Olivia
Getting their fill of each other went on for a lot longer than Olivia imagined. With this being Lorenzo’s last night here, she ended up spending the night at his place as she’d been doing more and more often lately. Olivia even offered to drop him off at the airport. She said she’d only be a little late for her first appointment, but Lorenzo insisted he didn’t want her being late on account of him. He’d driven himself to the airport plenty of times.
They stood outside his place now as both their cars warmed in the cold morning, spending their last few minutes together before they’d be separated for days for the first time since they’d begun seeing each other. Olivia hated being so melodramatic, but she was already feeling a little choked up. She hadn’t even been choked up when she’d said goodbye to Jay before she left Dallas and she’d known that was forever.
Afraid to say it for fear it was too soon, she’d held back before, but she knew now without a doubt she’d fallen hard for this man. So she went for it. After an especially long and very sweet kiss, he pulled away to look at her.
“I love you.”
They’d both said it at the exact same time and each had the same reaction. They were staring at each other wide-eyed and speechless.
“What are the odds?” she finally whispered, still feeling a bit stunned and completely choked up now.
Lorenzo shook his head slowly then glanced down at her wrist. She hadn’t taken off the bracelet since the day he’d given it to her.
“I knew it,” he said, bringing his hands around her face and leaning his forehead against hers. “I don’t know how I knew. But from the moment I met you, somehow I knew just by looking in your eyes that you’d have the power to bring me to my knees.” Pulling his forehead away from her, he smirked suddenly. “It’s why I ran out of there the way I did. It was my weak attempt to not get sucked in like I knew I would if I stuck around. I’m just so glad fate intervened or my dumb ass might’ve missed out on this.” He kissed her softly then pulled away again and looked at her so tenderly it melted Olivia’s heart. “I love you, baby. The crazy thing is I wasn’t even planning on telling you like this—”
“Neither was I,” she said quickly. “I decided to a few seconds before I did. “
“Me too.” He smiled big. “It just felt like the perfect moment.”
“It did,” she agreed quickly with a smile despite still feeling choked up then she pouted. “And now we have to say goodbye.”
His smile fell too, but he kissed her nose and tilted his head. “For now. It’s just a few days. When I get back, we can talk about something else I’ve been holding off on.”
“What?” she asked curiously.
A mischievous smile replaced the near frown he’d worn just moments earlier. “You’re already staying here a few nights a week. Maybe we can extend that a few more days? Or . . .”
Her heart thumped with a sudden nervous excitement, and her eyes must’ve been as big as they felt because he lifted a hand. “It’s just a thought. Don’t freak out or—”
“I’m not freaking out.” Olivia laughed a bit nervously. “It just surprises me because it feels so soon.”
Lorenzo shrugged as his brows furrowed. “It isn’t really if you think about it. It’s been a few months now since we first met. Besides, I didn’t know there were rules. If it feels right, why not? And telling you I love you doesn’t just feel right. It feels perfect.”
“It felt perfect for me too,” she said, biting her lower lip. “I’ll be looking forward to you getting back even more now.” She saw the surprise in his eyes and she nodded. “Yes. We’ll definitely talk about me staying here more often.”
~~~
Saying goodbye this time felt way different then when she usually left his place or he dropped her off, not just because they’d officially declared their love for one another and it’d happened in such an unexpected way. Nor was it because he’d practically asked her to move in, yet another completely unexpected twist in her morning. It felt different because she knew she wouldn’t be seeing him again for days, and already she missed him terribly. It was a little alarming actually. Things between them had moved so quickly, and their relationship fell so seamlessly into place as if they’d been a couple forever. She already had no idea what she’d do with herself tonight when she got home from work. They’d spent every evening together since day one. Even if she didn’t always spend the night, seeing Lorenzo was part of her evening ritual now.
Olivia was still trying to think of things she could do—errands she could run—then she remembered what she had to do. Frowning as she pulled her van all the way to the back of her house, she saw Nathan’s car still in the garage. Nathan was likely getting ready to leave for work any minute now, so she wouldn’t have time to now, but suddenly she knew what she’d be doing tonight—telling him about Jay—all the more reason to not anticipate her first night away from Lorenzo.
