Subtle hints

As the four of them were each in their own ways thinking about what they should do about the whole Olivia and Jake situation, Olivia was embarking on a bragging session to that very same person. She had experienced last night as her victory over Laila and could already see herself in a white gown, walking down the isle to become the next Mrs. Stephens. She had been waiting for a moment like this, for a kink in Noah's armour, for an opening where she could plant a seed of hers. Yesterday that moment had finally arrived for her. So, when Jake called to settle on some details of his visit to their town, she couldn't help but let a few 'subtle' hints fall in order to start that topic of conversation.

"Hey Olivia, I called to ask if me coming in on Wednesday is alright with you? Harold will be coming with me and we will be discussing the next step of our plans. We have reserved a room at the Starshine Hotel. That way no uninvolved people can spot us or potentially listen in on our conversations." Olivia stared at her nails as she listed to Jake's words before answering, "Oh right, we did agree to meet up this week, didn't we? I had completely forgot about it because I had such a busy few days. My mind was filled with other things." This was her first breadcrumb in order to have Jake ask her about her days and allow her to tell him of her accomplishments. But Jake did not bite. "Oh okay. Well you can think about it now. Me and Harrold will be in town for three days. So, Thursday or Friday is fine as well."

Olivia was upset. This had been her first breakthrough and she needed to tell the world about it. So, Jake not giving her an opportunity right away, was enough to make her feel frustrated. But she didn't stop there and tried again. "Well, I'll have to see if I am free any of those days. I happen to be quite a busy person. Especially this past week. I can't remember when I had a moment to myself and didn't have anyone to entertain."

But Jake missed the mark again and said, "Yeah, the life of a socialite can be quite a tough one. I'll try to get Harrold to keep our meeting short. That way, if you block the entire day for our visit, you'll have plenty of time for yourself."

Feeling fully frustrated that Jake was missing all her hints, that at this point were far from easily missed, Olivia said in an irritated tone. "Geez, how dense can you be!? I am trying to tell you about my week and what I managed to accomplish but you are as clueless as a cucumber."

Jake was quite surprised by Olivia's reaction. Especially since he considered her a means to an end, while she was apparently expecting him to behave like a friend towards her. He disregarded that thought and told himself that even as colleagues he could ask about her day. Whether he cared or not. If not for the sake of his potential revenge and break, that relied in many ways of her, then for the sake of them being old classmates.

Jake let out a sigh as he pinched down on the bridge of his nose, before he did as Olivia requested and said, "Very well. Tell me, what did you accomplish?"

But Olivia couldn't even accept a victory gracefully and replied in a snarky tone, "Now, was that too much to ask?? Well I'll have you know, that while you were drying your tears over your loss of Laila, I actually managed to pull Noah in my direction. I guess the old saying of a person being able to conquer a man's heart through his stomach, was true. Because after he ate what he thought was my home cooking, he seemed to warm up to me in a way I have never seen him do before. He even left with me upstairs, alone, while Laila was right there to witness us leaving."

Jake was surprised again because of Olivia's words but this time his surprise was mixed with a sense of worry. He asked her, "Are you telling me that you had both of them over at your house, at the same time?" But Olivia did not notice the hint of worry in Jake's tone and cheerfully told him, "Yeah I did. I was a bit hesitant at first. Because I don't want Laila anywhere near my house. But the promise of Noah convinced me in the end and boy am I glad I did. Because of that decision and because of the things you told me about your little run in with Laila a few weeks ago, I was able to throw some discord between them and take advantage of those mixed emotions."

Jake felt his worries and frustrations grow with each word that left Olivia's mouth. With the last shred of what had remained of his hope, Jake said, "Please tell me you didn't tell them that you heard it from me."