We made our way to our cars in the blistering heat. We chatted for a few minutes before I said goodbye to the group and got into my truck. I rolled down the windows, began to sweat and headed home. I told myself to get my air conditioning fixed. I probably wouldn’t take it in anytime soon but at least it looked like it would be cooler tomorrow. A storm was moving in, and I could already hear some thunder in the distance.
Traffic was light on the way home which made for a quick drive. I arrived at my house at around 3:30. I have lived in the city of O’Fallon my entire life so when I moved out of my parents’ house, I just moved down the street. It has been consistently named one of the safest cities in the country. That is a big reason why when I accepted my position with the consulting firm, I put a down payment on this house and moved out of my parents. Normal and safe are a perfect combination.
I pulled into the garage which was full of all my sporting equipment. My mountain bike was against one wall, a hockey net and sticks along another and a bucket full of soccer, basket, and baseballs. I walked in from the garage into the kitchen. I threw my wallet and keys on the counter and tried not to notice the stack of dishes staring at me in the sink. Jack met me as I turned the corner into living room. I sat down on my couch and turned on ESPN as Jack jumped onto my lap for some attention.
I looked around and realized that so far the house was very bland. I don't have any pictures hanging up or much painted. My office is one of the few places I have put time into. I have sports memorabilia on my desk and some family pictures on the walls. I spent most of my time in that room. It has my computer, PlayStation 3, elliptical, and desk.
I heard some more thunder and hurried Jack outside hoping we could beat the storm. I guess he could sense the storm because he went quickly and raced inside just as a lightning bolt struck in the distance. It looked like it would be around for a while. I didn’t mind the storm. I always like have some background noise while I was trying to study. I made a frozen pizza and brought it up to the office. I ate it and browsed the web for a couple minutes before I settled in for a long night of studying.
Chapter Three
Thunder and lightning continued to fill the air. I could see some flashes of the lightning through the blinds but I barely noticed the thunder as I rocked out to some music on Pandora. I started listening to music recently while I was studying to help myself stay focused. It was definitely helping tonight as I just finished answering my fourth consecutive question correctly. I was starting to feel better about my chances of passing this test next week.
As I started another problem, I heard something faintly over the noise coming out of my headphones. I took off my headphones and I could hear someone banging at my door. I picked up my phone to check the time and saw I had four missed calls from Olivia in a span of thirty minutes.
I raced downstairs and opened the door to see Olivia drenched from head to toe. She was wearing a red dress that went just past her knees and it looked great on her even though she was completely soaked. She had a silver wallet that went with her dress and was wearing some heels that I couldn’t believe she could walk in. Olivia's hair was a mess from the rain and her makeup was running down her face. I had a bad feeling the ruined makeup was from tears and not just from the rain. She asked so quietly that I could barely hear her over the storm, “Can I come in?”
“Of course,” I answered “what are you doing here?” I had no clue why she was here this late at night, standing on my porch soaking wet, but I knew the reason wasn't going to be a good one.
“Could I have a towel?” she asked. I stared at her for a minute trying to take in the situation then raced upstairs to get her a towel. I cannot fathom why she is here but I was nervous thinking about what kind of trouble she might be in. However, part of me was really excited that she was at my house. I came back downstairs with the towel and helped wrap it around her.
“What in the world is going on Olivia?” I asked with concern.
“Can I have something to drink?” She replied quietly, ignoring my question.
“Coffee?” I asked, trying not to get to inpatient with her. She nodded and now I knew she had been crying as I saw a tear run down her cheek. I went into the kitchen and warmed up the coffee pot. As the coffee brewed, I watched Olivia just staring absently at the wall in front of her. I was getting more anxious by the minute about finding out what was going on with her. No matter what it was, I was determined to help her however I could. I had only met Trevor once but had a bad feeling about him right away. Lacy convinced me that it was just the fact that I had feelings for Olivia that was causing me to feel that way, but now it looks like my hunch was right.
The coffee was ready and I poured two cups assuming that I was going to need the caffeine tonight. She was still staring straight ahead when I handed her the mug. “Thank you.” She said softly.
“Olivia, I know that you have not wanted to talk about what is going on in your life lately, but you are going to have to tell me what is going on tonight. You know I care about you and when you show up at my house in the middle of the night soaking wet, I need to know what is going on and what’s wrong.” I was determined to get answers.
“Can I stay here tonight? I can’t go back to my place tonight.” Olivia said evading my questions once again.
“You already know the answer to that. You are my best friend, you are always welcome.” I said. “Why can’t you go back to your place? Did Trevor hit you or hurt you somehow?” It was getting hard to hide the anxiety in my voice as I tried to stay calm.
“Can you get me some clothes to wear tonight?” Olivia asked, once again avoiding my questioning.
