8 - An intimate conversation

Startled at the unexpected question, Adam stumbled over his next words.

Misunderstanding his lack of answer as implied consent, Olivia brought up her phone immediately.

"I might know someone who can help us... If we call the police-" she began rambling, her hands trembling.

Talking her hands into his and placing her phone into his pocket, Adam could only keep repeating that she was mistaken as a means of reassurance.

It turned out that calming down a girl who thought you had sold your kidney was an eye catching sight.

So when passersby began giving the pair strange looks, Adam had no choice but to board a taxi heading back to his place with Olivia in tow.

***

Adam didn't comprehend the full weight of his actions after he had to sit Olivia on his couch and head back outside to the nearest supermarket for supplies.

He didn't still grasp it when he bought a bunch of toiletries, snacks, and beverages for the duo.

It was at the moment of stepping into his new apartment, for the third time that day, he suddenly realized how rather than escort Olivia back to her place or to a general area, he had taken the girl who he probably was in love with back to his apartment.

Entering the living room, he saw Olivia with her back turned to him, tracing her fingers on the counter separating his kitchen from the main space.

Her demeanor wasn't rushed or panicking. It had gone back to the gentle and elegant manner she always had around her.

Adam found himself standing behind her before he realized he should probably call out to her instead of sneaking up.

"Olivia"

Vibrating like an electric jolt had coursed through her body, Olivia spun and jumped backwards at the same time— forgetting that the counter was directly behind her.

Which led to an awkward situation where she banged her waist at the edge of the counter and bounced back into the arms of Adam who was about to catch her.

There was a pause on both sides before the two red faced youths suddenly separated.

Still feeling the sensation of Olivia's waist on his palms, Adam had to clear his throat multiple times before he could formulate a sentence.

"Hmph! You sneaked up on me. You vile thieving man" recovering faster, Olivia said. Her voice sounding both offended and amused.

Adam could only raise some of the snacks he bought as a means of response.

And that was how the duo found themselves silently seated shoulder to shoulder on the couch eating from a single bag of chips.

"Don't lie to me, how are you able to afford this place?" after some minutes of talking about trivial and casual things, Olivia couldn't act like she wasn't curious about the place.

Since the death of his parents when he was age four, Adam could count the number of people who truly showed him kindness and saw him as a human being on one hand.

And the person seated next to him would be in the top two of that list. So he didn't want to lie but he also couldn't tell her about the system.

'It all comes down to how much I can trust her.'

And while Adam knew how he felt about her, he didn't know much about Olivia to warrant trusting her with something that was life changing.

"If I tell you, will you also tell me about yourself? Or probably why you earlier reacted that way?" he could only say.

Hesitating for a moment, she gave him a small smile of affirmation.

"I won the lottery,” he lied, “about seven hundred thousand dollars.”

“That is great. Marvelous even.” Olivia seemed to glow as she smiled happily. “Don't gamble and don't spend lavishly. The money would be enough to keep you steady while you leave your current jobs and search for a better one.”

Then raising herself to kneel on the couch, she scanned the apartment once again. Adam thought she was about to compliment his taste or the place so he was already smiling. Instead she-

“Why did you get this apartment, it's too large for a single person. If you keep on paying rent for the place, the entire money would finish quickly.”

Adam gave a small laugh at her actions. She didn't seem like the type of person who would want designer bags and clothing, but he was glad she actually wasn't like that.

“It's just as a celebration. I actually got it for cheap.”

“Really?”

“Really. I wouldn't lie to you.” he felt a pang of guilt at the irony of saying that when he was already lying to her.

Staring into his eyes for what felt like a long time, Adam felt awkward.

“So,” sitting back on the couch, Olivia dipped her hands into the bag. “What do you want to know about me?”

“Everything.”

“Well, 'everything' is vague but I'll try. I'm a year younger than you which places me at 23. I work multiple jobs though not as much as you.” her hands came out of the bag empty so Adam had to place a new bag between them.

Giving him a smile of gratitude, she continued, “ I've been disowned by my family because they do not agree with my life path.”

“What was your choice?” he couldn't help but ask. They had talked a bit before so while he knew about her work history and age, being disowned was new to him.

“I don't really accept the way most of my family did things. The breaking point was when they wanted to marry me off to someone for money.” her voice was calm and gentle as if she wasn't talking about herself. “I obviously said no. They got angry with me and gave an ultimatum. Told them to bash their heads on a wall and walked out of the place. It's been five years.”

Not knowing how to respond to what she said, Adam could only pull her closer. His arms round her shoulder.

“You asked me why I reacted the way I did, I've seen someone try to repay his debts so he sold some organs. The surgeon didn't work so there were some complications after a week and the man died.”

“I'm not sure I would act that way for another person but it was you.” leaving the sentence hanging, Adam was about to ask for clarification before she continued, “I've seen you struggle, Adam Wilson. I don't want to see you destroy your life. If you need help, I can always assist.”

Looking into each other's eyes at such a close distance, Adam could feel Olivia's breath on his face and her heartbeat or was it his?

Ding!

An notification broke through the silence of the night, causing both of them to separate.

It was from a text from one of his bosses from his delivery part time job, firing him for not coming to work that day.

‘Fuck! Couldn't he have sent this earlier today. Or even an hour from now.’

Glancing from the screen, Adam felt the moment where he could have kissed Olivia had passed.

“It is getting late and there wouldn't be any cab in the area. Is your bed comfortable?”

Still cursing at his former boss in his heart, Adam told her that there was a premium taxi service that ran till midnight and advices her to get it.

It wouldn't be till some weeks later that Adam will realize Olivia wanted to sleep at his place.