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Mom’s words bounce through my head Monday night and follow me to work Tuesday morning. On one hand, she’s probably right. There’s no long-term future. I’m an only child. Of course, I’m not leaving my parents to fend for themselves. And then there’s Bayou Development, our multi-generation family company. But there’s no deadline to make it home. And how often does someone like Mason come along? He’s gorgeous, and the sexual chemistry is out of this world. His tongue, and his thumb, and his fingers, and Jesus, Mother, Mary, and Angels, he knows what he’s doing with his manly part. Love comes in all shapes and sizes. What if Mason is supposed to be my love right now? What if he’s part of my life’s journey, and he’s a critical part in my personal development?
My phone vibrates, and I reach over to grab it from the charger on my desk.
Olivia: SOS. Need you both to meet me for lunch. Little Beet? Noon?
The text is to Anna and me. After double-checking my schedule, I agree to meet. A lunch with friends is exactly what I need. I haven’t been particularly productive this morning, anyway. I completed some mindless work, adjusting a few layouts to additional sizes for the new media plan, but I need to do some concept development. But before I can create, I need air.
Little Beet is right around the corner from our office. It’s a quick lunch spot with windows everywhere. Clean white tile covers select walls, adding to the modern, bright aesthetic. Anna and I arrive together. Olivia’s waiting outside by the door. The wind whips around a few dried, crumpled leaves, and random pieces of trash, as we approach.
It’s a struggle, but I figure out the odd menu options and make my way to the table with my orange plastic tray of food. Anna and I don’t say anything as we wait for Olivia. My confusion over Mason has me moody and down and a touch cross, an overall emotional space I don’t frequent often. Right now, I want to slam my ass down at a table and dump all the crap running through my head and vent like an angry madwoman, but this is Olivia’s SOS.
She sits down, presses her shoulders back, and sits straight as if she’s an account director starting a status meeting. I tap my fork and foot in rhythm and wait. She squares her shoulders and announces, “I moved in with Sam.”
Whoa. Not expecting that one.
Anna’s eyes go wide like saucers. I push my plate away, and say, “Let’s hear it.” Olivia jerks back at my statement, so I continue. “That’s the emergency, right? What you need to talk to us about?” How can she be so crazy to move in? They just met. It takes time for relationships to develop into serious mode. More than a few weeks.
“Yes and no,” Olivia says, her words slow, as if she’s thinking about what she wants to say. “It’s so crazy, I don’t know where to begin.” She twiddles her fingers around her coffee.
Oh, Olivia, sweet Olivia. She’s Anna’s old roommate. She up and left for Prague after one guy hurt her. I didn’t meet her until she returned from her sojourn, and we’ve hung out quite a bit. She seems strong and in a good place. The last thing she needs is to get strung up on yet another dud.
Her eyes glaze over, and she gets to the point. “Sam has a stalker.”
Anna says nothing. It’s clear she is trying to figure out how to talk her out of moving in with a brand-new guy in a diplomatic, warm, happy way. An Anna technique my mom could benefit from adopting. I roll my hand dramatically, gesturing for her to continue, so Olivia will spill the rest of what she must recognize borders insanity.
“It’s crazy, but she’s stalking me now. My choices were to move in with him or have him hire me a full security detail. So, I moved in with him.”
Stalker? So, there’s more to this. She hasn’t decided she’s fallen in love and is on a forever plan. Stalker sounds bat shit crazy. But at least she’s not falling in love overnight. I’m not crazy to think that simply does not happen. A sense of relief sweeps over me. I exhale and attempt to focus on the matter at hand. “Do you want this or not? Because if you don’t want to move in with him, he can totally afford a security detail for you.”
“How do you know how much a security detail costs?”
What the feck does it matter how much a security detail costs? She’s dating a freaking billionaire. I huff. “I do know a thing or two. And I don’t know exactly how much one costs, but Mr. Megabucks can afford it. Well, do you want to move in with him? Are you that serious about him? How long have you been dating?”
Anna wakes up out of her shocked stupor and gets all defensive of our whackadoodle friend. “Hey, chill. Sam’s a good guy. They’ll work it out.”
“I am chill. I’m asking a question. It’s an important question.” To me. It’s an important question. No one falls in love that quickly. Jeez. She’s in the enjoyment phase. The period of time where they enjoy each other, learn from each other, and grow. Maybe it’s love, but it’s way too early to know it’s a forever love. Sometimes love lasts, like, a week. Sometimes it lasts a month. We fall in and out of love all the time. Right? There are songs about this. Who dates someone for a month and then says, ‘This is it for me?’ The whole idea makes me want to throttle someone.
