by Hattie Lou
“Well, I live here, too.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t listen.”
She turns to face me. “Why are you just like the rest of them?”
“Excuse me?”
“In Hollywood. You said so yourself that they are fake. You’re faking that you’re in LA when you are really here with your mom. Are you embarrassed to be here?”
“I don’t want no one to come here and try to track me down. Mom is sick. She doesn’t need the paparazzi following her around town because they want to know what is going on in my life.”
“Why doesn’t anyone know that you write?”
I don’t get what is going on with her today. She is suddenly full of questions. I wish she never found my story.
“Because it’s just a hobby. I don’t take it serious.”
She tilts her head sideways at me. “You are afraid of what others will think of your story and they might compare it to your dad’s writing.”
I hate that she can see the truth. I know that I can never live up to Dad’s stories. They were amazing. People loved everything he wrote. Me, on the other hand, Olivia is the only person that read my story. I want to believe her when she tells me that my story is worth finishing, but she could be just saying that to me because she’s a really nice person.
“It’s complicated,” I say, not sure what else to say to her.
She shakes her head. “It’s not. Luke, you worry too much. The story you have written is good. You need to finish it. Let someone else read it before you toss the story away. I bet they will like to read it just like I did.”
“What if it sucks? I don’t want people thinking that my dad raised a son who can’t write a good story.”
She moves closer to me and reaches for my hand. “What if the person reading your story thinks it’s amazing and wants to turn it into a movie just like your dad’s?”
I laugh. “You are clearly getting ahead of yourself here. The story isn’t complete.”
“Maybe I am, but you won’t know until you finish the story. Promise you will finish writing it no matter what.”
“I will.”
“Good, because I need to know what happens to Liam and Marie.” She says, looking me in the eye.
I don’t get why she likes the story so much or how she remembers the character names. I wrote it but even I forget their names sometimes. There’s nothing special about the story.
Chapter Sixteen
Olivia
“Do you ever go out of the house without my mom?” Luke asks as I’m finishing with the dishes.
“Your mom requires full-time care. I’m here twenty-four hours a day. I’m sure you have noticed.”
“But don’t you want a day off to have fun?” He asks taking the dry plate off my hand and putting it in the cabinet.
“I don’t think I’m missing out on much. I’m not too big on going out. I prefer quiet nights here at the house.”
“But still, you need to get away for a night. Have fun once in a while. Take your mind off of work. Sometimes you need to step away to clear your head.”
“I’m not one who cares to have fun.”
He walks closer to me. “There is this carnival not far from here. They have it every year during the summer. How about you let me take you out tomorrow night?”
“That’s probably not a good idea.”
He places his hands on his hips. “Why not?”
“I work for your mom plus you have Erika,” I say without thinking.
“How do you know her name?” He asks with a smirk. “Were you looking me up on the internet?”
“I didn’t. Steve did.” I answer quickly.
“And who is Steve?”
“Ben’s husband. He showed me a video of you two at some event. You two looked so in love with each other. You couldn’t keep your hands off of her.”
“Look, I’m not asking you out on a date. I want to take you out as a thank you for everything you are doing for my mom. I appreciate it more than you know. We didn’t hit it off at first and I made a few mistakes, but I’m trying to make it up to you.”
When he puts it like that, how can I say no to him? “Okay. I will go, but I have to talk to Ben about this and see if he will be available to watch Katherine on short notice.”
“Sure.”
Luke
I have been anxiously waiting for this since she called Ben last night and asked him if he could watch my mom. Olivia and I had dinner at the restaurant that one night, but we haven’t gotten a chance to get to know one another. I know I shouldn’t want to be alone with her, but something keeps drawing me back to her. I’m the moth and she’s the flame.
“Just don’t make her cry, man. If you do then I will have to punch you and I’m not a violent person.” Ben says as he plots down on the couch and flips through the channels.