As expected, Nathan rushed out of his room when she got inside. He spied her strangely as she walked out of the kitchen and removed her watch.
“Hey, Livi.” He stopped short when he saw King in her arms. “Whose dog is that?”
“Mine.” She smiled big. “He’s my new baby.”
Stepping a little closer to pet him, he peered at her curiously. “Seriously?”
“Yep,” she nodded. “He’s a Komondor.”
His eyes opened wide. “Those big ass dogs with the dreads?”
She nodded again even giddier but was glad when he seemed to remember he was in a hurry so she didn’t have to tell him just yet who’d given King to her. That conversation could also wait until later tonight.
“That’s cool,” he said, walking away toward the kitchen counter. “You off today?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I just need to take a quick shower, and then I’m out of here. I have a full schedule today actually.”
Nathan kissed her forehead as he rushed past her again. “Alright then, I’ll see you tonight.”
Her phone pinged, and she walked over to where she’d put her phone down, wondering if it could possibly be Margie. She actually felt a little guilty about how easily she’d forgotten about her best friend’s ongoing dilemma when she’d been so caught up with Lorenzo. Yet she didn’t feel guilty enough to smile hugely when she saw the text was from him. She clicked on it, feeling like a twelve-year-old again and read it.
Just wanted to text you one last time before I board my plane and turn this thing off. I miss you so much already. I’ll call you as soon as I get there and as often as I can. Love you, baby. I’ll be thinking about you the whole time I’m gone. I can hardly wait to get back to you.
Glad no one was home, she actually squealed as she began texting back at lightning speed. She even danced a little in place as she texted, feeling completely silly, but she didn’t care. She knew he wasn’t going on some dangerous mission or anything, but still, just the thought of something happening to him made her cringe, so she tacked on a naggy girlfriend request but kept it short. She wanted to make sure he read it before he turned his phone off. When she was done, she reread it.
I miss you already too. Please, PLEASE, come home safely to me. I love you SO much. I’ll be waiting anxiously to hear from you!
Adding a couple of hearts and smiley faces, she sent it off, feeling all warm and fuzzy. Unfortunately the warm and fuzzy sensation was short-lived. It wasn’t until after she’d stared at his text to her a little more that she noticed the missed call from that same number she hadn’t recognized before. Immediately she felt anxious. What if this was Margie trying to get a hold of her?
Without giving it another thought, she hit send and called the number back. It rang three times, and she’d almost given up when a man answered, and she was silent.
“Hello?” he said for the second time.
Not recognizing the voice at first, she nearly hung up. Maybe it was just a wrong number. Then he spoke again.
“Ollie, is this you?”
Olivia froze. The fact that she didn’t recognize the local number was why it hadn’t even crossed her mind that it might be Jay. But now that he said her name in that unmistakable way only he said it, almost in a murmur, she knew it was him.
“What do you want?”
“We need to talk,” he said then added quickly, “here in my hotel room, or I can meet you somewhere.”
“No,” she shook her head, unwavering, as if he could see her. “No way. I already told you what you came here to find out. I have no idea where Margie is. There’s nothing else you and I have to talk about, especially not in person and certainly not in your hotel room.”
“But there’s more I didn’t get a chance to tell you last night.”
“About Margie?” she asked, refusing to get sucked into his crap ever again. “Because if it’s about anything else, it’s nothing I need to hear.”
Jay was quiet for a moment. Olivia was sure she’d nailed it. He’d come all this way to play his stupid mind games again. Then he spoke again. “You and I have a lot more to talk about, and we will, but first things first. I have something to tell you about Margie. I just think I should talk to you in person. There’s a lot—”
“No,” she said firmly. “I have no desire to be around you or even talk to you again. You disgust me now, Jay. I told my boyfriend about you showing up last night, and he wasn’t happy about it. The only reason I haven’t hung up on you yet is because of Margie. Whatever it is you have to tell me you can do it on the phone. I will not be meeting you anywhere.”
“Fair enough. I’ll tell you first, but I’m pretty sure you’ll want to meet with me afterward.”
