Summertime & Butterflies

“So, I’m doing the final count for Easter dinner. Did I ask you if you can bring carrots?”

Olivia sucked a breath of air through her teeth. Easter was only a few days away, and she still hadn’t been able to tell her mother she was going back to Los Angeles. Normally, she was an open book with her mom, but she knew Denise Hayes wouldn’t understand Olivia’s new relationship. Rather than being excited and supportive, Olivia could almost hear her mother asking what was wrong with the boys around here, or how is she going to see her grandchildren when Olivia was shacking up with a rock star in California.

“Well, no… but…”

“I’ll put you down for it.”

Olivia exhaled loudly, holding the phone away from her face so her mother wouldn’t hear the frustrated sigh. Easter wasn’t usually a big deal with Olivia’s family – someone would find a ham on sale and shove it in the oven while the close family sat around in a cramped living room, sharing the same stories they’d shared just the week before. Grandpa would get drunk on sherry and forget how to maneuver his electric scooter and Grandma would complain about that damn Justin Trudeau and the price of eggs. The aunts would brag about their ever-expanding brood of grandchildren and question Olivia and her cousin Mindy about their own plans to add to Grandpa and Grandma’s long list of great-grandchildren. Quite frankly, Olivia could recite the entire day already, and it hadn’t even happened yet.

“Uhm, well… I don’t think I’m going to be there…” Olivia said carefully, biting her lip. Being the only single one in her family – and one of the few single cousins – Olivia at holiday dinners was a constant. She didn’t have to plan around in-laws or a spouse. She didn’t even get asked to come to dinner anymore. It was just expected.

“Oh?” Olivia heard the surprise in her mother’s voice mixed into a scoff and she had to roll her eyes. She could almost smell the blood caused by Denise biting her tongue from asking what in the world Olivia’s other plans could be.

“Yeah… I, uhm… well… I’m going to go back to LA for a couple days,” she told Denise, attempting to keep her voice light and breezy.

“What do you mean, go back to LA for a couple days?” asked Denise incredulously. “You were just there! And Stephanie’s coming here. Didn’t she tell you?”

“Yeah, she did, but I…”

“So you can bring carrots?”

Olivia sighed again. She wondered if Denise actually forgot her daughter was a thirty-one year old woman, or just chose to ignore the fact. “Mom. I just said I’m going to LA. I won’t be at dinner. I’m sure someone else can bring carrots.”

Denise was silent for a moment, processing what Olivia told her. “You’re… going to LA?” she repeated slowly. “By yourself. To do what?”

More like who, Olivia smirked to herself but she’d rather throw herself in front of a bus than ever tell her mother that. “Well… Ikindametsomeone,” she quickly blurted out, pressing her fingers against her forehead, preparing herself for the mothering comments she didn’t ask for.

“You what?”

“I said I…”

“Who?!”

Olivia sighed again. “Just a guy… that I met…” she answered vaguely, deciding against giving any further details. Stephanie would blurt out all of the information as soon as she arrived home, anyway.

“Well, what’s his name? What does he do? Why doesn’t he come here? Is he close –“

“Mom, sto-oo-op,” Olivia groaned. “He’s just a guy! Calm down.”

“You’re going all the way to California for just a guy?” Denise repeated. “What about that nice guy that just moved in down the street from you? The one with the Great Dane? He seems nice!”

“Mom, he’s gay,” Olivia informed Denise. “And besides… I guess… I mean… he’s not just a guy. I really like him, so…” She shrugged her shoulders, feeling her face flush as she waited for her mother to come up with a reason as to why Olivia actually couldn’t like Harry.

“Liv… hon…” Denise began in a motherly-slash-patronizing voice, a slight snigger to it. “This is a bit silly, don’t you think? Flying to LA to see a guy you’ve known for a week? And you really like him? You don’t even know him!”

Olivia exhaled again, louder this time, not bothering to move the phone away. “I know him, Mom,” she assured Denise, struggling to keep her voice even. “And… I’m not asking permission,” she added, relieved she was talking to her mother over the phone and couldn’t see the Mom glare her comment surely would have provoked.