“Thanks for the warning,” I say. I feel nervous. I don’t know why. We aren’t going on a date. I’m just taking her to a carnival where there will be a lot of people around. Not all of them will be on a date. I tug at my baseball cap while I wait for her. I’m making sure that no one will notice me tonight. It’s the last thing I need right now. Once the press finds out that I’m here then they will start to ask a thousand questions. Eventually, there will be that one nosy reporter who will dig until they get answers as to why I am here. They will find out about Mom’s condition. I can see it now on the cover of the magazines. “Wife of Oscar winner, Michael Stewart, has dementia and son Luke is now taking care of her.”
The sound of someone clearing their throat brings me back. I look up to see Olivia standing in the doorway. She curled her hair making it look wavy and put on a bit of makeup. She isn’t all dressed up as she got on a pair of jeans and a tank top. I stare at her beauty, forgetting about where I am.
“Love that hairstyle. You should wear it like that more often.” Ben tells her, making her smile.
“Thanks,” She says, reaching for her purse. “You ready?” She asks me.
I blink and nods. “Yeah, let's go.”
The ride to the carnival is dead silent. I’m nervous as hell. Olivia seems nervous as I sneak a peek at her while sitting at a red light. She keeps picking the nail polish off her fingernails.
The place is packed with people like I expected it to be on this beautiful warm evening.
“Wow.” She says, finally speaking “It’s a lot bigger than I was picturing.” She stares in amazement for a moment. “I can’t believe I haven’t been here before.”
We walk around the place as we take our time. I don’t want to rush this night. I want Olivia to enjoy herself. She needs this. Just a few hours away from the house and not taking care of Mom.
I look at her when we approach the Ferris wheel. “Do you want to go on it?” I ask.
“Um...” She says, looking hesitant.
I never met a person who didn’t want to ride one. They are fun and exciting especially when you are up in the air looking down at the people in line. “Are you afraid of heights?”
“Huge phobia of being in the air. That is the main reason why I can’t go on a plane. The thought of being that far up in the air is scary.”
“Okay. Let’s go somewhere else. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah.”
“You never had funnel cake before?” I stare at Olivia in shock as we are standing in line waiting for our turn to order. Everyone is too busy enjoying the rides around us to even eat. “Two funnel cakes, please,” I tell the guy.
“Nope. I have never been to a carnival. This is all new to me.” The guy hands us our food. I ask if she wants to sit and eat, but she wants to continue walking around. I watch her as she takes a bite. “Wow! This is amazing!” She says, covering her mouth with her hand as she chews.
I chuckle. Erika would never eat in public like that. She would be afraid that people are watching her consume something other than her usual healthy milkshake. “Told you they were amazing.”
“Where
have I been all this time? I should have tried this a long time ago.”
I can’t help myself but to smile at her. She is enjoying herself. I just wish that I could stare at her all night.
“What?” She asks, catching me. “Do I have some on my face?”
She doesn’t. Her face is funnel cake free. I lie because I don’t want to tell her the true reason why I was staring at her. “Just a little right there,” I say, reaching to wipe her chin.
“Thanks.” She says, locking eyes with me for a brief second. We don’t speak, but it feels like her eyes are telling me that she wants me. She breaks the trance by turning her head quickly in the other direction. “I want to win something.” She says, walking into the game section.
“Four games for four dollars.” The high school kid says behind the booth. Olivia opens her purse, but I stop her letting her know that I will pay for the game. She doesn’t put up a fight and thanks me.
I watch on as she takes the basketball and throws it towards the hoop, missing the shot by a mile.
“Good shot.” I tease.
“Shut up.” She says as she tries to concentrate on the hoop. She misses it…again!
“You have to bend your knees a little,” I say, giving her a tip. It’s obvious that she never watched a basketball game in her life. Everyone knows you are supposed to bend your knees before tossing the ball towards the hoop.
“I am.” She says even though she isn’t.
