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“It’s one of my favourite places. Here.” She hands me a towel and a fluffy robe. “I’ll give you a moment to get changed and go and find us some hot chocolate.”
Abigail heads for a second door, but I call after her. “Wait.”
“Yeah?” She glances back.
“Thanks.”
With another small smile, she slips out of the room and leaves me alone.
* * *
“This is good,” I say, sipping the rich hot chocolate. She even found some marshmallows to melt into it.
“I keep a little stash of supplies in the kitchen.”
“Just how often do you come here?”
“Whenever I need to escape.”
“Did you watch the game?” Guilt flashes in her eyes, and my lips curve. “You did, didn’t you?”
“I… maybe, just a little.”
“Next time, you can sit with me.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re friends, aren’t we?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never really had a friend before.”
That makes my brows knit. But before I can ask her why not, she adds, “So you and Reese, huh?”
“I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“I’m not. I don’t like Reese, Olivia. It would make my life a whole lot easier if he could find someone else. Then maybe our parents would drop this stupid arranged marriage thing.”
“I’m not sure I’m the girl to help with that.”
The things Reese said. Cruel, hateful words.
“He cares about you.”
“I’m pretty sure his words and actions earlier would suggest he doesn’t.”
“Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, you know. It’s easy to get the two confused.”
“I think I’m falling in love with him,” I admit. “I don’t know how it happened, but it’s like he’s crawled under my skin and I can’t get rid of him.”
“If anyone can tame him, it’s you.”
“Everything is a mess. I shouldn’t have let things get this far.”
“So why did you?” she asks, but I find no judgement in her eyes.
“Because… for once in my life, I wanted to do something for me. Not my brother or the Heirs or my father. Just me.”
“It’s not easy, being a girl living in this man’s world.”