“Hmm,” Denise hummed, emitting a sigh of her own. “Well, I suppose you’re right. It’s your decision,” she added after a moment. “I think it’s a terrible idea, but… just be careful,” she told her daughter.

Unsure if Denise meant to be careful travelling alone or with her heart, Olivia simply nodded. “I will,” she promised.

“Your grandpa will miss your carrots, though.”

~*~*~*~

“Sweetheart, you’re worrying over nothing. You’ll be fine.”

Olivia sighed, letting her head drop forward as she rested her hand against her stomach. She hadn’t even boarded her flight yet, and she already feared the worst. Her holistic, crunchy sister had made Olivia a special motion sickness roll-on with her array of essential oils, but skeptical Olivia was fairly certain she’d rather get sick all over the plane than rub the peppermint-and-ginger mixture across her stomach in the middle of the Vancouver International Airport.

“You didn’t get sick on the way home, did you?” Harry pressed, keeping up his attempt to convince Olivia to get on the plane – though there was no question that she would, albeit a bit grudgingly.

“Well, no… but it wasn’t raining then,” Olivia answered, rifling through her purse for a piece of peppermint gum –the closest to the essential oil she would get.

“It’s not raining now, either.”

Olivia glanced up and gazed out the window onto the tarmac. It was a grey day, typical for Vancouver, but it wasn’t raining. “Are you sure it’s not raining there?” asked Olivia, feeling silly about asking Harry for a weather report but needing the reassurance that the flight to Los Angeles would be smoother than the last.

“Honey, it’s a beautiful day… and it will be even more beautiful once you’re here,” Harry cooed reassuringly. “Just take a deep breath… Stop being a little wimp,” he added teasingly.

“Shush,” Olivia ordered with a sigh, though allowing herself a small smile at his jab. “Okay. Ugh, why haven’t they made those teleportation pads like on the Sims? What kind of twenty-first century world are we living in?”

Harry chuckled. “It’s a sad, sad world, my dear,” he answered. “Just a sec,” he added after a beat. Olivia heard a muffled conversation for a few moments before Harry came back on the line.

“Honey, I have to go,” Harry said apologetically. “But, Glenne will meet you at the airport and I will –“

“Wait, who?” interrupted Olivia, sitting up straighter and furrowing her brow. “I thought… you’re not picking me up?”

There was a silence on the other end of the line. “Well… no,” answered Harry, sounding guilty. “I thought I told you Glenne would come and meet you?”

“No…” Olivia replied slowly. “Who even is he?” she asked, her voice sounding more disappointed than annoyed. She knew it didn’t really matter who picked her up at the airport, but she selfishly wanted as much time with Harry as possible, and didn’t want to wait any longer than necessary to see him.

“She,” Harry corrected. “She’s Jeff’s girlfriend… Jeff, my manager?”

Olivia huffed out a breath, vaguely remembering someone’s girlfriend being mentioned. “Maybe,” she admitted. “I wish you could, though,” she told him, regretting the selfishness in her voice.

Harry echoed Olivia’s sigh. “I mean, I can…” he said slowly. “I can come down there, I guess… It’s just kind of hard at the airport. They swarm it, you know?”

Olivia was quiet. She hadn’t experienced any of the swarms Harry was talking about first hand, but she’d watched a few clips from TMZ. The paparazzi attacks at the airport were one of the most terrifying things she’d ever seen – and she’d witnessed her sister’s C-section. As much as she wanted to see Harry the second she landed, she didn’t want to put him – or herself – unnecessarily through that.

“No, no, I get it,” Olivia assured him quickly. She didn’t want Harry to feel bad about being unable to pick her up. It came with the territory of dating a celebrity, she supposed. “It’s fine, hon… you’re only like half an hour away from the airport, anyway…”

“Well, forty-five minutes,” Harry corrected unnecessarily. “But, are you sure? I can figure it out…” He trailed off, and Olivia knew he would if she asked him to. It was a comforting thought, though she knew she couldn’t ask him to.

“I promise, it’s one hundred percent fine,” she assured him again. “I’ll text you as soon as I land, okay?”

“Okay, sweetheart,” Harry answered with a sigh, sounding as though he didn’t fully believe Olivia was okay with him sending his friend to pick her up at the airport. “Have a safe flight… make sure you grab extra airsick bags. For souvenirs,” he teased lightly.

