Olivia
“Mom, we have a guest for dinner tonight,” Josh informed Paula as both of us walked into the kitchen.
“Oh, who is it, dear?” She was in the middle of cooking something in front of the stove while wearing a red apron. She turned around and showing her shiny blue eyes. Paula was small and had this cute appearance like a teenage girl. Even her voice…
“Oh, my. Olivia! It’s so good to have you here,” she said with a high-pitched tone. She walked to me and intended to hug me but she stopped in the middle. “Oh, geez. I have oils in my hands. I can’t get you dirty with it.”
“It’s okay, Paula. How’ve you been?”
“Well, great as always. What about you, dear? Is your smokey hot but uncaring father giving you a hard time again?” Her question shocked me. I glanced at Josh and he was looking at me. He didn’t know what’s going on between us. On how creepy he was today. “Nah, I think I know the answer already. Come on now, dear. Just wait in the living room.”
“Oh, I’ll help.”
“Uh, nope. You can’t. You’re the guest today and I won’t let you enter the kitchen. Just spend time with my boy. I’ll call you two when the dinner’s ready.” She went back cooking as Josh escorted me to the living room. I sat on the sofa while Josh went to grab some water. He gave me the glass as I immediately drank it.
“So, you want to tell me what’s going on?” he asked while sitting down. I looked at him before glancing away.
I couldn’t exactly tell him everything.
On how he kissed me. Nope, I couldn’t tell him that. There must be something that happened to Blake today. He won’t touch me like that. He never did that. Why would he touch me? I was just a brat to him. I was his stepdaughter. He would suffer my mother’s wrath if he dared to touch me.
“We had, um…a little bit of argument.”
“A little? It doesn’t sound a little. Did he do something?”
“Well, he was so…angry. I never see him that angry. Usually, he would just lecture me but this time…he was like furious with me.”
“What did you do?”
“I told him about my university choice. He thought that I never bothered to tell him about that and he snapped.”
“Really? That’s rare for him.” Yep, that’s rare. Well, actually he snapped by accusing me that I chose Oxford because I was chasing someone.
“He wanted to help me by making sure that I would get the scholarship but I refuse.”
“Ah, I see.” Josh drank his water again and adjusted his sitting position. His eyes returned to me. “Maybe he wants to do something as a father. And by you refusing his offer, he felt…offended.” That’s what I thought if Blake didn’t bring the boys’ topic into the discussion.
Did I do something wrong?
Maybe I wasn’t supposed to push him too much?
“Don’t worry. I’m sure he will understand if you explain. Maybe he’s not in his right mind now.” Right, not in his right mind.
I really hoped if I got back home, Blake won’t be there. I didn’t want to see him for a few days. If he could, he should just stay at his office. It’s not like he would face a hard time by staying at the office. He always did that anyway.
“But maybe you can’t talk to him right now. Both of you are still mad with each other. How about you clean your head tonight and talk to him tomorrow? I don’t mind you’re staying overnight if you’re scared to see him. I’m sure mom would be happy.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Nope. Don’t worry. I won’t touch you without your permission,” he promised. I knew Josh. He won’t do anything to me. We were friends. I liked him, but not in a romantic way. He was my precious friend.
“Come on, you two. Dinner is ready,” Paula said while clapping her hands to us. Josh and I were looking at each other and we smiled. We stood up together and walked to the dining room.
Paula’s cooking was amazing.
Josh was really lucky to have her as his mother.
I wished I could see mine before she passed away. Because in that way…
I won’t have to deal with my pain in the ass stepfather.
***
Josh
Right after we had dinner, Olivia was helping my mother cleaning all the dishes. My mom, as usual, always refused her offer to help. I knew Olivia just wanted to help. That’s how she always did.
Ever since I came to know her, Olivia only spent eleven years with her mother. It sucked because she had to lose her so early. And now she only had a stepfather who didn’t really pay attention to her. I always wanted to talk to Mr. Morgan to at least show some affection to her. Maybe he was shy? Well, with that sturdy face of him, that could be the reason.
He was a lucky bastard because Olivia didn’t do anything bad or became delinquent to obtain his attention. Instead, Olivia learned how to be strong and be independent by herself. She didn’t let people accused Blake that he raised such a failure daughter. I knew she wanted to show people that she could stand by her own feet even without her stepfather had to watch over her.
Sometimes I pitied her, but I was amazed by her strength. Other children might be already trying drugs or something, but Olivia was different.
She didn’t let it became her weakness.
And when she told me that she had a fight with Mr. Morgan because of her university choice, I knew there was something else behind their fight. I didn’t lie when I told her that Mr. Morgan probably wanted to do something to her as a father. Maybe Olivia wasn’t used to his attention where usually he never gave one to her.
“Olivia, watching you like this I’m guessing you will be a great wife one day,” my mom teased her.
“W-What? Oh, Paula. Stop it. I’m not going to marry right now,” Olivia countered.
“I know, dear. I’m just saying that you will be a great wife. How’s my son then?” Olivia could only laugh at her joke. When my mom slightly turned at me and winked her eye on me, I knew what she meant.
She was helping me.
My mom knew how I felt to Olivia.
I lost count on how many times I wanted to confess but I never did. I told myself that it wasn’t the time yet. I didn’t want to make her confused. Especially right now.
Man, what did he do to you today?
I was so curious about what Mr. Morgan did to her. To be honest, even I was sometimes scared of him. He had this…dark aura surrounding him. Like he was giving an unheard message to stay away from him. That man was so dominating…and dangerous.
From the first time I knew him, there was something about this older man. I didn’t know what it was but I immediately knew that I shouldn’t be looking for trouble with this man.
Were fathers always like that? I had no idea.
I lost mine when I was three years old. He got into an accident and died immediately. I didn’t remember much about him. My mom always told me that he was such a loving guy and always cared about me. Whenever I asked her if she missed him, she said she missed him every single day. Sometimes I saw her crying in her room while holding my father’s picture. Watching my mother, I promised myself that I would protect her and made her proud of me.
“Well then, that’s all. So, Olivia? You’re going to spend a night tonight?” my mom asked.
“Y-Yes. If I’m not a bother to you.”
“Silly girl. Of course, you aren’t. You can wear my pajama, dear. Or you prefer wearing Josh’s clothes?” Olivia’s cheeks reddened. Gosh, this woman.
“Mom!”
“I’m just kidding. Well then, let’s—”mom unable to continue her words when someone knocked on the door. “Oh, my. Who is it at this hour?”
I looked behind on where my entrance door at. Who would be visiting us at this late? I looked back at the girls. “I’ll get it,” I said and went to the door. I stopped right in front and before I grabbed the knob, my heart was beating.
My heart said to not open the door while my head was saying otherwise.
I thought to myself that maybe the neighbor wanted to give something to my mother. She always did that to the neighbors and they would do the same. Yeah, that must be it.
I inhaled and exhaled and then slowly opened the door. What I saw in front of me was the proof that sometimes I needed to listen to my heart for once.
This was definitely the description of…fuck me.