Olivia
It’d been a week since my birthday party.
I ran my life perfectly normal. No Blake coming and disturbing my perfect life. It made me think that he had this horrible habit of pursuing me when people were around. What was his motive anyway? Maybe he would like people to know he wanted me? That was ridiculous. His reputation would be on the line if he did that. His clients were going to run away if the media found out that he was pursuing his niece relentlessly.
“Here you go, babe,” Karen returned with our dishes as she put the plates down. She just finished her job and as always, Karen always brought me over to the studio on the weekend and by coincidence, I would like to join as well. I wanted to see how Heidi was doing her job. I had decided to see how the model manager usually does. I was lucky because today I could see how Heidi met a potential client who would like to work together with Karen as their model. Apparently, they wanted her to be their brand ambassador.
An underwear model. They liked Karen’s body and thought she would be perfect to be their model. Even Heidi thought the same and it could boost Karen’s career even more. She had a perfect body, and even though I had not seen my best friend doing a photoshoot merely wearing a bra and panties, I knew she would look good with those undergarments. In the end, Heidi would discuss it with Karen at first and the agency but Karen was already interested in it so the decision was up to the agency but I was sure she would get the job.
“So, how’s Javier doing?” she asked while chewing the biscuit.
“What about him?”
She rolled her eyes and swallowed the biscuit down to her throat. “Did he confess already?”
“He did,” I plainly answered as Karen was staring at me.
“When?”
“A week ago, at my party.”
“Seriously? And…did you accept it?” I shook my head. “You rejected him?”
“No, I…asked him to give me time to think about it. I couldn’t exactly immediately say yes to him while I said no to Josh.”
“Olivia, Josh and Javier are different.” I knew that and that’s why I had to think carefully. I rejected Josh because I was afraid to hurt him. I didn’t like him in the same way as he did. “Tell me, what do you think about Javier?”
“Well, he’s a good man, a gentleman, and even though we just met, he was able to read me too easily. He even told me that I had a secret, he could see the sadness even by looking at me which to me was rare and not even Josh said that to me. We’re friends for a long time and maybe that’s the cause. He’s…like a brother to me.”
“Now, you’ve found your answer,” she said as I looked at her. Confused. “You only see Josh like a brother. But Javier was different. You’re confused because you’re beginning to see him as a man and it scares the shit out of you that you will bring him to destruction because of your past. Because of how you feel about Blake.” That was the truth. I was scared to death. I didn’t want to hurt anybody. Not because of me.
Karen sighed and put down her fork and she touched my hands. We were looking at each other. “Olive, I love seeing you with Blake, I always wished you two could be together, but I don’t want to get your hope high and lead you to another sadness. I couldn’t bear watching my best friend in despair again. I wanted you to be happy, and if your happiness is on Javier’s hands, I want to see you happy with him.” I was touched by her words. Although sometimes Karen could be rather reckless, she cared about me.
Karen wanted nothing but me to be happy.
Like she said, she loved seeing me with Blake but she knew that was not going to happen anymore. Not with us as a family. And then there was Javier. She cheered me on with him not because she was Javier’s fan or because he looked deliciously handsome, but she saw the potential within him. She considered Javier could save my broken heart.
“Always remember this Olivia, I will always support your decision. Whatever that will be. If you wanted to accept Javier as your only man, I’m not going to stop you. But if you’re still insisted to be with Blake more than anything else, I will support you as well.” I smiled, thinking about how lucky I was. I was blessed to have Karen as my best friend.
“Thank you, Karen.” And by the time the ringtone from my phone chimed in as I grabbed it from the table and saw Javier’s name on the screen. I looked to where Karen was and she was waiting for me to answer. “It’s Javier. We promised to meet after work.”
“Is he working on Saturday?”
“No, he had modeling jobs on Tuesday and Wednesday before so he changed shifts into the weekend,” I told her and opened the message.
I’ve just finished my last appointment. Where are you now?
I immediately replied:
I’m with Karen now. Having brunch. I thought you will be working until evening.
Javier replied fast:
Can I join you?
I looked to where Karen was. “Um, Javier would like to join. Can he?”
“Of course! Invite him over, babe!” she replied happily as I texted Javier back that he could join us and informed on where we were. He replied that he was on his way. We continued our brunch, talking until I saw his car parked in front of the restaurant. Karen saw him arrived and she grabbed her bag. “You know what’s best for you, Liv. Follow your heart for once,” she said and walked towards the door and by the time Javier walked in. I saw her parted ways with him where she whispered something to him and Javier smiled. Karen walked out and he went to where I was.
“Hi.” He sat on where Karen previously sat.
“Have you eaten?”
“No, not yet.”
“You should eat first. I don’t mind waiting for you.”
“Thanks, Liv.” He raised his hand as the waiter who served us was walking towards us and when he arrived, Javier mentioned what his orders were.
***
Right after Javier finished, we walked out of the restaurant where he so suddenly ended up paying everything, including Karen’s. The little minx hasn’t paid for her brunch! I promised myself that I would ask the cheeky cat to pay Javier back. He led me to his car as we both jumped in. “So, where would you like to go?” he asked.
