Chapter 29- I Wasn’t Pining

School on Monday couldn’t have been any less awkward that it was. I wasn’t used to having a…relationship? Or what Thomas was. And the looks of surprise of some of our peer’s faces weren’t easy to ignore either.

“Boyfriend” someone in the hallway mumbled. I blushed. Was that what Thomas was? I didn’t think so.

Sure he waited for me in the parking lot this morning and saw me into the school and even grabbed my hand, but that didn’t mean were together together. I mean, he gave me the option, but I never said one way or the other.

I was surprised by how much that bothered me. But I can’t let it show. Whatever this is between us is new and fragile and I don’t want to break it before it even goes anywhere.

He walked beside me to my locker to retrieve my books and as usual Farrah and Grace were there. They both mirrored the same looks everyone else had given us since walking through the door, but then the unexpected happened. They both lit up with big smiles on their faces.

“Good morning, Olivia!” Farrah beamed. She nodded to Thomas. “Thomas.”

“Hey,” he said.

“You two look happy this fine morning,” she said. “To what do we owe it to?”

I gave Thomas a look and smiled. “Don’t play innocent, Farrah. I know you know. Brody is your boyfriend after all. And I know you well enough to know you’ve already told Grace.”

“I know! But we just want to hear you say it. Come on. Say it with me. Thomas is…”

“Late,” he answered. “I have something I have to do this morning.” He looked at me. “See you later?”

She nodded. “Later.”

My face reddened as he leaned down to place a kiss on my lips. He only lingered there for a second then turned to my friends, smirked and walked off with a proud smile on his face. I could barely make myself look at my friends who were both grinning like idiots.

Then Sarah strode up with Lucas next to her and joined the party. “I just heard the news.” She wasn’t as obvious as everyone else, but her face told me she was happy about me and Thomas.

“News travels fast around here,” I stated, the red finally leaving my face. Although, what news that was I can’t exactly say. I need to clear up my status with Thomas ASAP. It needed to be confirmed before I told people we were dating.

“News like this…how could it not?” she said with a wink.

The warning bell rang and sent most of the hall into frenzy. Farrah turned with Grace and Sarah to disappear with everyone else, but stopped mid step and looked back at me. “You know, this calls for a celebration. Lunch today, at Blue’s. Let’s all go.”

I nodded. “Sounds perfect. Let’s do it.” I loved Blue’s.

The noise around me settled into a low into a low hum and I knew if I didn’t move now I’d be late for English where my friends were already on their way to. .

Through most of class I couldn’t pay attention, unsurprisingly. My mind was elsewhere. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where. It was only in its current state of mind after I made it through the first half of the day and met with my friend’s at Blue’s Bar and Grill for lunch.

The car ride with Thomas was full of teasing and easy banter and thankfully, nothing was weird between us. It was actually weird how easy of a transition it was from whatever we were before to… dating? Thomas grabbed my hand and walked me into the grill door. I paused quickly as his hand reached for the door. He noticed and moved us away from the door with a questioning look on his face.

“Everything okay?”

I nod. “Yeah. I just…I mean after last night…” I trailed off. Okay, get it together Olivia. I let out a long breath and met Thomas’s eyes. “The other night you said It was up to me what I wanted to be. Is that really how you feel?”

“Of course,” he confirmed.

“And you’re sure you want to do this with me. You want a relationship?”

“Liv, if I wanted a relationship with anybody it would be you.”

I cleared my throat. “But I mean, I don’t want to force you into what you’re not ready for. I mean you’d only end up resenting me later and then we wouldn’t even be friends anymore, if we even were before. And that would be-”

“Liv,” he said, interrupting my embarrassing ramble. “Be my be my girlfriend.”

I nearly lost my ability to speak. “W-what?”

“Will you be-”

“No, I got it. It’s just…I mean, are you sure?”

“More than I am about anything else,” he smiled.

My heart lifted. “Oh. Well in that case.” I leaned in and kissed him on the lips. They were warm and soft and not quite ready to release me when I pulled away. “Yes, Thomas Cavanaugh. I’d love to be your girlfriend.”

I wasn’t surprised to see we were the last ones to show up. The corner booth was already filled up with our friends, who were placing their drink orders with the waitress.