Olivia continued to shake her head defiantly. She couldn’t think of a single thing that would make her give into meeting with him and risk upsetting Lorenzo. Not one. She’d seen the fire in Lorenzo’s eyes last night. He’d been this close to telling her to go to hell. As sweet and perfect as she thought him and despite his telling her he was in love with her now, she believed without a doubt he’d send her packing in a heartbeat if she gave into Jay’s bullshit.
“I don’t know if she told you or not, but she’d started experimenting with drugs.”
Jay didn’t go on, as if he were waiting for a reaction to that, but Olivia had none. She was flabbergasted and therefore at a loss for words. Just like Olivia, Margie barely drank. Since they’d begun talking again, Margie did mention she’d done a little drinking with him, but she hadn’t mentioned drugs.
“What kind of drugs?”
“First, it was just weed; then she tried meth,” he said as Olivia’s jaw dropped. No way. “She said she liked how calm it made her feel,” he went on, “like she didn’t have a worry in the world when in fact she’d been real worried and down about losing your friendship.”
Olivia squeezed her eyes shut as he paused on that last statement. This didn’t sound like anything Margie would do. This was Jay playing mind games again. He was turning this around on her, trying to make this her fault, and she wasn’t going to let him. Before she could retort that she wasn’t buying any of his crap anymore, he went on.
“Remember what we did? What you said you wouldn’t even tell Margie about?”
“Why are you bringing that up?” she asked through her teeth, feeling the wave of shame overwhelm her as it had for so long. “I told you unless it’s about Margie—”
“Listen to me, Ollie. She did it too,” he said, shutting Olivia up immediately. “She was high but willing when we tried the threesome with another girl. But like you, she said she’d never want to with two guys. We started spending a lot of time down in my brother’s basement, not just when he wasn’t there, but when we had friends over partying. Sometimes . . .”
He stopped and Olivia felt the air sucked out of her as she clutched her chest. Was this true or were these all lies? All the ugliness she’d felt for so long when she’d finally opened her eyes and realized how stupid she’d been for letting Jay drag her down as he had for so long, inundated her.
“Sometimes I had to leave. I had drops to make.” He continued. “When people want their fix, they want it now. They don’t like waiting. But I knew she couldn’t go home high, so she’d stay at my brother’s place and sleep it off. Last month one of the times I left her there, partying with my brother and his friends, she wasn’t the only girl there, so she said she’d be okay. When she’s on weed, she’s different, Ollie, way braver and outgoing. Things between her and me were never like they were with you and me either. I didn’t tell any of the guys she was off limits, so I’d seen a few of them flirt before, and they knew I didn’t care. I was gone longer than usual, and when I got back, she was passed out naked in bed with two of my brother’s friends. My brother assured me she’d been the one who instigated the whole thing. It wasn’t rape. He said he even tried talking her out of it—that she’d regret it in the next day—but she was pissed that I’d left her for so long and was sure I was with another girl.”
“Were you?” Olivia asked as if she didn’t already know the answer.
She could hardly believe she’d ever cared about such a monster. How could he leave Margie in that place with all those lowlife losers for so long?
“No! That’s the thing, babe—”
“Don’t call me that!”
Olivia was livid now, but she still wasn’t sure if she believed it all. Two guys? Not Margie. Up until she’d been with Jay, she’d been a virgin!
“That’s the thing, he said again. “You know me. Even with everything we went through, I looked after you. I did the same with her. I was trying to get back, but I got caught up. It happens.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it does,” she huffed. “What I’m not sure about is if I believe you.”
“Believe it, Ollie. It did. Only she was so wasted she didn’t remember any of it. I knew she wouldn’t, so I made them all leave the bedroom, and I lay down next her. When she woke, she thought she’d slept with just me. Later, when I talked to the guys, they admitted to each having sex with her more than once. I wasn’t going to ever tell her. I knew she’d freak the fuck out. I figured it was better if she never knew. Then she got pregnant.”
“Oh my God,” Olivia gasped as it dawned on her what he was saying.
“Yeah, and the worst thing is one of those guys was Samoan and the other one was Mexican. No way will she believe that kid is mine when we’re both vanilla white. It’s why I kept telling her she should get an abortion. I preferred she think I’m a total asshole with no regard for her beliefs than to tell her the truth. But she wouldn’t listen, so I finally had to tell her.”
