Olivia unlocked the door to her father\u2019s condo, stepping inside first. Thomas followed her in and I came in behind, carrying his duffle bag. I was still worried that Thomas might actually break in half if he even tried to lift it.<\/p>\n
I put the duffle bag down in the middle of the living room and stood up, straightening my flannel shirt. Olivia smiled at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, so my dad said he was going to stay at the office, so one of you could sleep in his bed and the other out here on the sofa bed.\u201d She offered, removing her coat and hanging it on the coat rack.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll sleep out here.\u201d I replied. \u201cI\u2019ve already been sleeping in this bed.\u201d I shrugged lightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d Thomas asked. \u201cI don\u2019t mind sleeping on the pull-out.\u201d He shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright. I mean, sleeping on the floor is better than a prison bed.\u201d I shrugged with a smirk.<\/p>\n
Olivia shot me a worried look, and Thomas smiled lightly and sympathetically.<\/p>\n
\u201cUmm\u2026\u201d Olivia interrupted, breaking the uncomfortable silence. \u201cAre you boys hungry? I could make a pizza or something for you.\u201d She offered. \u201cOr Thomas if you want to shower or anything, it\u2019s right down the hall.\u201d She motioned with her right hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019m okay.\u201d Thomas shrugged. \u201cI showered before I left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m kind of hungry.\u201d I spoke up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else is new?\u201d Olivia teased.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I could probably eat too.\u201d Thomas pushed his glasses up on his nose.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d Olivia smiled happily.<\/p>\n
Ordinarily, I would have felt bad about asking someone to cook for me, but I knew how much Olivia loved cooking.<\/p>\n
I clapped Thomas on the shoulder. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we watch TV? I bet we can find a football game on.\u201d I teased.<\/p>\n
\u201cFantastic.\u201d Thomas rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n
We managed to find an old black and white science fiction movie about over-sized ants. Olivia brought us cans of coke and continued working on whipping up a pizza.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you need help? Can I do anything?\u201d I offered.<\/p>\n
Olivia smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s okay. I\u2019m almost done.\u201d<\/p>\n
I watched Olivia layer the ingredients on the dough she\u2019d made and boil the kettle to make herself tea.<\/p>\n
She smiled at me. \u201cI was just thinking we should probably go to bed early tonight. Dad is going to spend a great deal of tomorrow going over the depositions and what\u2019s going to happen on Friday. I think he\u2019s right that we should be as prepared as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood idea.\u201d Thomas agreed. \u201cThe last thing I want is to say something stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t even thought of the possibility of saying something stupid. Now there was a new fear resonating in my stomach.<\/p>\n
I picked up my can of coke and took a long drink.<\/p>\n
\u201cPizza should be ready in about fifteen minutes.\u201d She announced. She crossed the room to the chair I was sitting in and slid onto my lap. I wrapped my arms around her waist.<\/p>\n
Thomas yawned tiredly, not taking his eyes off the television.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow is going to be a long day.\u201d Olivia mused. \u201cWe should probably go to bed early.\u201d She mused.<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cYeah. I\u2019m not really looking forward to it\u2026 or the day after. I am especially dreading Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas straightened up. \u201cI think you have a pretty good shot at getting all of this taken care of. When Olivia\u2019s dad called it sounded like he had everything worked out. He sounded positive that you were going to beat this whole situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
I drew in a deep breath. \u201cGod, I hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n
The timer went off on the oven and Olivia got up quickly. \u201cThe pizza is done.\u201d She announced. \u201cWho\u2019s hungry?\u201d She moved into the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Thomas chuckled. \u201cDo you even have to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia laughed sweetly. \u201cNo, probably not.\u201d She set to work slicing the pizza, placing two large pieces on plates.<\/p>\n
I followed Thomas into the kitchen and took the plate that Olivia handed me.<\/p>\n
Thomas plopped down at the dining table, and I followed suit.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not eating?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Olivia shook her head. \u201cStill full from dinner.\u201d She smiled. \u201cYou boys go ahead and eat, though. There\u2019s plenty of pizza left too, if you\u2019re still hungry. If you don\u2019t mind, I think I\u2019m going to take a bath. Do you need anything before I go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is great, Liv. Thanks.\u201d I smirked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, this pizza is delicious.\u201d Thomas said between ravenous bites.<\/p>\n
I took another bite of my own pizza.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo problem.\u201d Olivia smiled. \u201cI\u2019m happy to do it. And it\u2019s great to have two people to test my new recipes on\u2026 especially when those two people will eat anything.\u201d She teased.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it tastes like this, I\u2019ll eat anything.\u201d Thomas shrugged.<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, call me if you need anything.\u201d Olivia announced before heading down the hall. A minute or so later, the water started running for her bath.<\/p>\n
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~<\/p>\n
After the movie ended, Thomas stood and decided he was going to bed. Olivia had been falling asleep in the chair and tiredly went off to her bed as well.<\/p>\n
I removed the cushions from the sofa slowly, and carefully stacked the sofa cushions against the wall.<\/p>\n
I deliberately took my time, knowing that I probably wouldn\u2019t get much sleep.<\/p>\n
I changed into my pajamas and made the bed; stacking the pillows at the top and folding back the blankets.<\/p>\n
I glanced at the pile of dishes in the sink, and decided to wash them. Olivia had cooked a snack for Thomas and I, the least I could do was to wash the dishes.<\/p>\n
Before I knew it, the dishes were washed, dried and put away. I raked my hands through my hair, and decided I\u2019d better at least try and get some sleep. I clicked off all of the lights and blindly crept across the room to the pull out sofa. I climbed into bed, kicking off all of the blankets.<\/p>\n
I was almost entirely sure that it was my imagination, but the condo felt like an inferno. I felt like I was sweating buckets.<\/p>\n
I dropped back against the pillows with a huge, heavy sigh. I shut my eyes and tried to sleep.<\/p>\n
I slept off and on, but never drifting into full relaxation. I tossed and turned until the sun came up. Once the light shining through the windows became too bright to withstand, I got up and put on the first pot of coffee.<\/p>\n