Farrah and Brody sat the end of the seat laughing at each other. Grace and Kyle and Jake sat huddle up together in chairs that closed what was the semi circle checking over the menus, while discussing some topic and across from them, next to Farrah and Brody was Sarah and Lucas looking lovingly into each other’s eyes. Both of them were smiling like a couple of love sick puppies.

There was just enough room at the end of the booth for Thomas and me to sit. He led me there and allowed me to slide into the seat first.

I’ll admit, I was surprised at his chivalry. This wasn’t a side of Thomas I was used to seeing. It was different.

“It’s about time you made it,” Brody said after placing our drink orders. He smirked, looking between Thomas and me. I blushed. “What took so long, man? Get lost in her mouth.”

I nearly choked on my spit and Farrah reached over and slapped him not so gently on the chest. “Brody.”

“What?” he asked innocently. “I mean, it’s not surprising. All he’s done for past few months is pine after her and now that he has finally has her they’re making up for lost time.” He smirked again before Thomas shot his friend a look.

“I wasn’t pining. I don’t pine.”

Brody wasn’t falling for it and called him on his BS immediately. “Whatever you say, dude. I saw you after that day at the station. All of us did. We do have eyes.”

Then Brody looks at me and tries not to laugh. “And you “oh I love him” then “oh I hate him,” he mimics in a high pitched voice.

“I didn’t…” I started, but I trialed off. I wouldn’t say we love each other, but maybe it did go down a little something like that.

“Uh huh,” he chuckles.

I glanced at Farrah and tried to hold back a laugh. “Mute your boyfriend.”

She feigned surprise. “He has a mute button?”

We laughed together, before receiving our drinks and placing our food orders. Warm tingles climbed up my back as Thomas grinned and slipped an arm around me. Did he feel it too? If so he didn’t show it.

His warm breath caressed my ear as he leaned in to mumble words into my ear. At first I was so distracted by his closeness, I didn’t hear what he said. After I mumbled and unintelligible “huh” and smirked and leaned in a little closer.

“Your mind somewhere else, babe?”

My face reddened. “It’s your fault. You’re the one who wanted to spend a little extra time in the school lot sucking face.”

He chuckled in a low rumble and his fingers traced to bare skin between my shirt and the hem of my jeans. I could feel my face going an even darker shade of red. And was it suddenly getting hot in here? I squirmed in my seat.

“You know, we could ditch these guys if you want, go somewhere else.” I could hear the flirty undertone in his voice and quickly slapped his hand away.

“We are here with our friends. You can wait an hour. It won’t kill you.”

He chuckled in my ear before pulling away, “It just might, Liv. It just might.”

After a short make out session with Thomas in the school parking lot when he dropped me off, I drove home alone. I didn’t think it was a good idea that for Thomas to start coming round yet, at least until I had a chance to tell my parents what was going on. I didn’t want to just show up with him out of nowhere. Aunt Anita was the only one who really even knew him.

I sighed at the thought. I really missed her.

Mom embraced me at the door as soon as I stepped inside and asked about my day. I told her…well most of it anyway. I wasn’t quite sure how to bring up the Thomas subject yet. I imagine all of it would come as a shock to her. And beside’s dad wasn’t there yet. I’ll tell them about my one and only boyfriend together. Dad will love that.

“Oh,” mom said, grabbing a thick, post marked envelop off the kitchen counter and handing it to me. “This came for you today. It’s from Anita. It’s probably your birthday present.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “But my birthday isn’t for another two weeks.”

Mom smiled. “You know Anita. She’s either really early for something or incredible late. Look at it as a blessing.”

That I will.

I took the package eagerly and started tearing it open to reveal its contents when a memory wiggled its self loose and made my hands stand still.

It was the day I found the necklace and put it on.

“You hold on to that for me until we see each other again. All I require is that you keep that necklace, our conversation, and your plans for the summer between us. Don’t tell anyone.”

“I promise.”

She smiled and seemed relieved all at the same time. “Good, then be looking for your ticket in your next birthday shipment from me next month. Everything you need will be there.” She helped me up off the floor and threw her arms around me. “I can’t wait to see you then.”