“Olivia, you can’t avoid . . .,”
She interrupted me at once, “Jake, I’m freezing and soaking wet. I need to change before I freeze to death. I know you are concerned and if the tables were turned I would be acting just like you. I trust you and that is why I’m here. But right now you need to let me get dry and give me some time to breath.” I just looked at her for a minute. I didn’t say anything, but finally just headed up to my room to find something that would be able to fit her. I was never able to be mad at Olivia, but I was starting to get really frustrated. I appreciated her little speech, but she wasn’t the one seeing the person she cares about showing up in the middle of the night crying and soaking wet, and most likely in danger. I grabbed her a t-shirt that was small on me but I kept around to motivate myself to lose weight and some pajama pants that had a drawstring she could hopefully tie tight enough to stay up.
I came back downstairs and found Olivia cuddling with Jack. I could tell he was torn over getting wet and getting attention. She put him down when I came into the living room and I handed her my clothes. “Turn around.” She demanded.
“Why?” I asked but realized why right away. She started taking off her dress and changing right there. I probably waited a second too long before finally turning around.
“Where can I put these wet clothes?” She asked, “I doubt your living room floor is the best place for them.”
I was glad to hear her make a joke. “I’ll hang them up in the bathroom.” As frustrated as I was, I couldn’t help smiling seeing her in my clothes.
“Thank you.” She said sitting back down on the couch. I went to the bathroom and hung up her clothes over the shower rod. When I came back into the living room, she was lying on the couch holding Jack. She definitely looked like she belonged on that couch. Three years of friendship and almosts were coming to me and it hit me that I may never get to be with her the way I have always wanted to because I had been too scared. “So, now that you have your towel, coffee, and a change of clothes, do you think we can talk about what brings you to my house at 11:30 p.m. during this torrential downpour?”
“Do you think people can change?” She asked. I was getting sick of not getting my questions answered.
“Of course. Why do you ask that, and better yet, why do you keep avoiding my questions.” I said,
trying to keep the frustration out of my voice but doing so unsuccessfully.
“Jake, if you haven’t figured it out yet, I am not going to answer your questions. Not because I don’t trust you, not because I don’t want to, but because I just can’t right now. It’s for your own good.” She replied then continued her thought. “I know people can change some things about themselves, but do you think people change something that has been a part of who they are for many years? No matter how hard we truly want to, do you think that we can rid ourselves of some of our biggest sins?”
The seriousness of her tone and question concerned me, “I guess it just depends on the person, and what it is that they are trying to change. I feel like we can do whatever we want to. If we really want to change, we can do whatever it takes to make ourselves better people.” I answered, perplexed by this conversation. She didn’t answer but just looked away thoughtfully. “Do these questions about change have to do with Trevor?” She still just looked ahead and I could see a tear form in her eye.
“They did.” She answered. I was glad she wasn’t looking at me because I have no doubt she would have noticed the smile that crept upon my face for a second when she used the past tense. I recovered quickly and asked, “Did you two breakup?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She was on the verge of crying, so I decided to leave that conversation for another time. One way or another, it seemed like I was going to have one more chance to make something happen before we graduated. She glanced at the clock and said, “It’s late and I’m really tired. I am going to go to sleep. Thank you so much for letting me crash here, Jake. You are a great friend.” I hated hearing her call me a great friend. I wanted so much more.
“Of course, anything for you. Why don’t you sleep in my room tonight and I will sleep on the couch.” I told her.
“I appreciate it, but something about this couch seems comforting tonight. I would like to stay down here, but if you don’t mind I am going to borrow Jack tonight.” She said while Jack yawned as she stroked his head.
“Of course, but it looks like Jack is happier about staying with you than you are about him.” I went to the closet and grabbed a pillow and a blanket for her to use. I took her phone and plugged it into the extra charger I keep in the kitchen. She thanked me, and once she laid her head down, I knew it wouldn’t be long before she was sleeping.
I made my way up the stairs and got ready for bed. I lied down and started to think about what had just happened. I couldn’t help but smile thinking about how Olivia was downstairs sleeping on my couch with my dog. It seemed like something that I could get used to, except the three of us would share my bed next time. I felt tomorrow was going to be the day that things start falling into place for me and Olivia.
Chapter Four
Boy was I wrong. I woke up around 6:30. I didn’t have an alarm set but I have gotten so used to getting up at this time for work and school that I always just wake up around this time. I first noticed something might be wrong when I realized that Jack was buried in my blanket, snuggled up against my feet. I am a deep sleeper so I thought that maybe he was bothering Olivia so she brought him up to me. But when I went downstairs, she was nowhere to be found. The pillow and blanket were neatly folded at the arm of the couch. I looked around the house for a couple minutes, and there was no answer when I called her name. I looked outside and saw no signs of her car. I started to panic, especially after I called her phone and it went straight to voicemail.
I didn’t know what to do. I went upstairs and got dressed and planned on driving out to her apartment. As I got behind the driver's wheel of my car, I dialed Olivia's roommate Heather. She answered on the fourth ring and I could tell that I woke her up, and she wasn’t happy about it. “Please tell me someone died because if they didn’t, you might Jake for waking me up this early.” She mumbled bitterly.
