Keeping Love

Chapter 4

I walked all the way home slamming the front door when I got home. I ignored my mothers call for me and went to my bedroom.

Half an hour later there was a knock on my door. I ignored it.

The door opened to reveal Joanne and Aaron.

"Alright mate?" Aaron asked as they walked in. Joanne sat on the bed with me and Aaron sat on my desk chair.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry about that. I'm just a bit tense and Simon was being a dick."

Aaron laughed, "yeah he was."

The three of us stayed in my room laughing for the rest of the day. I didn't realise I needed that until they left.

It took me a week to make up with Simon.

It was the week before Christmas and I had just finished my last shift before my time off work. I went to meet my friends. We were going out for a drink before a lot of us went to see family for Christmas.

"Mates again?" Simon said offering me a pint.

I looked at him and then looked at the pint. I sighed and took the pint. "Mates again." I slapped him on the back, "but none of that about Olivia again!" I warned.

"I've learnt my lesson." He held up his free hand and we went to sit with the rest of the group.

I had a good night.

At the end of the night I turned to tell Joanne I would walk her home but saw she wasn't sat where she had been all night. I stood up to see if she was at the bar.

As I walked towards the bar I turned a corner and caught James and Joanne making out in a dark corner of the pub.

I froze, not sure what to do. I turned around and went back to my seat not saying anything to anyone.

No one else had noticed their absence. As the time went on it seemed impossible that no one was saying anything about neither of them being at the table. I wondered to myself how long they had been missing before I noticed.

Eventually James returned and no one asked him where he had been.

Then Joanne came back and no one said anything.

I had to fight myself to stay quiet.

I suddenly remembered why I was looking for Joanne in the first place. "Do you want me to walk you home?" I asked her, "we should probably head soon." I looked at the time.

I suddenly had a thought that maybe I was ruining some plans between her and James.

"Yeah sure." She stood up and said goodbye to everyone, she didn't even look at James as she walked out. I followed her.

We walked down the street in silence. She seemed to be lost in thought.

Eventually I couldn't keep it in any longer and I blurred out, "I saw you with James!"

She turned to me with a smile, "did you?"

Joanne always knew how to throw me with her response to anything.

"What's going on? Are you together?" It didn't make sense to me. I had seen James hitting on girls very recently.

"No." She shook her head, "can't we just have a little fun?"

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Since when did a bit of fun ever hurt anybody?" Joanne skipped ahead of me in the street.

I thought a bit of hurt could definitely hurt somebody but decided not to say anything.

"Oh and don't tell anyone, will ya?" She asked just before we reached her house.

I didn't like the idea but I agreed and bid her a good night.

The next morning I phoned Olivia.

"Hi!" She sounded pleased to hear my voice.

"It's good to hear you." I smiled at the sound of her voice.

"You too." She sighed.

"Everything ok?" I asked.

"Yeah." He voice sounded weak, like she was trying not to cry or had been recently crying.

I didn't say anything. I knew she had more to say.

"Grandpa has been admitted to the hospital. They think there's something wrong with his heart. He won't tell me anything but mum said the doctors said there's fluid around his heart or something. All he would say to me when I went to visit him and asked him questions was that there's absolutely nothing wrong with a heart that loves me." She giggled and I could tell she was crying now, "which was nice and all but I did want to know the truth too."

"Oh Olivia I'm sorry." I wished nothing more than to be able to wrap my arms around her right now and to wipe her tears away, "I'm sure he'll be ok. He sounds like he was in good spirits. And he's right you know. A heart that loves you is the best heart to have fluid around it or not."

"He said he'll be out in two days. Well in time for Christmas." I hoped he was right. I knew it would crush Olivia if he was in the hospital for Christmas.

"He'll be fine." I said, "that reminds me. I'm going to my grandparents later on. You've got their number?"

"I've got it."

"Good. And your grandpa will be fine. Just you wait and see."

"I know he will. Now tell me something good." She sniffed slightly down the phone. She was still crying.

"Ok. I promised I wouldn't say anything, so you have to keep it a secret but I caught Joanne and James making out!" I told her the gossip knowing it would distract her, also knowing I would have told her anyway.

"You finally figured it out! And you had to catch them!" She laughed.

"You knew!" I couldn't believe it, "how long? I can't believe you didn't tell me! I told you as soon as I found out!"

"I'm better at keeping secrets." She said smugly.

"Clearly." I said dryly, "how long have you known?"

"Joanne tells me everything! You know that!"

"And here I was thinking it was you and me in this family." I sighed dramatically.

"Aw don't be sad. You're totally in my top three." She laughed.

"Top three?" I asked, "I can take that."

She laughed again, "I can't believe you didn't see it. It's so obvious and all you guys never see it!"

"You think it's obvious?" I was surprised by that, "after I found out last night I sat there looking for clues and I couldn't think of anything. The only thing was that they both weren't at the table at the same time!"

"Yeah there's that! And they're super flirty!"

"They are? I think that's just their personalities."

"It's not."

"How long have I been missing out on this."

Olivia paused, "they've been hooking up for months. You've been very oblivious."

"They're hooking up?" I suddenly felt protective of my cousin. James shouldn't be messing around with her when I know he's messing around with other girls at the same time.

"Yeah. You didn't think they were just kissing? Did you?"

"Well I didn't know! They're not together you know! And James is not a good guy for her." I ranted.

"Wow calm down. She knows exactly who James is and she knows exactly what she's doing. Don't you go all protective cousin on her and ruin it. Ok?"

I hesitated. I didn't want to agree to that. "Ok." I agreed. She was 18 after all there was little I could do.