“Here,” I say, wanting her to at least try to get the ball in the hoop. I walk behind her and place my hands on her hips. “Bend your knees a little more,” I tell her. I’m now standing so close to her that I can smell her shampoo. It’s a vanilla scent. It’s strong and tickles my nose.
The guy behind the booth is watching and trying hard not to laugh at her. He’s probably thinking that I’m trying to make a move on her.
“Now what?” She asks in a nervous voice. It’s a good thing I'm behind her. She can’t see the smirk on my face right now because I know having my hands on her is making her nervous.
“Just focus on the hoop and aim,” I whisper into her ear. The hair on the back of her neck stands up. She’s definitely liking this or else her body wouldn’t be reacting to me this way. I back away giving her room to throw the ball without me being behind her. I’m so focused on staring at her that I miss seeing the ball go into the hoop.
“I did it!” She shouts, excited like she just won a thousand dollars instead of a cheap stuffed animal. She ends up picking a purple monkey wearing a crowd. “What should I name him?” She asks, still in shock that she won a prize.
“I don’t know.” I give her a weird look for wanting to name the stuffed animal. I thought only kids named their animals, but apparently, I was wrong.
“I will let Savannah name him once she gets back. I’m sure she would love to have the monkey.”
The announcer gets on the speaker and tells the crowd that there are only ten minutes until the place closes for the night. We didn’t ride or play many games, but I’m just happy I got her outside of the house and that she had fun.
“What do you want to do before we leave?” I ask.
“I have an idea.” She says, reaching for my hand and dragging me around the place to where the Ferris wheel is.
“I thought you didn’t like heights.”
She smiles at me, still holding her monkey in her hand. “I will only go on if you come with me.”
Like I would say no to a chance where I get her alone for a few minutes as the world is below us. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
She giggles and claps her hands as we approach the line. “Did you ever get stuck on one before?”
It has happened to me but only one time. I was a teenager and I took Sarah Hardy to the fair for our second date. We were stuck in the air for close to five minutes. If she was scared, she didn’t show it. Me, on the other, I was petrified. I couldn’t hide how scared I was. Sarah kept telling me to breathe and pointed out how pale I was getting. That was our last date. She went AWOL on me after that night. “I have never been stuck on one. They check the rides before we go on, I’m sure.” I lie.
“What are the chances of us getting stuck in midair?” She asks, sounding like she is starting to have second thoughts.
“About the same chance of you getting struck by lightning right now.”
“So, you’re saying it’s rare and won’t happen?”
“Not likely,” I say as we approach the front of the line. “You still want to go on?” I ask, giving her a warning before we get to our seats.
She holds out her hand to me and I take it as she leads the way to our seats. “I can’t believe I’m really doing this.” She says, giggling.
A woman comes in front of our car to check to make sure it’s locked and we have our seatbelts on. When she walks away, Olivia reaches for my hand. “Please, don’t let go.”
I turn my head to her. “I promise I won’t.”
The second we are up in the air, she watches the view in amazement. She’s no longer worrying that we might get stuck. “Thank you for doing this for me tonight.” She says as we’re still moving. “I didn’t realize going out with you would be this much fun.” She says, biting her bottom lip.
My eyes stare down watching her teeth go back and forth chewing her lip. I want to reach out and taste them. The ride suddenly comes to an end and she takes off her seatbelt. The moment between us is lost but not over.
We make our way to the parking lot. We’re almost to my car when the sound of a little boy crying stops Olivia. She turns around and follows the crying.
“Are you okay?” She asks the boy who appears to be less than five years old. He’s sitting down on the sidewalk, crying into his knees.
“I don’t know where mommy is. I wasn’t supposed to walk by myself but she had to take a phone call. I really wanted cotton candy.”
“It’s okay,” She tells him. “My name is Olivia and this is my friend Luke. We will help you find her.” She assures the boy as she reaches for his hand.
We walk back to the carnival near the Ferris wheel where he said he last saw his mom. He gives Olivia a description of what she’s wearing. I look around the park for a woman wearing an orange shirt with shorts. Everyone is walking out, passing us by. It’s hard to get a look at any of the women with all the people getting in our way. We stop for a minute and let the people walk out before continuing to look for her.