“I’m sorry to wake you Heather, but I’m looking for Olivia. She crashed at my place last night and when I woke up a few minutes ago she was gone without even saying goodbye. Did she happen to come back to the apartment?” I’m sure she could hear the panic in my voice.
“She crashed at your place?” I could tell that that bit of information had woken Heather up.
“Yes, but it is not what you think. Anyways, is she there?” I hoped she realized the urgency in my voice.
“I haven’t seen her since last night when she was getting ready to go out. I figured she had stayed with Trevor. Guess I was wrong about that.” She teased.
“Just tell her to call me if you hear from her.” I hung up without waiting for a response. I called Olivia again and it went straight to voicemail. I usually wouldn’t be so worried, but after everything that happened last night, I just knew something wasn’t right. I knew I wouldn’t be getting back to sleep, so I lied down next to a sleeping Jack, and I turned the television on and hoped some Sportscenter would help me relax. It didn’t work.
I got out of bed around nine and did my workout. Afterwards, I showered and went downstairs to eat some lunch. I tried to relax and get Olivia off my mind but that wasn't happening. I didn't have many options for lunch and I wanted to get out of my house, so I decided to go to Taco Bell.
I locked the front door and then grabbed my keys, wallet, and phone as I headed to the garage. Jack gave me a sad look, so I brought him along for the ride. He loves being in the car. He scratches at the window until I roll it down so he can stick his head out into the wind. Taco Bell is just a two minute drive from my house, but unfortunately it took awhile to get my food. After about fifteen minutes, I was heading back home with a stomach that was getting louder by the second.
I pulled into the garage, grabbed Jack and the food, and went inside. I heard the mail truck go by as I was starting to eat. This made me happy because I had been waiting for the new Sports Illustrated. I tried to turn the lock to unlock the front door and stopped when I realized the door was unlocked. I grabbed the mail and came back to the door a little startled. I turned towards the street and noticed a car that was stopped a few houses down. There was a man sitting inside a plain black car, seemingly looking at me. He wore sunglasses and had a crooked nose. I took a step onto my porch to try and get a closer look when he drove away. I came back inside and looked around to see if anything had been taken. It didn’t seem that anything had gone missing. I tried to convince myself that I just forgot to lock the door but I was having trouble convincing myself of that because I always lock the door.
I ate my food while thinking about Olivia, the unlocked door, and the man in the black car. My life has always been very simple and ordinary. I had a feeling that things were heading in a direction that was anything but simple. I finished eating and as I shut the lid to the trashcan, my phone went off. I was relieved and a little angry when I saw Olivia on the caller id, “Where did you go? I have been worried sick all morning looking for you. I called Heather and she didn’t know where you were. I have been panicking about you Olivia.” I may have been sharing a little too much emotion but she always seemed to bring it out of me.
“I’m sorry Jake. I didn’t mean to worry you. I had to get out of there for your own good. There are some things going on and I shouldn’t have brought you into it.” Olivia answered sincerely.
“Please tell me what the hell is going on. This is ridiculous. You are showing up in the middle of the night upset and then disappearing just like that.” She could sense the anger in my voice.
“I understand you’re angry and you should be. I have not treated you right the last month, and especially yesterday. I promise to answer all of your questions tomorrow. I want to meet you in the morning sometime and we can go over everything. There are some things I have to take care of today. Once I do, I will need your help settling everything. Will you meet me tomorrow and help me?”
I sighed, “Of course I will. Thank you for finally letting me in. Please just stay out of trouble today and stay safe.”
“I will.” She said, but s
he wasn’t convincing anyone that she believed what she said. “I will call you tonight and we can figure out where to meet tomorrow. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said. I was about to hang up but something was still bothering me, “I need to ask you a question.”
“I told you I will answer all your questions tomorrow Jake.” She said with annoyance in her voice.
“It’s not about that. Did you come back to my place in the last hour? I asked.
“No, why do you ask?” She said
“It’s just that I went to Taco Bell to get some food and when I came back my door was unlocked and I was almost positive that I locked it. Then I saw this plain black car sitting outside with this guy with a crooked nose and he seemed to be watching me. When I started to come towards him, he drove off.” Silence filled the air. “Are you still there?” I asked after a minute.
“Yeah. You probably just forgot to lock the door, but just make sure you don’t forget again. You don’t know who is out there looking to be disappointed by trying to rob your house.” She said with a failed attempt at humor. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. Be safe” The line disconnected. I looked at the front door. I know I locked that door.
Chapter Five
After taking a deep breath and doing my best to not think about the door, I went to my office hoping to focus enough to put in some good study time when my phone went off. It was a text from Ryan. "Shoot some hoops?" it said. There is a basketball court in our subdivision we play at.
"I'm studying." I sent back
"One game?" he asked.
"Study" I told him.
"Just one game of horse?" he countered. Ryan doesn't give up easily. I sighed and was close to giving in when my phone rang. "Just play with me for an hour. You would be working right now if I hadn't convinced you to take off work for finals week and to give you more time to study for MLC. I wouldn't have tried so hard to get you to take off if I knew you wouldn't play basketball with me.”