Recover: Book 2 of the Magic Mutations Series | ?

51: Hate, Hurt, and Heal

But then she breathed, "I'm sorry."

Heart racing in my chest, I tried to ignore her. But the bond, as per usual, took the reins, dragging my gaze ever so slowly up from the words on the paper, over her body, and into her magnetic, emerald eyes.

"What for?" I whispered, though I was scared to hear it.

"You're disappointed in me for forgiving him."

She saw that, hey?

"I'm sorry I let you down."

Why can you sometimes read my worries and other times not, Ollie? Or is only when Ben's around that we all disappear for you?

But with her eyes swirling in sorrow and watching her nervously pluck at the skin on her lips, I shook my head and the rage with it, unable to stop myself from already forgiving her. "No, Ollie. I'm not disappointed in you," I sighed.

"Then why have you not been talking to me all day?" she pleaded, brows still turned down.

A pang of guilt ricocheted through me to know that some of my actions had caused her pain today. So before she could wallow further in the worry, I forced a grin onto my face before I lied, "Just not feeling good today. Not to worry."

Don't let your heart break at my behest, Ollie... Just think about yourself from now on. I'm not important anymore. Though I knew she wouldn't hear my pleads.

She blinked at me for a few moments, as if trying to decipher whether she believed me. And either she decided she did or she let me drop the topic, instead asking, "How come you're not in bed?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I countered.

But she frowned, that look of 'seriously, Lukas' taking hold of her face.

When I realised she wasn't going to reply unless I gave her something, I said, "I've got a lot on my mind these days."

"Such as?" she pressed.

Smirking, I simply said, "The fate of the world." And whether it's all worth saving if I can't have you... Or if I should just run away from all my responsibilities and everyone I know and never come back.

But Ollie just rolled her eyes at me. "Don't tell me you're stewing in your own thoughts about your uncle?"

It's not quite that... I shrugged. "It's my problem."

"No," she insisted, gaze stern. "It's ours. We're your friends."

"You can't bottle up every single thing that hurts you, Lukas," my Ollie's words echoed in my mind, causing my eyes to sting as the waves of mourning took hold of my body once more.

If only I could wipe my own memories of you, I whispered back to her words of wisdom.

And as I realised she was still waiting for me to say something back to her, I said all I could. "That's kind of you, Ollie."

Pressing her lips together, she seemed to realise she wasn't going to get more than that from me. At least, not without probing. "So what's your plan?" she asked.

This woman and her plans. I sighed. "Not really sure."

"Could my blood help?"

"Would be the easiest..." I trailed off, fantasising about watching my uncle's body shrivel up upon taking a bite of food laced with her blood. "Just slip it in his food somehow," I voiced my imagination.

She nodded. "Then let's try that."

Oh Ollie... it's not that easy. 

Yet as she continued to stare at me with such warmth and my bond tugged on me to move closer to her, to take her in my arms, I knew I had to do something to diffuse the shift in my feelings growing as her kindness permeated through the room.