“Hi Olivia.” Hi seems like such an inadequate greeting for everything I want to say to her now that she’s in front of me, but I don’t want to scare her away.

She seems to relax at my greeting. “Hi.”

“Want to come back to my office with me?”

She nods, tucks her crutches beneath her arms, and makes her way toward me. I turn my back and lead her back to my office, giving me the reprieve I need so she doesn’t see the revelation on my face. The revelation that Olivia Harding has always been and will always be one thing above anything else.

Mine.

Kai

“Come on, Olivia, you got ten more in you.” I gently tap her injured knee, encouraging her to continue with our straight-leg exercises.

“Ten?! You can kiss my whole ass.” It takes everything in me to hold back my laugh at the adorable scowl adorning her face right now. It’s the same one she used to give me when I’d wake her up before her alarm for no real reason.

Physical therapy with Olivia these past few days has been a special kind of torture. Being able to see her up close and touch her—but not the way I want to—has really fucked with my head.

I knew she looked great when I saw her last week but she looks better than great; she’s as gorgeous as she was when we were younger. Her lithe body still feels so smooth and enticing beneath my fingertips.

“With pleasure,” I reply. The scowl slips from her face for just a second but long enough for me to see the reluctant desire there. I’ve been crossing the line from the moment we started our work together, slipping in comments I’d never say to another client for obvious reasons but I don’t care. I’m trying to stir a reaction out of her. Push her to see if I take up as much space in her head as she does mine. With the displeasure planted firmly back on her face, I put her at ease with a chuckle. “I’m just kidding. Seriously, come on. The Olivia I knew would never let these exercises kick her ass like this.”

She folds her arms over her chest so I know my taunt landed. “Yeah well, I’m not the Olivia you knew.”

I don’t show her how much her comment guts me. I want to scream “whose fault is that?” at her but I don’t. I just get down to her level and lean forward until our faces are inches apart, the slight hitch in her breath spurring me on to whisper, “Bullshit.” Her eyes widen and I can tell she’s about to tell me off, but I push forward before she can. “I’m sure you’ve changed since I last saw you. I’m sure you’ve grown; I know I have. But at your core, you are still the same badass who took my world by storm, so yes, I do know you. And you know me. For as long as we’re on this earth and even after that, our souls will recognize each other so don’t give me some bullshit about you’re not the same, Olivia. You have always been and always will be one of the strongest women I know, and you do not back away from a challenge so lay your ass back down on this mat and get it done.”