Olivia #2
‘Hate is a very strong word, Miss Jackson. Just because I might not indulge in them often, doesn’t mean I’m incapable of making them.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. For example, after we’ve had some breakfast, I was planning
to see if you wanted to hang out with me for the day?’
More of the butterflies came back to life.
‘But you still haven’t answered my other question.’
‘What other question?’
‘Why you’ve been so quiet lately. I’ve barely heard from you, and now you just show up here out of the blue.’
Jacob dropped his head and scuffed the sand with his shoe.
‘I’m sorry about that.’ He kept his head hung low. ‘I got sick and it took me longer to recover than I thought, and … I don’t know … maybe …’
‘Maybe what?’ She could feel the answer on the tip of his tongue. She wanted the truth. She deserved the truth.
‘I guess a part of me freaked out a little bit.’
‘About what?’
‘I’m not sure.’ He shrugged. ‘I suppose I’m not used to speaking to someone so regularly. I told you that I got rid of my phone so I didn’t have to be connected to the world outside my very small bubble. At times it felt like I was going against my own rules. And those rules were set for a reason.’
Olivia could see his jaw tighten. His honesty was refreshing; upsetting, but refreshing. And in an odd way, Olivia understood. Didn’t she also find it uncomfortable going against the rules she set for herself, the principles she adopted for her life?
‘I get it.’
‘You do?’
‘Yeah, it’s annoying when someone comes along and disrupts the plans you’d made for yourself, isn’t it?’ she teased, noting the relief wash over him.
‘Touché, Miss Jackson.’ Jacob took a step closer, licking the front of his teeth and sending unnerving levels of adrenaline
through Olivia’s body. ‘Now, will you allow me to make it up to you with breakfast and an afternoon of fun?’
Olivia folded her arms across her chest, resisting the urge to make a host of very inappropriate comments about what an afternoon of fun may consist of.
‘I’m very busy.’
‘I didn’t expect anything less.’ He inched towards her. ‘But I was hoping you could make an exception for me?’
‘I’m not sure – maybe we should consult your trusty dice.’
‘Oh, I already have.’ He pushed a stray piece of hair from his face. ‘They say yes. I even rolled three times to make sure.’
Whether it was the absurdity of the situation or the yoga high setting in, Olivia found she could no longer pretend to fight.
‘Fine. I’ll hang out with you this afternoon.’
‘Yes!’
‘But first, before we do any of that, we need to eat.’
‘As you wish.’ Jacob gave a solemn nod and a short, sharp salute. ‘Where shall we dine?’
Olivia began to tread the familiar path around the back of the studio and away from the beach.
‘You like pancakes?’
Jacob followed closely behind. ‘Are you for real? Obviously I like pancakes.’
‘Good, then come with me. I know just the place.’
*
The whole morning had felt like a dream. Even as Jacob sat opposite her, stuffing forkfuls of food into his mouth, breathing, laughing, talking, she’d still had to pinch herself. It didn’t feel real. None of it felt real. Not even when Jacob
dropped her home and hugged her so tight she felt her ribs push against each other.
Not even when he promised to be back in three hours to collect her for an afternoon adventure.
It was as though Olivia were existing in a mild state of delirium.
So much so that, when she woke from her nap, she was certain she’d made the whole thing up, only to realize that she had about ten minutes until Jacob arrived.
Ten minutes to get ready for something she had no idea how to prepare for.
In true Jacob style, he had kept his cards close to his chest, waving off her questions with vagueness and changes in conversation.
Olivia had been too full of sugar and too giddy at the time to push it, but now, as she sat cluelessly trying to plan what she needed, she felt frustrated with herself.
After much deliberation, she decided to adopt a rudimentary and rather unsophisticated approach; if in doubt, pack everything. She now had six minutes remaining, and she wanted to at least run a comb through her hair before he turned up.
‘Towel, yes … bikini, yes … sun cream, 100 per cent yes …’ She flung items on top of each other, trying not to dwell on the idea of Jacob seeing her in a bikini, the thought alone igniting equal parts excitement and nausea inside her.
‘OK, right … snacks.’ She grabbed a few granola bars and an unopened packet of Oreos. ‘Change of clothes, sunglasses, book, portable phone charger …’
Olivia scanned the room and found her eyes settling on a small green plastic box on the dresser.
She opened the lid and peered inside. Bandages, antiseptic wipes and pain relief were all packed neatly in their little compartments alongside safety pins, scissors and some plastic gloves. Growing up, it had become second nature to bring
medical supplies on any venture outside the house; with Leah around, you couldn’t afford to take chances. Except – the thought was sharp and piercing – she wasn’t with Leah any more. And she never would be.