Minutes pass without any signs of his mom. He starts to get upset thinking we won’t find her. Olivia stops and picks him up, carrying him in her arms as she whispers to him that she promises we will find her.
The park is almost empty by now as everyone left to go home. I’m about to give up when Olivia points to a frantic woman who is talking to one of the security guards. “Is that your mom?” She asks.
“Mom!” He yells, getting the woman’s attention.
Olivia puts him down and we watch as he runs to her. “I have never been so scared in my life. Thank you two so much for helping him.” She says, scooping him into her arms and holding onto him for dear life.
“It’s no problem. I have a little one around his age. I know how they tend to wander off on their own.” Olivia tells her, smiling. “Goodnight, Greg.” She says, patting him on the back like they are buddies.
I don’t even remember hearing him telling Olivia his name.
“Night, Ol.” He says back.
“You are good with people of all ages,” I tell her in the car during the ride home.
“I think for some reason people find it easy to talk to me. It has always been that way. I’m a friendly person plus a mother. I’m just glad we found Greg’s mom. He was so scared.”
“I felt bad for the little boy. I was secretly praying that we would find his mom.”
“Aw! Luke does have a heart.” Olivia teases.
“How could anyone not feel bad for that kid? He was alone and scared.” I get a red light and turn to face her
to find her with a big smile splashed across her face. “What?”
“Nothing. I was just picturing you as a dad. I bet you would be a good one.”
The comment makes me laugh. “Think all you want of me being a parent, but I don’t want kids in the future. I prefer my career over planning a family. My life is acting.”
“You’re still young. You could always change your mind.”
“No. I know there aren’t going to be children in my future.”
I slip Ben an extra twenty for staying with Mom tonight. It’s the least I could do since I’m sure he had other plans. He thanks me and we chit chat for a few minutes before he leaves. It has been a long day. Being with Olivia was worth it through.
I go to my room and toss my shirt onto the floor. I take my pants off, leaving just my boxers on. I open my door to go to the bathroom to brush my teeth before bed. When I reach the bathroom, I see Olivia standing in front of the mirror, already brushing her teeth. She changed out of her clothes. She’s now wearing a tank top with a tiny pair of shorts that show off her perfect tanned legs. I stop in the doorway as she continues to brush, but her eyes are on the mirror staring back at me.
“I knew you were beautiful this evening, but you are more beautiful without the makeup and the outfit,” I say, before realizing that I am actually saying the words to her and not in my head. I walk behind her and place my phone down on the sink. She remains quiet, not sure what’s going on between us. I’ll make it clear to her so she’ll understand.
My hand goes up to her arm, causing her body to freeze from my touch. God! She feels so good just like I imagined she would. Her skin’s so soft Her eyes remain on the mirror watching my every move. I can feel her eyes begging me to keep going. She wants me to touch her.
I part her hair to both sides of her shoulders as I kiss the back of her neck. She lets out a little moan as she closes her eyes. “Keep your eyes on me,” I tell her as she opens them and watches me through the mirror. “Perfect,” I whisper against her ear. My tongue slides down her earlobe as my right-hand slides around her back to her stomach. I lift her shirt up a few inches, exposing her toned stomach. I pull her body into mine as I begin to kiss her neck harder, leaving marks along the way. Her skin tastes like strawberry. It’s a good thing I have always liked strawberries. I always found them to be tasty. Another moan escapes her throat. “You are always there for Mom when she needs you,” I whisper into her ear. “Whenever Savannah needs something, you get it, no questions asked. Greg lost his mom and you were on a mission to find her even if it took us all night. You are always there for everyone. My question is, who is there for you, Olivia?” I can feel her body getting hotter by the minute. I’m turning her on so I keep going. “Who takes care of your needs?” I watch her as she inhales and exhales slowly.