“What did she say?” Olivia asked, almost terrified to know the answer.
Olivia had since fallen back on the sofa, unable to stand anymore as she heard all the horrific details.
“At first, she didn’t believe me, but I swear to you on my baby sister’s life it’s the truth. And then, I don’t know. I guess maybe she remembered bits and pieces because she suddenly broke down, crying hysterically. She said she’d been having flashbacks but thought maybe it was something she’d dreamt when she was high or something, because she didn’t think it could possibly be true. She also knew I wouldn’t know which guys were in her so-called dream, and the more she talked, the more she remembered and was even more hysterical.”
Olivia covered her face now. She could only imagine what Margie was feeling. She remembered the night she’d agreed to the threesome, and she’d only had a few strong drinks. The next day she actually wished she’d had more because she remembered it all. The shame had been unbearable when she’d sobered up and realized what she’d done. It was all she could think of for weeks, months. And she’d done it with Jay and another girl, not two completely different guys.
“The night I told her two days ago, well three now, was the last time I heard from her. I was hoping she was with you because, aside from your house, I can think of only one other place where she might be.”
That jolted Olivia to sit upright suddenly. “Where?”
Jay explained how when he questioned Sailo and Julian, the two guys she’d been with, he hadn’t told them about her being pregnant. He knew both would be against her having it. Jay’s brother ran with the lowest of the lowest. But it was worse than he initially thought. His brother warned Jay these guys might actually hurt Margie if she didn’t agree to an abortion.
“Julian already has two different baby mommas with two kids each,” Jay said, sounding even more worried suddenly. “The last thing he wants is another one on his ass about giving her money. So I knew it was crucial that he didn’t find out about it. But my stupid-ass brother got drunk and let it slip that Margie was pregnant. That’s when I knew I had to tell her, and then later that night I made my brother promise that if his thug friends went after her he’d let me know before they hurt her. I’d convince her to abort one way or another. The night I told her, when she finally calmed down, she mentioned needing to get away. I encouraged her to, but she was so freaked out already I didn’t want to tell her she might be in danger on top of everything else I’d just dumped on her. The next day she was gone, but my brother said he hadn’t heard anything. Then he got pinched. He’s been locked up for days now and has limited access to talking to anyone. That’s why I came down here. I was hoping she’d be here. I’m waiting on a call from my brother. He should know something by now, but I’m pretty sure I know what the answer’s gonna be, and if it is, I really think you should come with me. My brother was sure of one thing when it came to Julian: that guy don’t fuck around. Like all his friends, the guy already has blood on his hands. Not so much Sailo, he’s actually been known to have a heart, but my brother said Julian’s as cold as they come and he knows how to cover his tracks well. If he’s gotten to her, there are only two possible outcomes: either she’s already had the abortion or she’s dead. My guess is she had it. I know when she was so hysterical the idea of an abortion was suddenly not such an impossibility. I told her what she’d be getting herself into if she ended up stuck with a baby from one of those two thugs. She didn’t want any part of that lifestyle. She hasn’t been taking her anti-depressants in a while, so if she had the abortion, we both know the state of mind she must be in.”
Olivia had already started gasping with every new horrid detail Jay explained about this whole mess. But this was so much worse than she would’ve ever imagined. Even if they hadn’t killed her best friend, Margie could still be in grave danger.
“Suicidal,” Olivia gasped again.
She’d been on her feet almost as soon as Jay started explaining about Sailo and Julian not wanting any part of possibly being Margie’s baby’s dad. Now she stood there with her hand over her mouth, shaking her head. How unfair was all this shit? They took advantage of her being high and out of her mind and didn’t bother taking precautions. Now they were going to threaten her life if she didn’t abort? The bastards!
“Hold on!” she said as something suddenly came to her.
She began scrolling through her text messages until she came to the last one she’d gotten from Margie days ago. It had appeared to be incomplete and didn’t make sense, but now it might. She found it and reread it.
I really NEED to talk to you. I don’t know how I’ll . . .