Olivia swallowed down the ball of grief that had formed in her throat, hastily grabbing some plasters and paracetamol from the box and shoving them into her rucksack.
She was about to run to the bathroom and attempt to perform some sort of miracle work on her face, when a shrill laugh and a deafening rumble stopped her in her tracks.
She ran over to the door and pulled the curtain aside.
‘What the hell …’
The two women, Patricia and Tania, who Olivia had only ever seen horizontal in their deckchairs outside their little cabin, were now very much upright standing on their porch, clapping and cheering.
‘You got room on that bike for me, sweetheart?’ the taller of the two rasped, twiddling a piece of frazzled blonde hair through her fingers.
‘I bet you could show me what a good ride looks like, couldn’t you?’ the other barked gleefully.
Olivia followed the direction of their gaze and felt her stomach drop to the floor.
‘Oh God, no!’ she squealed.
There was Jacob, grinning from ear to ear, sitting astride one very large and very loud motorbike.
‘This has to be a joke
?’ she screeched, opening the door and storming over to him.
‘Hello to you too.’
‘You can’t be serious, Jacob.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because
… look at that thing!’ Olivia pointed at the
growling hunk of metal and fumes. ‘There is no way I am getting on that motorbike.’
‘If you won’t, darling, then I will!’ The short, barrel-shaped woman chuckled. ‘You don’t know how lucky you are, pet! Not every day you get the chance to have something like that
between your legs.’
The pair of women collapsed into raucous laughter.
‘Technically
it’s not a motorbike,’ Jacob remarked, ‘it’s a moped. Smaller, and far less dangerous.’
‘It looks just as lethal and terrifying to me.’
‘I promise I’ll drive slowly.’ Jacob held out a helmet for her to take.
‘No.’
‘Come on
,’ he whined, ‘it’s the only way we can get to where we’re going. Unless you want to walk for five hours?’
‘Obviously I don’t want to do that.’
‘Well then’ – he gestured to the bike – ‘I promise it will be worth it.’
Olivia stared at Jacob. The glint in his eye and the grin on his face were doing nothing to help her defences, but she remained standing, feet planted wide, hands on her hips. There was no way in hell she was getting on that bike.
‘Come on
, Olivia,’ Jacob urged, throwing his hands to the sky. ‘Be reckless! Be bold! Be brave
!’
Leah’s words hit her square in the chest.
Go. Travel. Explore. Enjoy this thing called life!
What would her sister say if she could see her now?
Rejecting the offer to ride off with a gorgeous man to a mysterious location in a foreign land?
It was the stuff of any young girl’s dreams, and Olivia knew that, if Leah were here right now, she would already be on that bike and halfway down the road.
‘Fine
,’ Olivia caved, ‘but there are rules.’
‘Go on …’
She hardened her stare, which was extremely difficult when Jacob was looking at her so intently. ‘If I ask you to stop, then you have to stop. If you try to be clever and go too fast, I’ll get off and come home. Do you understand?’
Jacob held his hands up in front of him. ‘Completely. Your wish is my command.’
‘Good. Now let me get my stuff and we can go.’
Olivia turned her nose to the sky and stomped back into her hut, her heart racing and her palms sweating. Was she really going to do this? Ride on the back of a motorbike with a stranger?
It’s technically a moped and he’s not a stranger.
She cursed her own thoughts, hauled her bag over her shoulder, and made her way back outside.
‘Christ, how much stuff are you taking?’ Jacob baulked as she dumped the bag on the back of the bike. ‘It’s an afternoon trip, not a week away.’
‘Don’t look at me like that. I had to prepare for all eventualities, didn’t I? I have no idea where we’re going, remember!’ She tentatively seated herself on the bike, her feet barely touching the ground.
‘True, but trust me, the surprise will be worth it.’ He passed her a helmet. ‘Here, put this on and hold on to me tightly.’
Olivia did as she was told, looping her arms around Jacob’s waist, feeling the warmth of his skin seep into hers.
‘Now, sometimes I’m going to ask you to lean in the opposite direction than the one you’re going to want to, but just trust me and follow my lead, OK?’
‘I’m not very good at trusting people.’ She adjusted herself, her legs already suctioning themselves to the leather.
‘Well, this will be a great lesson, won’t it?’ Jacob shoved his helmet on and turned the key in the ignition. The bike roared into life and Olivia felt the engine vibrate through her entire body. ‘Are you ready?’ he shouted over the noise.
‘Kind of …’ She squeezed him tighter and closed her eyes.
‘Let’s do it then!’ he yelled, turning the bike around and speeding off down the path towards the ocean.