“Yeah, yeah,” Olivia answered with a chuckle. “I’ll see you in about… four and a bit-ish hours.”

“Bit-ish,” Harry laughed. “I can’t wait.”

“Me, either.”

~*~*~*~

Harry was right. The sun was just beginning its descent behind the Pacific, the sky still a brilliant sapphire, as the 747 smoothly touched against the runway. The landing barely jostled the bevy of passengers and Olivia was tempted to ask the pilot for his flight schedule to ensure she was always privy to the butter-smooth landing.

Instead, she gathered up her belongings she’d tucked into the seat pocket, arranging them in her tote bag. Taxiing was almost as bad as landing – the slow moving vessel, the feeling of claustrophobia, and then waiting for everyone else to lollygag off the plane – but Olivia tried to keep herself distracted by texting Harry the moment the flight attendant consented to the phones being turned back on.

Yaaay I’m here!! Well almost here. Just landed :D

Good, hurry up and get here, came Harry’s response a few moments later.

So demanding ;p

Sorry love. Hurry up and get here, PLEASE.

Olivia snickered at his reply. Just as soon as your friend gets me. Which hey, btw… where’s she gonna be? This place is kinda big :p

She said she’d park across from the terminal and text you. I gave her your number.

Sure enough, before Olivia could respond to Harry’s text, another one from an unknown number came through. Harry’s friend, Glenne, cheerfully advised Olivia that she was in the parking garage and would meet her at the end of the crosswalk. Olivia thanked her, but hoped there was just one crosswalk. She hated hunting for people she didn’t know. It was why she incessantly Facebook stalked every blind date she’d ever had and showed up at least twenty minutes before the date was to start.

She did :) See you soon! <3

Not soon enough sweetheart.

Once Olivia was finally off the plane, dragging her carry-on behind her, she pushed her way outside as quickly as she could, eager for the fresh air and the steps closer to seeing Harry. She found the crosswalk and stood among the other travellers, waiting for the walk signal to appear. She shielded her eyes against the sun, peering across the street in an attempt to see if there was anyone who looked like they were waiting for someone. A couple of retirees stood in the shade of the parking garage, pawing through their fanny packs, and a woman around Olivia’s age leaned against a palm tree as she looked at her phone. As she crossed the street, Olivia played the odds and timidly approached the latter.

“Hi...?” she asked questioningly as the girl looked up, making eye contact with Olivia. She smiled brightly at Olivia, sticking her phone into her purse.

“Hi!” she exclaimed, sounding overly enthusiastic. “Olivia?” she asked as an afterthought, a wide smile across her face.

Olivia let out a chuckle. “Yeah,” she assured her. “Glenne?”

“That’s me!” she chirped, taking Olivia by surprise as she enveloped her into a hug. Olivia normally didn’t make a habit out of hugging perfect strangers, but this girl was Harry’s friend, and something about her wholesome, girl-next-door looks and bright smile made her comforting, not intimidating.

“Nice to meet you,” Olivia laughed. “And thank you for picking me up,” she added, pulling away from Glenne and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear before gripping the handle on her suitcase, eager to get going.

“Of course!” Glenne answered, shifting her purse higher onto her shoulder and taking a step towards the garage, gesturing for Olivia to follow. “I know Harry really wanted to come get you, but Jeff wouldn’t let him,” she added with a giggle.

“Oh?” Olivia asked, surprised by Glenne’s comment. She knew Harry had to be careful with what he did and where he went, but she assumed they were his own decisions, not management demands. She didn’t like that he was told what to do, and wondered how much about her he was told to do.

“Oh!” Glenne answered, dismissing Olivia’s statement with a wave of her hand but Olivia caught the hint of a wince on her face. “No, just that the paps are always around, so Jeff’s just looking out for Harry. And for you,” she added kindly.

Olivia, following behind Glenne, knitted her brow at the comment. She didn’t even know this Jeff, but she knew she didn’t need him to look out for her. She wanted to refrain from judging him before she’d even met him, but after Glenne’s comment, she found it difficult not to. She admittedly didn’t know anything about the music industry, but she thought Jeff should be more focused on Harry’s career and not his girlfriend.

