Collide (Collide #1)(122)

"Hey, Marcus," Olivia replied with a smile, walking over to him. "Did that sneaky bastard send you?"

"Yes, Miss Martin. Mr. Blake told me to arrive at six o'clock sharp for you and Miss Cooper. Again, I apologize for being late."

"Hell, I love surprises. I figured we were hailing a taxi over to the party," Olivia laughed and then turned to Emily. "Apparently, Mr. Blake sees fit to shower things he desperately wants in only the best...because he's never sent one before."

Emily shook her head and slipped into the limousine.

After getting themselves comfortable, Olivia popped the top off of a bottle of champagne, pouring them both a glass. "Has Dinkerbell called you again today?"

"Dinkerbell?"

"Yeah, like Tinkerbell. Did he call you again?"

"That's a new one," Emily sighed. "What do you think?"

"Well, I figured he might've gotten the point already since you haven't taken his calls," she shrugged. "And no flowers came to the apartment today, so I assumed he'd finally given up."

Emily knew it wasn't in Dillon to just give up that easily. "Right, maybe not to the apartment, but he sent them to Bella Lucina today while I was working."

"Shut up," Olivia let out, her eyes wide. "How many this time?"

Emily considered her over the rim of her glass. "Let's just say there was enough for Antonio to decorate each table and the entire bar area, and he had an extra dozen leftover to bring home to his girlfriend."

Draining the last of her drink, Olivia leaned back in her seat, her expression soft. "Well, I'm proud of you for not giving in to him. But, in all honesty, I hope you stick to your guns when he finally gets back from Florida. When I spoke to Trevor earlier, he said all the idiot's been talking about while they've been down there is how he's determined to get you back."

Emily looked out the window, her eyes taking in the glittering lights of the city. As she watched them go by, she thought about how much she felt like a victim of a violent crash - so battered and bruised. Although she had no broken bones and no pierced skin, her heart bled internally from the wounds inflicted by Dillon. The words he said to her kept running through her head, stinging just as much now as when he first had said them.

She couldn't deny she did indeed feel guilty for causing the whole situation. She also knew that she could've prevented what'd happened. Regardless, she wouldn't cave to him. She couldn't. She made sure to send every call he made straight to voicemail. He even went as far as calling the elementary school she worked at. She ignored those messages as well. However, her biggest surprise was when his mother showed up at her apartment unexpected, unannounced, and quite pissed. Emily cut the visit short by slamming the door in her face upon her arrival.

"It's apparent I have to speak with him when he gets back," Emily sighed. "I can't just end it with him without closure."

"Why not? He doesn't deserve any kind of closure from you, Em."

"I'm not talking about his closure, Olivia. I need closure of my own." Emily tossed back the rest of her champagne and promptly refilled her glass. "No matter how you slice and dice it, he did a lot for me and my family. I know he was wrong for what he did, but he was drunk, and that's something I need to take into consideration."

Olivia glared at her from across the limousine. "You're falling right back into his trap again."

"How am I falling into his trap, Olivia? He's not even here."