you and give him access to you.

I just can't bring myself to accept it, and I shake my head. "I'm not, Lizzy. Nolan and I are nothing more than good friends. Since the dawn of time, we have been here. You are seeing things that do not really exist in the world."