29. Leo
29
LEO
I place the heavy box on the coffee table, and Sully puts another one next to it. Then he pats me on the shoulder and turns to leave.
“Thanks for the support today,” I say, hoping I’m not slurring. We had a few too many martinis, and it doesn’t help how exhausted I am. “You and Tonya were a big help. It was a blast hanging out like old times.”
He turns and fixes his intense gaze on me. “I know it was hard for you to look at all that stuff, but it was hard for us too. We all have great memories of Corey. They shouldn’t be forgotten and placed in a box somewhere gathering dust.” He’s out the door before I can respond.
Ouch. As quiet as Sully is, when he does speak, it hits deep. And he’s absolutely right. Corey deserves to be remembered. It wasn’t my intention to forget him. It was too difficult to look at things we worked nonstop for. A constant reminder of what could’ve been. Where would we be now? Would I have met Olive?
Like Sully said, it was great looking through the boxes with him and Tonya. Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten that they were close to him too. We laughed until we cried and cried until we laughed. I found the hard drive where I’d downloaded all our videos, blog entries, and pictures. Tonya ran to her office and brought back her computer. Then she made us fresh cosmopolitans to give us strength to view what was on there. We didn’t get through half of the stuff.
While watching videos of our travels, I got an idea of how I can show Olive who I used to be. It’ll also give her the chance to know Corey. I’m not scheduled to leave for another five days, so I’ll prepare what I need and take it with me. Sometimes technology really is your friend.
I drag myself upstairs and change into my sleep pants and T-shirt. My bed is calling, but I want to talk to Olive before I pass out. I’m dying to hear how things went with her mom. I huff as I realize I left my phone downstairs. I trot down and slide it off the table. The screen lights up with a message from Olive. She wants to talk too.
I make it back upstairs and sit on the bed with my back against the headboard. I press the video-call button, and she answers immediately. Her beautiful face fills the screen and my body buzzes with happiness and longing.
“Hey, beautiful,” I purr. “It’s good to see your face.”
A sweet smile curves her lips. “Hi, handsome,” she replies, moving around in what looks like the kitchen.
“Whatcha doing?”
“Making some chamomile tea. I’ll need something to help me sleep since you won’t be here to wrap around me like a koala bear.” She pouts, making me want to suck on her lower lip.
“I want to see your apartment. Give me a tour.” Her eyes narrow. “I’m serious.”
She spends the next few minutes explaining the spacious place to me as she goes room to room. It’s not what I expected. I thought it’d be cozier, but it seems cold in a way. Maybe it reflects her personality in the past. There are no bright colors or pictures on the walls. It’s like she didn’t care about her surroundings, except she’s home most of the time. Maybe I’m wrong—I guess it could be the lighting.
“And that’s it. Nothing special. I like your cottage better. I noticed how sad and boring my place is when I came back today. It’s bland and impersonal. Almost like a furnished temporary apartment.”
“Hmmm.” I was right . “Maybe you can brighten it up with something. Maybe pictures on the walls?” My mind fast-forwards to the future I want right now, and I imagine buying pictures together for the walls in our new home.
“It looks like you’re on your bed. I’ll do the same, and then we can pretend we’re in bed together. Let me grab my tea.”
“Sounds good to me.” I wait until she gets comfortable and props her phone up so she’s hands free. She has cute powder-blue pajamas on, and her hair is in a messy bun like mine.
“Okay. I’m ready, Freddie.” Her smile stretches across her face. “My very own Freddie Mercury. You can sing me to sleep.”
“I would if you wanted me to.”
Her face softens, and she looks fucking adorable. “Really? I’d love to hear your voice again. But only when you’re ready.”
“I need to practice a little first. How did it go with your mom?”
Her smile dims. “It ended with her leaving and slamming the door behind her. And she was only here maybe ten minutes.”
I jerk my head back in shock. “I didn’t expect that.”
“It is what it is. It wasn’t realistic to expect that she’d be happy to see me when I left the way I did.” She sips her tea and lowers the cup.
“Tell me what happened and don’t leave anything out.” Anger toward her mother bubbles under the surface when she unloads everything. It’s hard for me to be neutral since I’ve never met her.
“And that’s how it ended. Her slamming the door. I don’t know what my next move will be. I’m too exhausted to think about it right now. Some cutie kept me awake last night. Our sexy night has been on replay.”
“It was fun, though.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “Sleep would be nice, but I’d rather talk to you.”
“Me too.” We gaze at each other with lovesick grins. She perks up, pulling us from the moment. “Hey, what was with the martinis?”
