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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
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Falling Just as Hard CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
OLIVIAI had turned down dinner with him because it felt too much, he was doing way more than I thought it would and it bothered me. Being indebted to him for staying the house in his place was more than enough for me. Making me dinner was something too much to handle, and I don’t want to fill like I’m owing him so much. Soon I’ll think of how to leave here and start over on my own. I can’t stay with him forever, nor do I intend to. That would be mooching off him and I don’t do that. Not when it was what Jake’s father had actively accused me of doing to Jake. I need to be my own person now and not depend on others. I had only myself now. I let my back hit the door from the position on the floor. Hearing him walk away from my door when I turned down dinner hurt even when it should not. I’ve only known him a couple hours and he was walking me feel this way. My stomach hurts like hell for being empty for too long but it was a small price to pay for having a roof over my head right no
Falling Just as Hard CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
OLIVIAHe stands there transfixed, trying to understand what I was talking about. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose in order to gather myself. I point behind me. “Your parents, they’re in there. And your mother is somehow convinced that I’m your secret girlfriend that you’ve been keeping away from here.” The laughter that engulfs him lets me know that this was a normal behaviour for her. Which would make sense because Mac told me of how she was always trying to set him up with different girls. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. My mother can be a lot especially when it’s something that concerns me.” He steps through the threshold and dumps his gym bag at the door, probably to clean it up before keeping it where it’s supposed to be. “It’s fine,” I say from behind him as we walk to the kitchen. “She’s a lovely one.” And he should be happy to have someone like her as a mother. I didn’t have anyone to encourage me to date girls or anything. There was no one urging me to go ou
Falling Just as Hard CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
OLIVIA Of course I had to work for sweet old Rachel. I can only call her that in my head because she looks like she’ll really bite my head off if I so much as suggest her growing age. It’s obvious she takes a great care of herself from how she still looks younger than the age I estimated for her in my head. Happiness can do that you, I muse. It had this way of brightening up your day and everything that is around you. It made your heart lighter and less full with worries. Watching Mac and his family together made me appreciate the love hey so obviously shared between themselves. But it also made me wonder if my family could have been like this if we ended up together. Or would we have been one of those viscous ones that looked for how to bring each other down at any slightest turn. My bet was on the latter. A couple filled with love like Rachel and Peter would never abandon their child, ever, no matter the circumstances. I must have been something vile when they had given birth
Falling Just as Hard CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
OLIVIA We spent more time after we did the dishes before Rachel announced that they had to drop in and visit an old friend whose daughter had just put to bed the previous week. She was so excited that you’d think it was her daughter that gave birth. “That’s how she is,” Mac explained as we walked them to the door. “She gets so happy when she sees children.” “Do you have other siblings? You guys must be many,” I say but his expression turns dark before he forces himself to smile again. “No, it’s just me.” He moves forward and opens the door for them. It’s pretty obvious that there’s a story there, why a woman who loves children has just one child would be a sad story. “Olivia darling, I’m going to miss you,” she says and pulls me into a hug. “You can get my number from Mac, make sure to call me so we can put the final details on your job.” She pulls away from the hug but doesn’t let go of my hand. “When do you want to start? Next week okay for you?”I shake my head. “I’d like to s
Falling Just as Hard CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
OLIVIAThere are no words to express exactly how I feel at the moment. All I can say is that my heart does a strange flip before proceeding to beat faster than it ever has. A strange feeling carries its warmth past my heart and settles deep in my stomach. Home, my entire body screams but I don’t wait to hear the explanation it has for this peculiar reaction. I focus instead on watching the building we drive past and trying to commit it to memory. I’ve never been on this side of the city so it will need some getting used to before I can move around all on my own. There’s a park just down the street with an ice cream and pop corn stand. Mac must notice how my eyes linger there until he turns down another street which cuts it completely from my view. “We can stop by on our way back.” I turn my torso to look at him. “Really?” A short glance and a smile. “Really.” I relax into my seat. Looking forward to it much more than the aspect of shopping. I don’t wait for Mac to open the door
Falling Just as Hard CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
OLIVIA My head is resting on the window and watching the blurry images of the buildings that Mac speeds by. With the way he’s relaxed I can tell that the incident back at the store has brought this air of intimacy between us. Not the kind between people in relationships, but the feeling where you know the other party understands you and will always be there for you. Maybe always was stretching it a bit too much. Yes, he helped me back there with the woman because I genuinely don’t know how I could have maneuvered that situation on my own. Anyway he has literally being helping me since he met me for the first time but it was a bit too soon that this was a forever kind of thing. Besides once I get back back on my feet, I plan to leave the country and start over completely in a place where no one knows me. Where I can’t be reminded of the pain in my past. My head goes up when I realize the car has stopped but we’re not back at his apartment. I look at him as he takes off his seat b
Falling Just as Hard CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
OLIVIA All my life I’ve never felt genuinely needed by another until now. It’s something that makes my heart explode with joy and the feeling of being important to another human being. It makes me want to go back to the past and find his sister for him, or at least find out where she is so I can assure Mac that she is fine something. An idea clicks in my heart. I’ve been thinking of ways I could repay Mac and his family for all the things they’ve done for me. This could be it. With time I can save and help them find their long lost daughter, she was the one that mattered the most to them. My heart is bent on this even though I had no idea how I was going to push through to make it happen. Mac and his parents with all their money haven’t been able to find him so what chances did I have? Maybe sheer will and the gnawing need to do this for them. I can’t imagine having a family somewhere that was looking for me and I wouldn’t know. Years ago I had believed that it was my case, that
Falling Just as Hard CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
OLIVIAMac stays blinking up at me like he hadn’t heard me right. It’s a lot to process so I give him all the time that he needs. “What do you mean you are…” he can’t even get himself to say it. I mean I’m aware that a lot of people out there have a thing against gays, some have made nasty comments about it regarding me in the past but it didn’t matter then. Because I didn’t care about anyone or whatever biased opinion they have of me. With Mac though, I hate the judgement I see in his eyes. It makes me wonder if he would have saved me back then in the bus station if he knew then that I was gay. “It can’t be, it doesn’t make any sense,” he says ad stands up from the tool. I stay rooted in my position. “Are you regretting saving me now?” I ask quietly. He turns to me with a furious look. “Why will you even ask that? What has you being gay got to do with saving you?” “It’s as plain as day that you have a thing against me being gay. Are you going to tell your parents?” the question
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