Finally, I found the ladies.
I run quickly into one of the stalls, the darkness squeezing my heart tightly.
Mom is back! Why is she back?
Tears begin to roll down my cheeks as I struggle to breathe.
I'm cold, like locked in a deep freezer kind of cold.
Phone. Where's my phone?
I've left my clutch back at the table with my phone inside. I can't call my brother.
What should I do? Mom's here.
I take a sit on the lid of the water closet.
I run my hands up and down my arms to give me a little warmth.
Mom can't be here. She's not here. It was my imagination.
It wasn't real. It wasn't real.
If I say it enough times then it'll be true.
I'm no longer alone in the bathroom. I've heard people go in and out and I think I'm finally done with the tears.
"Olivia" he calls softly."Olivia, we're home" he shakes me gently.I slowly open my eyes and see him hovering above me.We're still in the car. My head is comfortably rested on his thighs.What?I sit up quickly. I have no idea how that happened. My mask is off and I'm vulnerable to his gaze.My make-up's all smudged and I must look horrible."Olivia, what's up with you?" He asks softly, his tone showing concern.I shake my head and look away, muttering a low "Nothing. I'm fine"I glance at the driver's seat and I'm relieved when Luke's not there."No, you're not. Something happened at the ball" He shakes his head and looks away guiltily "You spoke in your sleep"What? No."What did I say?" My voice is low and cautious."Nothing that made sense" He mutters, briskly "Olivia, talk to me, please. Sleep talking, I can accept but when a person begins to cry in their sleep, something is seriously o
"What happened to her?""Nervous breakdown. She's fine now""It's because of something that happened at the ball, isn't it?""More like someone that happened" His voice turns angry."Who?" He growls, angrily.Soft whispers from two male voices wake me up from.I so hate it when people talk while I'm trying to sleep. Like, bro, can't you take your conversation elsewhere?I recognize the voices to be my that of brother, Liam and Anthony. What the hell are they discussing that can't be left for later or taken outside my bedroom?Oh no! I realize what is going on. Liam's going to tell Anthony about mom.My eyes fly open in hopes of stopping that from happening but Liam's voice is heard before I can do anything to stop it."She'll tell you about it when she's no longer upset" He says and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding which alerts them to my conscious state."Hey" Anthony half smiles, shoving
The rooftop looks incredible... Well, every part of this house looks incredible so the point is moot anyway.There's a rectangular table right in the centre made of stone and rough, dark chocolate wood which has a rectangular fireplace, covered with strong glass in middle which adds an elegant touch to the rooftop.Lilac coloured sofas paired with dark chocolate pillows occupy one edge and opposite them is cantilever umbrella under which are two lounge chairs, whose colours are an artistic mix of lilac and white.There's a low fence all around to protect people from falling off, I suppose. On the fence are large, square flowerpots containing the only organic content I've ever seen in this house.I spot a stainless steel BBQ in one corner and I wonder if Anthony throws parties up here sometimes. He doesn't strike me as one to throw a party though."I'm guessing you didn't choose the design
I'm standing in the middle of pretty flowers of all kinds...some I recognize, others I don't.The air is fresh and filled with the refreshing smell of different flowers.I look around and there are people smiling, laughing and going about doing different things. The view is so serene and pure, makes me want to sit back and relax.I spot a wooden lounge chair in the near distance. I want to go take a sit and relax but as I approach the chair, something else catches my eye.It's a bridge, made of wood. It's not very big or very modern but something about it is just fascinating."It's the bridge that leads to the afterlife" I hear an unfamiliar voice say from behind me.I whirl my head in the direction of the voice so fast that my face gets a hard whip from my hair which is packed in the usual ponytail.
"Aspen?" I gape at Anthony who has just informed me of a trip we're going on."Yes""Aspen, Colorado?" I ask because I just can't believe it."Unless it's been moved...yes" he shrugs.I roll my eyes "But it'll take hours to get to Colorado""Not by jet" he says, breezily.Of course, my husband has a jet. How could I forget?"Just give me fifteen minutes tops to get ready" I beam, unable to hide my excitement.I sprint to my room and mistakenly slam the door really loudly due to my over excitement.Amanda's sitting casually on my bed giving me a look that says 'what's up'"We're going to Aspen" I inform "you better pack some clothes"I don't know if Anthony wanted Amanda to come along but I don't think he'll want to be alone with me again and besides Amanda is my personal maid, isn't she? She goes where I go.Amanda is a very good friend to me now. She's been through a lot of sh*t in her life...
Amanda and I have finally finished packing our respective bags and are now waiting in the living room.I decide not to go to Anthony and to just give him a call instead."Hello" he calls tiredly."Uh...where are you?" I say because I don't want to go right to 'get your a*s here and take Amanda and I to Aspen'"Right behind you" he emerges from the kitchen."You done packing?"I nod."Good, let's go" he has his expression blank "Our guests are waiting?"Did he say guests? What guests? I ask him exactly that and he just brushes off the question."Go to the car and tell Luke to help you with your bags" he says taking steps away.Did he mean I'm going to Aspen all by myself?Somehow that seems less exciting. Why isn't he coming?'Because he has to work, you bozo' my subconscious rolls
We land smoothly at Sardy Field at 14:29 p.m.The plane comes to a halt a little from the main terminal and through the window, I spot a Mercedes minivan parked."Enjoy your weekend, Mr Trevelyan, Mrs Trevelyan" says Scott as he shows up and shakes Anthony.He takes my hand and leads me down the aircraft stairs where Luke is waiting by the van.Amanda comes down the stairs and I ditch my husband to be with her.We climb in, stagger to the double seat at the back and sit down."Oh, so you don't want to sit next to your husband anymore" she looks out the window."Oh, please. You know why I did that"She doesn't look at me."Amanda, you know you like him, just give it a shot" I tell her."It's not that" she squeezes her eyes shut and when she reopens them, I see her pain "I'm not worthy of any man, Liv, can't you see, they've broken me""Yes, that is correct, they broke you but that doesn't mean you have
We are all sitting round the hardwood dining table after finishing our Italian feast prepared for us by Sarah's mom."Oh no" Crystal says suddenly.We all turn to stare at her and she points to the picture window. Outside, rain has started pouring down."Well, there goes our hike" Amanda says, sadly.Is it weird that seeing Amanda sad sours my mood?I think back to all the times I've seen Amanda smile genuinely and I got my answer."We could go into town" I suggest at the same time Anthony says "Perfect weather for fishing""I'll go fish" says Liam."Let's split up. Boys go do their boring outdoor activity. Girls go shopping" Stella says, excitedly. She's always down for shopping.Chris doesn't fish, never liked it. I know this and apparently so does Crystal."Chris, you're going fishing?" Crystal asks.