Olivia Sparks

"Sorry about that," Emily sniffled. To her surprise, the man offered her a handkerchief as he was on autopilot, handing hankies for every person that he sees crying.

"You can keep it. That's clean," the man said, pushing the eyeglasses up in his nose bridge. 

Dipping his hand inside his pocket, he slightly bowed and turned on his heel where someone down the bathroom hallways was waving his hand in their direction. "Chief! Room's ready."

"Thanks. This is awkward." Emily dangled the hanky up, patting her tear-stained face. She watched the man called Chief walk away, waiting until he turned a corner before entering the ladies' loo.

"You did great. You did great," she consoled herself as she regarded her reflection in the mirror. She practiced different kinds of smiles, trying her best to look normal even though everyone in the group would notice her discomfort.

But this dinner was not about her. It was about her Livi darling and Maxen. The thought alone made her lips curl up into a natural and beautiful smile.

Who would have thought that all along, the hoodie that Ollie lost was in Olivia's possession?

She took one sharp breath in, pushing up her bra for support. "You did great, Emily. Keep moving forward."

When Emily got out of the ladies' loo, she bumped into Maxen and Olivia who just arrived. The traces of her heartbreak vanished, replaced by her signature sunny and charming smile.

"Livi darliiiiing!" she squealed, stretching her arms out for a hug. To her surprise, Olivia's skin felt warm. "Do you have a fever?" She frowned and planted the back of her hand on Olivia's forehead. 

"Just a little under the weather because of my period."

"Oooh. I remember your little medical scare almost a year ago." Emily stroked Olivia's arm, hugging her Livi darling one more time before dragging their feet to their private room.

Inside, Wyatt, Ollie, and Ava were already seated, with the two men busily talking while Ava was reading something on her phone, stifling a giggle as her eyes moved from left to right. "Let's go. I think Ollie and Ava have arrived too."

A hostess ushered them, walking until the far-end of the restaurant's left-wing. She held the door open for them, smiling as they walk past her.

This was Olivia's first time in the said place and her eyes couldn't help but look around, nodding as she appreciated the aesthetics of the place.

Inside their private booth, it was as if one was transported back in time with the rustic interior of wood beams and vintage walnut and caned dining tables and chairs. The mood was furthered set with the warm glow of the chandelier akin to a room lit with candles. 

"We're heeeere!" Emily tweeted. She went over to Ava's seat and exchanged hugs and kisses. She stole a quick look at Wyatt and their eyes met briefly. Her heart ached to see his eyes red from their short episode of crying.

The rest inside the room had a hunch the two had a conversation earlier, what with their matching red eyes, but they kept mum, and just let the former lovers pretend that everything was going smoothly for the night.

"What about me?" Oliver teased, breaking the awkward tension in the room. He puckered his lips, which earned a flick on the lips by none other than his wife, Ava.

"Whatever, asshole." Emily rolled her eyes. "By the way, congratulations on your new house! I'm so happy for you. Finally! Oliver grew some balls. Yey… not."

"Yah yah yah..." Oliver scratched his ear, irritated with Emily's cacophony. He hadn't seen her since she left for her soul searching but after hearing her voice, he wanted to send her out again for another trip—around the globe as much as possible.

Looking across the table, Ava noticed Olivia's pale face. "Livi, are you okay? Must be the time of the month again, huh?"

"Yeah," Olivia weakly replied. She hated it whenever her period comes for that's when she felt her weakest. It was as if she was hit by a truck every month.

When everyone was seated, Wyatt pushed the button for the host, and soon, a man who looked like a B-list actor stepped in, jotting down their orders.

When their food came, out of habit, Wyatt reached out for Emily's plate, slicing her steak for her. It was too late for her to complain, so she just let him take her plate.

Wyatt was in the middle of slicing when he realized what transpired. He craned his neck to release the tension that stiffened it, ignoring Maxen's and Oliver's scathing gaze. He knew he made a promise not to go near nor talk with Emily but he couldn't help it.