I tell her about my short but heartfelt conversation with Sully and what led us to my mom’s attic.
“I’m proud of you. Are you glad you did it?”
“Definitely. It hurt like hell, but we had fun reminiscing too, which helped balance the mood. We realized how long it had been since we really hung out together. Not hiding or holding anything back. I still have a ton of stuff to go through…lots more boxes at my aunt’s. But enough of that for tonight. Tell me something good.”
“Let’s see. I ate junk for dinner. I’ll resume my health kick tomorrow.”
“Don’t be losing your perfect curves. You know how much I love them.” I’d do anything to glide my hands over her gorgeous body right now.
She points at the phone. “Don’t be giving me that look. It’s not fair when I’m not in the same room as you. Focus on me.”
“That’s what I’m doing. I can’t help that I’m addicted to you,” I whine. “I miss your lips.”
She pretends to kiss the screen. “Poor baby. Anyway, I spoke to my brother. I can’t wait till you meet him. I think you’ll get along really well. Did I ever tell you he’s the one who came up with Amazon’s Super Bowl ad this year? He works for a popular ad agency.”
“No. How cool is that?” I buzz.
“He’s having a Super Bowl party in San Francisco and asked me to come.”
“That’s awesome. Did you say yes? I’d be all over that.”
“I haven’t visited him since he moved there. It seems like the perfect time to do it.” She bites her lower lip and looks shy suddenly.
“What’s up? Is there something else?”
“Um. Any chance you can sneak in a trip to watch the Super Bowl with us? I don’t remember where you’ll be in the world at that time. I think it’s on the second Sunday in February this year.”
“Very tempting.” Of course I’m going to go. “Maybe I can switch things around. I’ll let you know. If it works out, we’ll get to see each other sooner than we planned. You’re gone less than a day and I can’t stand not physically seeing or touching you. It’s fucking tough.”
“I know, sexy. When it gets hard for us, we need to remember the endgame. The. End. Game.”
I scratch my head. “Endgame. Hmm. And what is that again?”
“You and me. Together. Forever. Ring a bell?” she quips. “Or am I talking to someone else?”
“Ah, that endgame. My bad. I thought you were talking about the Avengers.”
She gives me the stink eye. “Such a smart-ass. I think you could make me laugh while I sleep.”
“I’d rather you scream my name instead. Wait. That sounds wrong. Screaming, but not while you’re asleep. Grr . You know what I mean.” My sexiness has gone out the window.
“You act like you’re sex starved. Last night should’ve held you over for a little while.” She moves her phone to a pillow next to her, then curls up under the covers, facing me. She fell asleep like this last night, and I stayed up a bit longer to watch her peaceful face. It hits me again how in love I am with her. It’s mind-blowing.
I slip under the covers too. Once I’m comfortable on my side and my head is propped on my own pillow, I murmur, “I want to fall asleep with you on the phone. Can we do that? It’s the closest thing to sleeping together.”
Her eyes dance with elation. “I’ll take whatever I can get. I might not feel you, but I can hear and see you. It’s good enough for now.”
My eyelids become heavy and sleep is about to take me over when she whispers, “You make it easy to fall in love with you.” When darkness takes over, I’m grinning like I have a special secret.
* * *
I woke up a few minutes ago to find my phone dead. While the coffee brews and the phone charges on the table, I brainstorm a song to pair with the first video clip I’ll send to Olive. It has to be motivational and also a song I love. The video clip will be part of our first dance recital. Olive will get a kick out of that.
I prepare my coffee and head over to the couch with my laptop. My eyes scan the cottage, and I want to smack myself. I criticized Olive’s apartment for being bland and impersonal. My place doesn’t lack color, but it looks exactly like what it is—a hotel cottage. I don’t have personal items around either. If Mom said I couldn’t stay here anymore, all I’d have to do is grab my suitcase and leave. There’s nothing of mine here to pack up. Nobody would know I’d been there.
What a depressing way to live. No permanent residence, no personal items except for the clothes in my suitcase. That isn’t living. It’s past time for a change.
It took one person to make me disappear, and it took one person to bring me back to life.
I pick up my phone and see I have a message from Olive. And what does that make me do? Smile. Not an ordinary one. It’s one that lights up not only my face but my entire body as if I’ve had several espressos. I click on the message.
Olive: Aren’t you the cutest?
It’s a video, and I snort when I see what it is. She’s filmed me sleeping. I zoom in to check if I was drooling or talking in my sleep. It’s hard to see because of the lighting. I chuckle again. I’d probably have done the same thing if she’d fallen asleep first.
Time to create my video clip and song.