“What’s wrong?” My mom’s words pulled me from the memory.

“What?” I said quickly, as if I’d been caught.

Mom looked at the package. “Aren’t you going to open it?”

I shrugged. “Maybe later. I’ll take it to my room and probably open it tonight.” I needed to distract her. “First I need to tell you and dad something. When will he be home?”

It went better than I thought it would.

Mom let the present go and I told her and dad the short and heavily edited story of how I landed a boyfriend. I made sure to make Thomas look like the gentleman he always wasn’t and told them how much I liked him.

Dad handled it better than I thought. He wasn’t over the moon, but he was happy for me. Though he did swear he would be watching Thomas’s every move from now on and mom invited him over for dinner next weekend.

It could have been worse.

By the time I made my way up to my room, I was ready to open Anita’s package. I picked the thick envelope up off my dresser and carried it to my bed. As I sat down, I slowly began to tear it open.

The first thing my eyes landed on was the pictures. One of them was outside my grandparent’s house in California. In it was Anita and Andrew holding each other in a sweet embrace facing each other with the house and a green tree in the back ground.

The amount the love between them in that single picture was so startling that I sucked in a breath in surprise. I had never seen Anita look at anyone that way, not even her first husband from college. This was a side of Anita I had never seen before. It was almost like looking at a completely different person.

The next picture was just of Andrew. It was amazing how familiar he looked to me and I had never even met the man. He was handsome to be sure and he was leaned up against an old red convertible with the top rolled back. His arms were crossed and he was smiling brightly and full of life at the camera.

It was hard not to smile when he did. It was infectious.

The next picture was of a graveyard with a headstone inscribed with Andrews name in the middle. There were fresh flowers around it so it must have been taken after a recent visit. I didn’t even know him that well, but my heart hurt for him and for Anita.

Wiping at my eyes, I moved on to the other contents inside the parcel. The ticket, or I should say tickets, came next. To my surprise there were two. On top was a sticky note saying: in case you need a friend.

That was nice.

Then the last thing I pulled out off the envelope was a gift card to Forever 21 and a small note.

Buy yourself something nice, you deserve it. You only turn 18 once!

-Love, Anita.

I flipped over the back of the card and nearly gasped. An amount I wasn’t expecting greeted my eyes. What was Anita thinking? This was too much. This definitely topped anything I’d ever gotten from her in the previous years.

I stared to get up and put the envelope in the trash but realized I’d missed something else inside. It was a postcard type picture of a beautiful beach house. It was definitely a professional photo meant to show off this house's beauty.

I flipped it over and on the back of the picture it said:

Rented us a beach house for the summer. Don’t forget your swimsuit!

Anita had really gone all out. Not only for my birthday, but for the trip as well. I wasn’t sure what the summer was going to hold for me. But I was sure it was going to be amazing no matter what. Possibly the best one I would ever have.

I guess that means one thing. California here I come!

Though one question still remains. Who am I going to take with me on this trip?

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A/N

Helloooooo! Is anyone out there?

Wow. This feels so strange to me now. I haven’t updated in forever. Sorry about that. It seems I have found a new hobby. In all the time that I’ve been away from Wattpad I have found a love for blogging, BookTube and Goodreads. I spend A LOT more time reading now (off Wattpad). I’ve even started reading a few ARCS (Advance Reader Copies) and reviewing brand new books! I have found a new passion and it seems that it has taken me away from Wattpad. For that I’m sorry, but I still love my new hobby.

This is next to the last chapter of this book. Only one more left! I’m still trying to plan everything for the sequel of this book, where Olivia goes to California with her Aunt. I have a plot and even the first few chapters planned out. I won’t post them though until I have five or more written up so you guys won’t have to wait so long on updates.

Anyway, that’s about all the news I have. I’ll try working on the last update on the story tomorrow and get it up as quick as I can. My work schedule is kind of crazy so I don’t know what the week will hold for me yet. That’s about the best I can do right now. Sorry guys.

If you want to check out what I’ve been reading, find the links to my blog and Goodreads page on my profile page. I love talking books with you guys.

Well, hope you enjoyed the chapter guys! Until next time…

This chapter was unedited.