That was it. Olivia remembered feeling so frustrated because, if she had to guess, this was another distress signal from Margie. Her best friend needed her then and now possibly more than ever, but she hadn’t been able to get a hold of her since.
When she got back on the line, Jay wasn’t there anymore, but she could hear him talking to someone in the background. Jay’s voice was doing all the talking, so she figured he was on his cell. She tried to listen because she couldn’t make out what he was saying, but based on his tone he didn’t sound happy.
Continuing to clutch her chest, she waited anxiously. She heard him trying to calm someone now, and that only alarmed her further. Finally he got back on the phone.
“Okay good news and bad news,” he said. “She’s with Sailo. My brother was right; the guy’s nowhere as bad as Julian. She called him. He didn’t go looking for her. I guess they’ve been talking on the phone and shit even before the threesome, but she always begged him not to tell me. She called him and asked him if he’d take her to get the abortion. She needed someone to drive her home, and she didn’t wanna call me. He said she’s pissed at me for not having told her sooner about her night with Sailo and Julian. He fucking didn’t either!”
“Who cares!” Olivia said, barely able to believe that Margie had actually willingly had an abortion and this is what Jay was concerned about. “What’s the bad news?”
“She had it yesterday, and now she’s freaking out on him. Keeps talking about wanting to die. She’s off her meds and doesn’t have any with her but refuses to call her parents or go home and get them. He’s been with her since yesterday at a hotel room, but now he’s freaking out because the last thing he wants is to have to call 911. The guy has all kinds of warrants and shit. He’s threatening to just leave her there.”
“No! He can’t!”
“I told him to get her some meth or at least weed. It’ll calm her down at least until we can get there and you can convince her to call her parents.”
“He should call her parents,” Olivia said frantically. “I’ll call them. I just need to know where she’s at and they can go down there and take her home.”
“Are you nuts? You know what her parents are like. They’ll call the cops! I can’t do that to the guy. He did the right thing and hung with her all night. He probably would’ve been willing to hang with her longer if she hadn’t started flipping out on him. But he’s really freaked. He said she has moments where she gets really loud when she’s crying and he’s afraid someone in one of the other rooms might call the cops.”
Olivia had seen firsthand how hysterical Margie could get. She understood why Sailo would be freaking out.
“I gotta make a call to get some weed and shit out to Sailo’s hotel room,” Jay said quickly. “I’ll call you in a few.”
Her mind spun now as Lorenzo came to mind. Understandably, he’d be livid if she left with Jay. The thought of how quickly he went from her sweet beautifully tender boyfriend to the hard ass Rosie had first told her about and she’d already experienced in small doses, made her cringe. This could cost her, but she had to believe that if he really loved her he’d understand. Margie had been there for Olivia during one her darkest hours ever—a time when Olivia had also entertained thoughts of taking her own life.
Olivia had sent Margie a text the moment she’d hung up with Jay. She needed some kind of confirmation that what Jay was telling her wasn’t some kind of elaborate lie again.
I want to be there for you if you need me, but I need to be sure this is you, Margie. So answer me this. Who did I say for years would someday be my husband?
After a few minutes went by with no response, she felt stupid for sending the text in the first place; then her phone pinged and her heart was suddenly at her throat. It was Margie. Her response was two words.
Tim Tebow
With tears in her eyes, Olivia texted her back immediately. Her phone didn’t even ring one full time when Jay called back. “The drugs are on their way to Margie’s hotel room, but there’s no guarantee she’ll take them. I gotta get there before he bails on her. You don’t have to go, but—”
“Come pick me up,” she said as she finished throwing another change of clothes in her bag. “I need to be there for her.”
She rattled off her address, figuring he’d already found her address once when he sent her the flowers so no need to try and keep it from him now. Instead of worrying about that, she went over her half-baked plan to buy her some time so she wouldn’t have to tell her brothers or Lorenzo the whole truth until she was able to talk to them in person.
The morning had started as one of the most exciting and sweetest in her life but had quickly spiraled to one the most terrifying mornings of her life. She didn’t know what they’d find when they finally got to Margie, but just as harrowing was the thought of having to tell Lorenzo she was with Jay.