“That’s… considerate of him,” Olivia commented with a roll of her eyes. She let out an inaudible sigh, biting her lip between her teeth as she mentally reminded herself to withhold judgment. Maybe he was just a very kind and caring man. She hoped so, because she didn’t think going toe-to-toe with Harry’s manager when he became too bossy would be the best course of action for their relationship.

“Yeah, he just wants to make sure everyone he cares about is taken care of!” Glenne agreed, thankfully not picking up on the biting tone of Olivia’s words. “Here we are!” she added, unlocking the black Lincoln SUV in front of them. Smiling brightly at Olivia, she popped open the back hatch and reached for Olivia’s suitcase.

“Thanks,” Olivia answered, letting Glenne place her Wal-Mart clearance luggage in the back of her luxury car. She wondered if she should invest in more luxurious luggage for next time, then remembered she didn’t have the funds or desire to purchase Samsonite luggage that would just get manhandled by twenty-year-old airline employees in order to impress her boyfriend’s friends.

“So, Harry says you’re from Canada,” Glenne chirped, making small talk as she maneuvered the car out of the parking garage. She cast a sidelong glance at Olivia. “He talks about you a lot,” she added with a giggle.

“How much is a lot?” wondered Olivia, echoing Glenne’s giggle and knowing she was guilty of talking about him a lot, too.

“Let’s just say I could probably score a hundred on a Buzzfeed quiz about you,” Glenne answered good-naturedly. “I like it,” she added. “It’s nice to see him so happy.”

Olivia felt her face heat up as she smiled, letting out a pitchy giggle. “Good,” she affirmed, happy to hear she made him as happy as he made her. “He makes me happy, too…”

~*~*~*~

Finally, after what seemed like hours of exchanging pleasantries with Glenne and nervously grasping the assist grip as she sped through the traffic, they finally pulled up to Harry’s driveway. Glenne leaned out the window and punched in the code for the gate while Olivia unbuckled her seatbelt in anticipation, briefly entertaining the idea of getting out of the now-slow moving car and running up the driveway.

“Okay, just let me park,” Glenne teased, noticing Olivia anxiously gripping the door handle. Once the car was parked, Olivia wasted no time jumping out of the front seat, unbearably eager to see Harry. Without waiting for Glenne – she knew the way into the house – Olivia strode across the driveway and bounded up the stairs, pushing on the unlocked door. She couldn’t remember ever being this thrilled to see someone. The excitement in her stomach radiated through her body, tingling out to her fingers. She hoped the feeling would never go away.

“Hello?” she called out, her voice several octaves higher than normal. A moment later, she heard the scraping of a chair against the floor and heavy footsteps quickly making their way to her. As he rounded the corner, Harry had a wide grin on his face, though his brow was furrowed with confusion.

“I was watching for you!” he told her, the words hardly out of his mouth before Olivia’s lips crashed against his, kissing Harry furiously. Taken by surprise for only a moment, Harry responded by thrusting his tongue into Olivia’s mouth, his strong hands gripping the back of her neck and keeping her close to him. Olivia broke from the kiss for just a moment, licking her lips as Harry kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her chin, and down her neck. She let him, leaning back slightly as her arms wrapped around Harry’s waist, holding him close. He kissed his way back to Olivia’s waiting mouth and once again they plunged into a deep and frenzied kiss.

“Get a room, you guys,” came Glenne’s teasing voice as she pushed her way into the entry, dragging Olivia’s suitcases behind her. Harry, keeping his eyes closed and lips on Olivia’s, waved his hand at Glenne, dismissing her comment. She snickered, disappearing into the living room. After a few more dances across Olivia’s lips, Harry pulled away and smiled softly at her, tucking her hair behind her shoulder.

“I missed you, pretty girl,” Harry murmured, enveloping Olivia in his arms and squeezing her into one of his amazing hugs, hugs that could solve world hunger, end all wars and find an alternative source of potable water. Olivia buried her face into the hollow of Harry’s neck, inhaling deeply and breathing him in.

“I missed you, too,” Olivia hummed, holding Harry tight. “I’m so glad you forced me to take a sick day!”

“Me, too.”

Notes