“Um, I honestly don’t know. What about you?”
“Well, if that’s the case, can I bring you over to one of my favorite places?”
“Sure.”
“It might only take us around thirty to forty minutes to arrive there.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t mind,” I assured him.
“Alright then. I promise I’ll take you home.” He ignited the engine and drove us away outside downtown. I wonder where he’s taking me? “I hope nothing bad happened between you and your uncle,” he suddenly said.
“Why’d you say so?”
“Well, that night at your party, when I was about to go home, I could sense something going on between you two. Especially when I saw you with him in the living room.” Oh, damn you, Blake for doing that to me.
“It’s rather…complicated.”
“Maybe that’s how family functioned. I might not have a proper family but I had the people from the orphanage. I was lucky enough to consider them as my family. There would be the time when we would argue over something silly but in the end, we ended up okay.” Well, that’s his family, not mine.
Blake and I didn’t end up okay. We ended up worse.
“I don’t have a good relationship with him.”
“Really? But Olivia? I think it’s best if you two could fix it. You two are still family,” he suggested but I could only smile and nodded my head. Blake looked like wanted to reconcile, with a hidden motive inside his twisted mind.
Thirty minutes later, we finally arrived. Javier took me to Marina del Rey. He parked the car and led me to where there were countless yachts parked on top of the water. It made me suspecting something. “Are you renting one of those?” I asked and he chuckled over my silly question.
“No, dear. I own it,” he confessed and when he jumped to the boat, he turned and reached out his hand for me. I accepted it as Javier gently pulled me on top of the yacht. He introduced me to Will-the driver and led me to the front of the yacht. It started to move and led us further to the ocean.
I liked this. The wind hitting my skin like I was refreshed once again. The smell of the ocean hitting my nostrils. This felt…nice. “You like it?”
“I do.”
“I’m glad. I like it here too. Sitting or standing here, admiring the sea, or just feeling the wind on my skin. It calms me down and I want to share what I liked with you and I hope it could calm your mind as well,” he stated and sat down. I soon followed and sat beside him.
I was touched by his action. I never had a man doing this to me. Other than Blake.
“My life before I have all of this was pretty much miserable,” he suddenly started. “I’ve told you before that I had to survive after I was out of the orphanage, right? I had to work harder than other people, twice harder. I have to admit that I…was not proud of what I did before in order to eat. I can’t tell you about it now but I’m being honest with you that I’ve left everything behind and focus on what I have now. I wanted to do something better in my life.” The more I listened to him. The more I saw the look in his eyes. The more I witnessed his expression. I could tell. He was being honest with me.
I touched his shoulder. “You already did.” He touched my hand, bringing it closer to his lips, and placed a kiss on top of my hand.
“Maybe you don’t want to hear it but your uncle helped me.”
I lost my smile. “Blake?”
“Yes. With him giving me a job, that was like my salvation. My ticket out of my miserable life. I was indebted to him, unknowingly. Although he had said to not pay him back and work hard for myself, I still wanted to return the money he gave to me,” he said and chuckled. “He was mad at me and keep insisting to not pay him back.” I almost forgot about that. On how Blake respected people greatly. I might have not witnessed it directly but John told me. And I had witnessed what Blake did to Javier. Thank you, Blake, for saving Javier.
“Since then, I continued working and my life began to change in a better way. I used the money I have wisely. Buying a house first and then built the club, this yacht was just another extra but I liked it. Whenever I was rather stressed out, I would just come here with me driving this boat alone or Will, but mostly Will would drive. It just calmed me down, you know? Out of the city. Away from the crowds.”
“It calms me down too,” I said and his lips formed a smile.
“Now I’ve something else which calmed me down.” I looked into his eyes. Ready to listen to the continuation. “It’s you. I like picturing you smiling so happily like you have no weight on your tiny shoulders. I hope I can be your salvation,” he confessed as he leaned forward and placed his warm lips on my forehead.
I wanted him to be my salvation. He could be my salvation. I wanted to try it. I wanted to be with him, with Javier. He might be the answer that I was waiting for.
He moved away but I went closer to Javier and laid my temple on his broad shoulder. He put his hand on my shoulder and slowly rubbing it. I liked it. I liked his attention to me. I liked how he spoiled me. I could feel his affection. “Javier?”
“Yes?”
“Can I give you the answer today?”
He hummed. “You don’t need to rush, Olivia.”
“I wanted to. I wanted to be with you.” His rubs stopped and pulled his hand away from me. I pulled myself away from him and we looked at each other. He looked puzzled. Unbelievable.
“Say that again.” I had to push myself not to laugh at him. Because, damn! He looked so cute now.
“I want to be with you. I don’t know where this will lead us. It could be a dangerous road and I can’t predict it. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” He cupped my cheeks gently, moving me closer to him.
“I’ll take my chances, Olivia. As long you’re willing to be mine.”
“I want to be yours,” I confessed straight to his eyes as he smiled widely and pulled me into a tight hug.
“I’ll make you happy, baby,” he promised. I knew he would.
This was the right decision.
I had to move forward.
I wanted to bet everything with Javier by my side.