“Sshhhh.” Olivia hushes me. “I want it, okay? Yes, it’s moving our relationship to another level, but I’m ready. And I was looking for an apartment anyway.”
“When, exactly, were you apartment hunting?” This is such bullshit. She’s lying to herself.
“Well, it was on my to-do list.” Olivia sounds like a spoiled kid defending her purchase of a chihuahua she can fit in her Louis Vuitton pocketbook. I should know. I’ve been that kid with an Elle Woods crush.
“How long have you been seeing him? Like, a month? How can you know he’s the one after a month?” She’s practically glaring at me now, but I don’t care. Someone has to be a good friend here. That’s why she called this emergency meeting and invited yours truly.
“I didn’t say he was the one. I said things are good, and this feels like a natural progression.” She straightens her napkin and fork and lifts her head as if daring me to continue being her friend.
Anna, ever the mediator, jumps in. She places her hand over mine, and says, “Hey, calm down.” I huff and stare down at the table as she attempts to coax me. “It’s okay. If anything goes wrong, we’ll be there for Liv, okay? And if things are still progressing, then she’s right where she needs to be, and she’s safe. Safe. Okay?”
Anna then shifts her focus to Olivia.
“Now, tell us more about this stalker. And are you in any real danger?”
“Well, you remember the dark-haired girl I met at school? She’s hung out with us some? Lindsey?”
Lindsey? I’ve met up with her a few times since Olivia introduced us. “Yeah?”
“She’s the stalker. She’s not a student at Columbia after all. She’s been stalking Sam for years.” I stare out the window, and Olivia’s voice kind of floats in and out as she continues her explanation. She hasn’t threatened Olivia, so that’s good. It sounds like she’s been obsessed with her billionaire boyfriend for years, like a celebrity kind of fatal attraction.
“Holy shit,” Anna responds. “That’s insane. Do you think she’d hurt you?” she asks. Sweetheart Anna. Nurturing to the core.
“I don’t think so. I mean, did either of you get that vibe from her?” Olivia asks, her question directed more to me, given I spent time with her.
No, I don’t think she’ll hurt Olivia, so I slowly shake my head. Lindsey’s a wild child for sure. Lots of fun to go drinking at the bars with. Dang, this means one less friend to go bar hopping with. All my friends are coupling off. Did someone decree everyone has to pair off after twenty-five?
“What’s worse is...he hooked up with her,” Olivia blurts.
Okay, so this drama is straight out of People magazine. I twirl my fork in my fingers. “That may be what kicked the obsession off. But who knows? Do you remember the stalker who killed that girl on that TV show? My Sister Sam?”
Anna twists in her seat and kicks me under the table. “Delilah, please!”
I tune out and eat. I should care more, but I can’t get out of my head. It sounds like her boyfriend’s got it under control, and there’s no real danger. And this craziness has Olivia leaping over a hundred relationship milestones and into his home. Moving in together is a huge decision. One she shouldn’t take lightly. And it doesn’t seem plausible she could develop deep emotions for someone within a few weeks. Not let’s-move-in-together emotions. It’s one thing to have let’s-have-sex-frequently emotions, but moving-in-together emotions? Come on, now, peeps.
I stare out the window and flip my plastic fork through my lunch as annoyance and anger simmer. I’m not sure where these emotions are coming from, and that fact alone is not sitting well with me. I should be concerned for Olivia, but instead, her jumping into a relationship is all I can focus on, and the idea really ticks me off. This isn’t me. I’m not the judgmental sort.
I try to focus back in on the conversation but can’t. Mason keeps infiltrating my thoughts. His smile. His touch. Our night. And morning. This is normal. But then there’s something else. This knot in my stomach and a heaviness on my chest. I’m uneasy. I am not one to get emotional over a guy.
I still want to see Mason. Is that so bad? Can’t I enjoy a few relationship milestones of my own before I end my “me” time? He might have a kid, but it’s not like I’m going to pull an Olivia and move in with him in the next two months. From Kara’s perspective, I’m a friend. And what Olivia is doing is just off the charts insanity. I’m not like her at all. She’s one of those girls who jumps from serious relationship to serious relationship. That’s not me. As a matter of fact, I am her polar opposite.