Olivia
The second day of the festival.
John came again as he promised. Correction, as Blake requested.
Just like yesterday, he ordered coffee again but for today I couldn’t accompany him and neither John wanted me to. He wanted to retake a look around the school but since Blake asked him to watch over his daughter, he was going to stay at his table and kept looking if someone was bothering his boss’ daughter. And he didn’t want to stroll around without me beside him or some students would seduce him.
Today was busier than yesterday as customers kept asking for my service. Every time I got a new customer wanting me, Karen was smiling widely between happy and amuse because lots of them were choosing me.
“Will you help me? Or are you going to stand there smirking at me?” I asked sarcastically.
“I am also busy, babe. And it was your request to be fully working today because your daddy is going to come tomorrow for you to have a free shift,” Karen reminded. Well, it was the truth though. But…
“I am not going to fully free, Karen. I’m still going to promote the café by circling the school to get some customers.” That’s right. I could get a day off tomorrow but Karen told me that I should try to get some customers so when I finished, customers were still visiting our café.
“And you are still going to work a little bit, honey. Since Blake won’t choose anyone else besides you.” Should I be happy with it? Part yes and no.
“Olivia?” Nina called. “There’s a customer here for you.”
“Okay, thanks, Nina.” I gave my order and headed to the next one. What I didn’t think was… “Josh?” Josh would visit me.
“Hey there,” he waved his hand to me and walked inside.
“What are you doing here? Are you okay leaving your class now?”
“Well, I didn’t get the chance to come to your class yesterday and I’m really curious to see. Everyone is speaking about your class saying it is one of the crowded classes.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I bet all of this is Karen’s idea.”
“Indeed, it is. Oh, let me take you to your seat.”
“Thank you.” I took Josh to his table and after he sat, I gave the menu book to him. “Okay, wow, nice menus. I’m going to have the Dalgona Coffee and a Spaghetti, please.”
“Perfect. Give us a sec and I will be back,” I said and grabbed the menu book from him.
“Take your time.” And I went back to the kitchen to give Josh’s order.
I waited and my eyes went to John. He was working on something with his laptop. I felt like I had a private bodyguard. It was like something from the passionflix movies. What was it called again? Oh, right. The Protector. It was a good movie and the bodyguard was incredibly hot.
Your father is much worse.
I remembered his words yesterday. He told me that even Blake could see women’s intentions on him. I was so aware that Blake was handsome and cool and no woman would not try to get his attention. Look at how gorgeous and attractive he was. A piece of jewel. The type of someone who was able to get a woman easily like a flip of a coin.
A woman.
I was wondering if Blake was seeing someone. He was my father and maybe it was time for him to get himself a wife and gave me a mother.
Blake and a woman.
What was this feeling? Why I felt…hurt? Why I couldn’t stand picturing him with someone else?
“Olivia!” someone called and I realized it was Karen. “Josh’s orders are up.”
“Oh! Sorry.” I took both the Dalgona and the spaghetti and brought it to Josh. “Here you go.”
“Thank you, Olivia. So,” he cocked his head to John. “Looks like John is here again.”
“Well, yeah. My father asked him to watch over me. He said Blake was worried if something happened to me. I mean, come on, I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can, Liv. But remember those boys? The ones who are still laying on the hospital’s bed?”
I sighed before I replied, “Yeah.”
“I heard polices finally drop down the case. There was no lead to the maniac.”
“I guess so.” I had suspected that polices might do so. As long as the students were alright, physically.
I blinked and saw John was waving his hand to me and I excused from Josh and went to John. “Can I help you?”
“Can I get another coffee, please?”
“What?” I blinked twice before I tried to adjust his request on my head. “Are you serious? It’s your third cup of double espresso already.”
“It’s okay, Liv. I need it because I have to go back to the office again after the festival.”
“Again? Did you…Did you go back to the office yesterday?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t believe this. John was tired enough by watching me and Blake still asked him to go back to the office? I couldn’t believe he did that.
I reached out my hand to him. “Give me your phone, John.”
“Olivia, it’s okay.”
“I just want to have a little word with my father. He can’t do this to you. Although you are his secretary, he should treat you with some respect too.”
John chuckled and then he smiled sweetly at me. “I appreciate that you are defending me, but really. It’s okay. I wanted to. Actually, Blake was the same as you.”
“What do you mean?”
