C1 Yearning

Oliver Hendrix, that name had been my true love, my savior, my only one which had been constant in my life, asides from my dad. I had known him since I realized that alphabets were not my thing and I refused to memorize any of it.

However, just by the promise of him buying me a whole bucket of chocolate ice-cream, I forced myself to cram my little head with the so-called running monsters.

My mother passed away after giving birth to me. Being the only daughter and the fact that my father was considerably wealthy, one would think my life was good, perfect even if they added the fact that I was engaged to the one and only love of my life, no other than Oliver Hendrix, at the age of 17. To save myself, nearly 18.

Even I would agree that I was the luckiest girl on earth if only my heart didn't deny that statement every now and then.

I was diagnosed with heart disease when I was 10. My weakened heart would drive me to hospital so often that hospital became my second home and my regular young doctor became my non-blood related brother.

For instance, just like now.

The feeling of getting used to everything, used to the white ceiling staring down at me once I opened my eyes; iodoform, the hospital smell, white sheets, white walls, tubes attached to my hand, as if they were a part of me. All of those things were familiar to me.

So, in conclusion, I had passed out again. Great. I sighed dramatically.

"You are awake," a deep, husky voice spoke beside the bed and I turned to look at the owner.

Seeing him made me feel relieved and happy.

"Oli.." my voice came out croaked, pathetically.

He sighed, his expression discontented and sour, his handsome features somehow exhausted, With me. "You fainted at school."

I nodded, "I know."

Silence stretched.

"Your dad will come in a few minutes. Now that you are awake, I am going home." After saying that, he got up from the sofa, preparing to leave.

"Wait! Oli, stay with me," I spoke softly not wanting to be alone. "Please?"

He looked at me before chuckling dryly, "Do you think I have so much time for you? Half of my day has been already spent taking you to the hospital. Still, you want me to sit here all day? For you?" For you?

His beautiful teal eyes filled with contempt met with my brown ones. Unable to endure his hateful stare, I looked away, down the sheets which I was currently picking with the tips of my fingers. In this world, the thing I hated the most was his hateful stare towards me. For me.

He chuckled bitterly, muttering, "That's what I thought." Then, he left the room.

The person who I was engaged to didn't love me back. It had always been a one-sided love. He hated me. Oliver Hendrix hated me. He hadn't directly thrown those words at me. However, his eyes said it all.

Our parents had been childhood friends, the kind of relationship that had each other's back in all kinds of situations. Business partners, typical relationship between companies.

So, the strategy that came out as a means to hold together the partnership appeared to be a plan to marry their offsprings if added to the fact that I had a crush on Oliver since we were kids.

For me, it was truly a dream that came true.

For Oliver, it was a nightmare that became real.

It was Wednesday and I was back to school. I didn't care about what others say, but school had been always my favorite place. Friends and the fact that I could stare at him in the class from afar all day long however I wanted. Just like now. His side profile that emphasized his jawline which could even cut my fingers if he clenched his jaw - which he often did whenever he was with me, his prominent cheek bones, his long eyelashes that cast shadows above his cheek whenever he looked down, and his prominent nose...I sighed dreamily. Finally, his full lips that had reddish pink color, and his hands that contracted with muscle and highlighted with evident veins whenever he wrote down something on his book. Of course, it was not only me who noticed the greek god like features of my fiancé, judging from the contented sighs around me. The hell are they content about?

Turning back, I went back to my staring session, when those teal eyes met with my brown ones. Holy shit...

"Ms. Johnson, can you hear me?" A voice shouted from the front of the class and I abruptly stood up while facing the class, causing the chair to fly away from me, startling a bird on the windowsill. Sorry, little bird.

"Yes, sir! Aria is present," my voice came out as a squeak, causing the class to burst out laughing.

Our teacher, Mr. Donald sighed and looked at me through his glasses.

"I asked you if you could solve this one," he said while pointing at the board. Staring at the whiteboard, I noticed the running little sticks or were they ball-like creatures? Ugh, math...not my shit at all.

"Um..."

"That was not a question," he demanded.

Oh okay.

Picking up the marker, I touched a dot on the white space. Is this circle sum? Or is it pythaglutton's theory? It looks like organic too. Oh god, I'm about to embarrass myself.

"Aria, you've been staring at it for five whole minutes," Mr. Donald sighed while the class echoed with suppressed laughters. I could feel my cheeks turning red at that.

I looked over at Oliver who didn't even pay attention to me as he looked down at his phone.

Suddenly, a hand raised and a smooth, deep voice shouted from the back of the class, "Sir, let me help her solve it."