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Disclaimer on chapter 1.
Chapter 24.
"I would if I could But I can't, so I don't My heart breaks to easy My world gets all jumbled" -Regina Spektor
Olivia had to look away. `You should be enjoying this.' She peeped into Olli's bedroom window another time, to make sure she hadn't just imagined it. She hadn't. To Olivia's astonishment, there, on Olli's bed, sat Henriette. She had one slender hand on her mouth and the other was clenching a gray bedspread.
Henriette's body was shaking lightly in short spurts. Through the thick glass of the window, Olivia could hear no sounds coming from the woman. She was quite sure though, that if she were on the other side of the glass, the sounds would undoubtedly be audible.
Henriette was crying. Olivia was staring. "What are you doing up there?" Olli's voice startled Olivia and her legs shook slightly against the metal ladder. She strained her neck as she tried to look down at him.
"Olli? What happened in there?" Olivia pointed to the window; her eyes, still on her cousin. "I'll tell you when you get down!" Olli was both amused and worried for her. Olivia took one last look at her tearful aunt, and then slowly started to descend the ladder.
The grumpy girl grumbled and whined the whole way down, before taking hold of Olli's waiting hands, and tentatively stepping onto the icy ground. "Your hands are freezing!" Olli told her, as he rubbed his together so they'd regain their once warmer temperature.
"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed." Olivia's voice was thick with sarcasm, as she slipped her high heels onto her frozen feet. She watched Christian pull Olli's hands to his face and blow on them twice, before sweetly kissing them.
"I'm glad you're having a good time, because I'm certainty not! I've been freezing my ass off for hours, with no word from you two! Christian, why the hell didn't you text me back?"
Christian faintly heard the end of Olivia's little speech, and without giving the girl his undivided attention, he answered. "I had my phone turned off. We were in the middle of something...sorry." Olivia didn't like the sound of Christian's half-assed apology and wasn't going to give up, until she got the heartfelt one she deserved.
"Why were you outside for hours?" Olli asked, as Christian hugged him from behind. Olivia's face told Olli that his question had enraged her inner-beast. "Where the HELL else would I be?!" "Christian's car." Olli answered her question quickly, as Christian yawned in the background.
"He's had the keys the whole time you were..." Olivia looked the boys up and down with an angry, yet semi-intrigued face. "...doing whatever you were doing!"
"I left the car unlocked for you. I thought I told you that." Christian sounded a little crabby, as he was pretty tired and Olivia's loudening voice wasn't making him feel...chipper.
"What? So I didn't have to spend my night, fighting for my life out here?" Olivia's voice shook sadly as realization set in. Christian rolled his eyes. "Come here." Olli said in a soft tone, as he scooped his ice cube-like cousin into his caring arms, for a hug.
"We should start loading up the car, before the weather gets worse." Olivia glared at Christian, when his appropriate statement interrupted her lovely hug. Olli rubbed his cousin's goosebump filled arms and said, "Yeah, why don't we get you into the car and Christian and I will pack it up, while you rest. I'll even bring you out a nice, warm blanket." Olivia agreed because she liked the idea of being taken care of.
"Hey! I just realized...are you moving out or something?" Olivia had been so wrapped up in her self-involved thoughts, that the idea of Olli leaving his home hadn't even crossed her mind. "Yup!" Olli was smiling, but felt the ever present ache.
"With him?" Olivia was jealous. She wanted Olli all to herself, and now that he was finally back in her life, Christian threatened to take him away again. "We actually haven't gotten that far yet." Olli tried to avoid looking at Christian. "You can stay with me if you want."
`Did Christian just ask me to live with him?' Olli panicked and said a lot of nothing, in a little amount of time. "What? NO...I mean...sorry, but...we...It's just, um...no...thanks though...I'm sure I can fin..." "Come on! It'll be great! My dad's job has him out of town for a while. You can take Gregor's room...no funny stuff...I promise."
Christian's face was full of hope, as he crossed his heart with his fingers and offered his most enticing smile. Olli blushed at Christian's eagerness. Olivia butted in. "Or you can stay with me! I can ask Aunt Charlie. I'm sure she'd love to have you around. She asked about you, you know. She was sorry she missed you the last time we hung out. There's even an extra room. It's right down the hall from mine! Come on, Olli...please?"
"Wow! Two offers in less than a minute!" Olli grinned. He closed the gap between him and Christian, pulling him close. "I think it would be better if I try and stay with family. Not that I don't want to be with you every second..." Olli kissed Christian's cheek. "...of every day." Olli kissed Christian's frowning mouth.
Christian was hurt, but answered as if he wasn't. "Ok, so your aunt's house it is!" Christian missed having his brother around and was extremely lonely in his empty house, ever since his father left in the middle of the night, months before, rambling about having to get out of town for a while because of some gambling debts he couldn't pay.
As the boys finished packing up the car, Olli saw that Christian seemed disappointed. He was sure that he'd made him feel rejected. Olli neared his boyfriend and alternated pointer fingers, as he poked at Christian's chest. "I hope you know that I'm going to be at your house so much, you'll be sick of me." Olli warned. Christian was relieved.
"I'm sure I will." He said, before stuffing the last of Olli's things into the now, overly packed car. "Did you want to...I don't know...say goodbye?" Christian asked, as he saw Olli looking up at the tremendous house. "I already did." Olli said softly. He turned to Christian and they touched foreheads, their hair blending into one unit.
Henriette watched her son through the window that offered the best view of the front of her house. She saw Olli pull away from Christian's embrace and look in her direction for a moment; as if he knew she was there.
Shortly after, Olli broke his sad gaze and disappeared into a blue car. Panic swept through the distraught mother, as she quietly wrestled with herself. Her pride had her pinned. She'd made a decision and knew she would stick with it.
Henriette wanted to run to Oliver and tell him that she loved him more than the world, but she could only stand there, frozen in place; clutching a picture she'd taken of her son on his seventh birthday.
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