The drive to Olivia’s dad’s house was quiet. Olivia had the radio on, but it was on low. There were crappy pop songs playing on the radio, but I hardly paid attention.
She pulled the car into the parking garage, driving in circles through the parking garage until she got to the third level. She pulled into a parking space expertly and turned off the car.
“Home sweet home.” She sighed, smiling lightly.
“Great.” I climbed out of the passenger’s seat and met her at the back of the vehicle. She opened the hatch back trunk and we sorted through the various bags that belonged to her.
I carried most of her shopping bags, to the elevator. Once inside, she pressed the button.
It seemed to take ages before we finally reached the seventeenth floor.
The elevator doors opened and Olivia stepped out. She was already rummaging through her key ring in search of the door key.
I’d never actually been this far into the Phil Tower. The hallways were decorated with thick pristine carpet, and the walls were covered with demure striped wallpaper. It looked like a fancy hotel, not a posh condo.
We were barely a few steps from the elevator when Olivia stopped.
“Here we are. Seventeen A.” Olivia announced. She unlocked the door and let me inside. She turned on a light and I gaped at the apartment. First of all it was huge. Second of all it was like something out of a magazine. There was a large marble and wood fireplace with a massive TV above it. The sofas looked like no one had ever sat in them, and there wasn’t a single thing out of place, even in the open kitchen.
“Holy shit.” I mused.
Olivia sighed. “Pretentious, huh? That chandelier hanging over the dining room table could feed a third world country for a month. I really wish my dad could understand that. I mean, he’s barely even here. If his office had a bed and a TV he would live there, I’m sure.”
I looked past the rooms and to the large windows which covered the one wall.
“Come on,” Olivia chirped. “My bedroom is this way.” She started through the living room and into a short, wide hallway. She slid open the first door to reveal a room painted in a soft shade of green. The bed was large and took up most of one wall. The room was very sparsely decorated, with just the bed, two nightstands and a sliding closet door. There were two entrances to her bedroom, both matching sliding doors. Olivia had put her suitcases in front of one door.
Olivia placed her bags on the bed. “See? My room. It’s impersonal, but kind of cute.” She smiled lightly.
Here, she seemed to be making the best of a bad situation; just like me when I was at home.
I placed her shopping bags neatly on the bed and moved toward the nightstand. There was a framed picture of a young couple with a smiling, dimpled little girl. Her hair was dark chocolate ringlets. She looked like an angel.
“Oh, don’t look at that!” Olivia reached for the picture, determined to take it out of my hands. “That’s so embarrassing!”
I held it at arms length. “Why not? Is cute! Is that you?”
Olivia nodded. “Yes. Those are my parents too, before they split up. I don’t think I’ve seen them in the same room together since that picture was taken.” She sighed.
“You look like your mom.” I mused.
Olivia smiled. “Funny, most people tell me I look like my dad.”
I put one arm around Olivia and put the picture back on the nightstand. I placed my other arm around her too, holding her gently.
Olivia sighed softly. “We should go. I’ll just change quickly and we’ll be on our way, okay? I do not want to be late for dinner at your place.”
“Or…” I suggested, placing a kiss in her hair. “We could tell them we’re stuck somewhere, stay here and order a pizza.” I suggested.
Olivia laughed. “That’s not very nice.”
“Sorry.” I slowly released her. “I’ll go wait in the living room, okay?”
Olivia smiled and nodded.
I left her room, sliding the door shut so I wouldn’t be tempted to peek. I flopped down in an insanely comfortable arm chair and waited patiently.
I definitely liked this apartment. It was very modern, and had all of the essentials, without the unnecessary items like throw pillows.
There was a small desk set up in the living room with a huge stack of papers and a laptop computer. There was a bookcase that was completely overloaded with books. Clearly her dad did a lot of work, even when he was at home.
Olivia had clearly done some shopping. There was a bowl on the counter that was overflowing with various fruits. Some of them I didn’t even recognize. There was organic, whole wheat bread neatly placed on the counter.
A huge art piece that looked as though it cost more than my parent’s entire house and everything in it hung over the small circular dining room table. There was a long, low bar stocked with what I could only assume were expensive wines.
I rubbed my sweating palms over the legs of my jeans. Suddenly I was nervous. I’d never brought a girl home to my parents before. I was wondering if I could smuggle out one of the bottles of wine when Olivia appeared.
She was wearing a pair of nice, faded jeans that hugged her curves perfectly. She had on a while flowery blouse that had flowers printed around the neckline. There was elastic just under the bust, making the bottom half look loose and billowy. Her hair was still the same but her make up had been touched up. It was muted and understated, just the right amount to enhance her natural beauty.
She was breathtaking.
“Wow.” I breathed.
Olivia made a worried face. “Is it too much? I want to seem casual, but still be impressive, you know? I’ve never really met a boyfriend’s parents before… well, mostly because I’ve never really had a proper boyfriend before. I just want to make a good impression.”
“You look great. They’re going to love you.” I mused.
Olivia smiled, crossing the room and sliding into my lap. “I was thinking about your pizza suggestion… maybe one night while I’m here we could just have a night in. We could rent some movies and hang out… I’ll make you a pizza too if you want.” She smiled.
“That sounds great.” I agreed, wrapping my arms around her.
She smiled. “Oh, that reminds me. I should bring my recipe books to your house? It might be helpful for cooking dinner.”
“Sure. My mom likes cooking too so she’ll probably be really excited to see it.”
Olivia drew in a deep breath. “Okay. Should we get going?”
“Sure, whenever you’re ready.” I shrugged lightly.
Olivia sighed, wrapping her arms around my neck loosely. She laid her head on my shoulder, and sat there for several moments. I sat distracted and surrounded by her scent and her presence.
After what seemed like only seconds, Olivia lifted her head from my shoulder. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.” She grinned, climbing from my lap.
I sighed. “Alright. Brace yourself.” I mused.
Olivia playfully swatted my arm. “They can’t be that bad!” She insisted.
“You’ll see.” I replied.
Olivia shook her head.
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