“He said that I was not supposed to come back to the office and he kicked me out yesterday.” Wow, that was a surprise. Good thing that I hadn’t call Blake or I was going to embarrass myself. “But today is different and I really have to go back later. This time, with Blake’s approval because tomorrow he’s not coming to the office for a whole day. Don’t get mad at him, Olivia.”
“Well, if you say so.”
“So,” he raised his cup to me. “Can I get another coffee, Miss?” John was so mistaken. If he thought that I would give him what he wanted with his so gorgeous and incredibly sweet smile, he was damn wrong.
“No, sir.” John lost his smile and raised his eyebrows. “I’m going to get you something else. It’s in the house, so don’t worry,” I said and went back to the kitchen.
***
Josh
The spaghetti was great.
The Dalgona was tasty. People were talking about it, said it was some recipe that was invented recently and quite viral.
I was enjoying my lunch while my eyes sometimes would be directed to Olivia. She was currently talking to John.
The guard on her was very tough. Although I had a better relationship with John rather than the father, he was still Blake’s secretary and would do anything according to what his boss’ wanted.
“Hi, there,” Karen suddenly appeared by clapping my shoulder, surprising me.
“What do you want, Karen?”
“Just dropping by and say hi. Is there something wrong with it?”
“Not really. Well, I’m currently having lunch and I will appreciate it if you leave me alone and let me finish the meal,” I requested but she didn’t walk away from me. Instead, she sat across me. Her brown eyes were on me, staring at me like she wanted to say something. “What?”
“You know? If you want to confess just fucking do it already,” she said. What the hell?
“I don’t know what are you talking about.”
“Well, I think you do. You can’t fool me, Josh. I know how you feel to Olivia. But don’t worry. No one is good enough for her except for her father,” she stated which was confusing me.
“Blake is her father, Karen.”
“Technically, he is her stepfather and they could be together anytime if you don’t move soon.”
“Come on, Karen. You can’t be stupid and deluded. If Blake and Olivia ended up together, society would accuse her of lots of things. Bad things.”
Karen leaned forward. “You are dealing with Blake, handsome. And I’m pretty sure that he will do anything to ensure Olivia’s safety. If you want to have your chance, maybe you should ask for help from John.”
“Why it has to be John? Why don’t you help me?”
Karen smiled and pulled herself from me and leaned on the chair. “I’m team Blake, Josh. So, sorry.” I smirked at her statement. Team Blake, my ass.
Karen stood up and she walked away from me. Maybe you should ask for help from John.
I looked at John and Olivia was already walking away from him. Well, trying won’t hurt anyway.
I finished my lunch and went to John. He realized my presence immediately. “Can I sit here?”
“Sure.” I sat across him and saw him busy typing something on his laptop. Always so busy. “It’s been a long time we’re talking to each other like this.”
“Indeed, it is.”
I must say that when the first time we came to know each other from Olivia, we developed a friendship. John might be older than me but I enjoyed talking to him. Like we clicked to each other in an instant. I rarely had a close friend. I mean I had some friends and they were great but that was it. Just for fun.
I slightly turned to the back and saw Olivia. And John, “Are you going to confess soon?” was asking me the same question as Karen. Are they connected or something?
I turned back to John and even though he was not looking at me, he was smiling amusingly when he let out that question. And he was smirking as well. “Why is everyone asking me the same question anyway?”
“Well, you better do it now or you’re going to regret it.”
“Why?”
“I guess because…you probably will get yourself a new rival in the university even though it’s still another two years. But I can see that you are the type of waiting the perfect time to confess. I’m guessing that you are going to do it at graduation. Or at the prom.” What a shock. Definitely a bullseye.
John was right. That was exactly what I was thinking.
I loved Olivia but I could see that she didn’t see me the same way as I did. I wanted to protect her. From anything and anyone.
Anyone.
I glanced at John who was still busy with his laptop. My mind struck on something. “John? Have you heard it from her?”
“Heard what?” Okay, he probably hadn’t.
“Olivia didn’t tell you?” Once I mentioned Olivia’s name, John stopped typing and he glanced his piercing blue eyes at me.
“What do you mean?” His eyes changed. Those were not the same eyes when he was playing and teasing me. They were something else.
“Last night, Olivia called me while freaking out to hell.”
“Because?” John asked impatiently.
“Because she thinks somebody might be stalking her.”