To lighten the mood in the room, Emily clapped her hands, stealing everyone's attention. "So… we're gathered here today in celebration of Ollie's lost hoodie."

"What's so special about that hoodie? Well… It is special to me, but I don't know why everyone's so happy about finding it."

"Because that hoodie belongs to your husband, which means, you and Maxen are a match made in heaven."

"Pfft. Stop calling Maxen her husband. It's getting annoying. What if people will hear you and think Olivia's head over heels for Maxen that she's spreading rumors of them being married? And why do you ladies like romanticizing coincidences? Something like that was bound to happen because we all belong in the same circle," Oliver exasperated.

"Ava, please do us all a favor and tape your husband's filthy mouth," Emily seethed. She couldn't believe someone as nice as her Livi darling was related to Oliver who had a bazooka mouth.

Across from Emily, Oliver raised both of his hands in surrender. He could feel his wife glaring in his direction. If there's one person he hated receiving a lecture from, it would be his wife, so he made a zipping motion on his lips and continued to slice on his steak.

"That's a special hoodie that Ollie lost. It was the one we received from graduating in the military," Wyatt explained, biting a slice of his food thereafter.

"But the interesting part of the story is…" Emily trailed and wiggled her brows in Olivia's direction. She felt a kaleidoscope of butterflies tickle her, the memory of that night resurfacing. "When Ollie broke the news that he gave the hoodie to a girl, they had a huge fight because Ollie didn't want to go back and retrieve the hoodie. It was our first time seeing Ollie put his foot down."

"Hell yes, I would! Maxen just threatened me that he—" 

"Don't say it, Brother!" Maxen interrupted, his scowl was so sharp and deadly, it could slice Oliver in half like a samurai sword.

Oliver dropped the silverware on the plate, making a clanging noise. "He said he would f.u.c.k the girl until she screams his name. Who wouldn't punch the guy who had sinister thoughts towards his younger sister?"

"Max! Why would you say something like that?" Olivia shifted in her seat, kicking Maxen on the shin. 

"I said that out of anger, okay?" Maxen clarified. "If you told me it was with your sister, the problem would not have escalated." Maxen tipped his wine glass towards Ollie, infuriating the latter.

"If I told you I have a sister, you would have barged into our apartment and started dating her right away just like what you did behind my back when you met her."

Maxen seethed. This brother of his just wouldn't let the matter go, so he retorted, "Ollie took that hoodie because he was jealous. He wanted one for himself but he didn't pass the academy's entrance exams."

"I did! I just failed the physical examination part," Oliver contended. He paused, remembering the day the military doctor broke the news to him that he had post-traumatic stress disorder, disqualifying him from joining his brothers in the academy.

Olivia glanced at her brother. Being the curious angel that she was, she read his medical history after seeing a bottle of medicine in his bag years ago, and she knew why he had to choose a different path than his peers. "Honestly, I can't remember how the hoodie came into my possession. I just knew it was from Ollie when I saw it in my wardrobe."

Olivia frowned, her lips quivered when a snippet of her nightmare flashed before her eyes. She remembered Ollie promising her that he would stay with her, but never came back. "So that dream was real, huh?" A tear fell from her eyes. She wiped it with her b.a.r.e hand.

"What dream?" A huge question mark floated above Oliver's head.

"I told you I was scared and you promised that you will stay, but you never stayed. You never came back."

Sipping his wine, Wyatt patted the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "Ollie checked in on you every night that week," Wyatt trailed off. "He never stayed in the hotel with us. He said he's more comfortable staying in Uncle's apartment in West Brompton, so we dropped him off in that place every night, then he'll be back in the hotel first thing in the morning."

Olivia sniffled. She regarded Ollie and her eyes pooled in another wave of tears. She didn't know how to react over Wyatt's story, but one thing was for sure, Wyatt's story painted a smile on her lips, drying up her tears really quickly. Just like her, Oliver was an enigma.

"Whaaaat?" Oliver exasperated. "It's not a big deal." He went back to slicing his steak, ignoring the cheeky smiles of the rest of the group.