Keeping Love

Chapter 7

The next day on Valentine's Day, Olivia phoned me before I could phone her.

"I got in too!" She shouted down the phone as soon as she heard my voice on the other end.

"I knew you would! Congratulations! I'm so happy." I grinned. She was coming back. In September I would get to see her everyday again. We would go to university together. Spend the next three years of our lives together. Go to class together again. My smile only grew as I continued to think about it.

"Thank you. And happy Valentine's Day by the way."

"It is now." This was the best Valentine's gift I could have ever hoped for. A solid future together with Olivia.

"I miss you. I wish I could see you and touch you. What do you even look like?" She joked.

"A lot of people have described me as tall." I joked.

"Oh that's you."

"Yeah. But I miss you too. So much. I wish you could come visit. Or I could come visit you." I wanted to see her now more than ever. I wanted for us to be able to celebrate our good news together.

"I do too. Joanne and I were talking about that the other day. She even said she'd speak to her mum about it."

"She did?" Joanne hadn't mentioned anything to me.

"Yeah. Not yesterday the day before. I haven't heard from her since. It would be so good if i got to come visit you two. I doubt my mum would let me stay at yours but I'd be allowed to stay at Joanne's."

"I would love that." Now the idea was in my head I knew I was going to do everything I could to make it happen.

"Me too. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"Oh I do." Did she not think I missed her too? "When would you come? Over a weekend or would you come over Easter break?" I think about when Easter was. The end of March this year. That meant if she came at Easter she'd be here in a month and a half.

She laughed, probably at my eagerness, "I don't know. We didn't talked about it. Easter break is a good idea though. I would also have to see how my grandpa is doing. I wouldn't want to leave him if he's really sick."

"How is he doing?"

"I don't know. He fainted again but they didn't keep him in the hospital which I think is a good sign. He still doesn't look sick to me. Mum says he tries to act strong around us but I don't see how he can act strong all the time."

"See how he is. I'll speak to Joanne and Carol as well see what they are saying." I wanted to make this work.

"Yeah. Has to work for them as well."

We chatted for over an hour. Mainly about things we would do if she did come over to visit.

Once I was off the phone I went straight over to Joanne's house.

"Joe!" Carol said seeing me and coming to give me a hug, "I hear congratulations are in order! A university boy now! So grown up."

I smiled at her and hugged her back.

"Is Joanne up?" I asked her.

"Yeah. She's just in her room."

I went up to Joanne's room.

"Olivia said you spoke to her about her coming over to visit?" I said sitting down in Joanne's room.

"Yeah." Joanne nodded, "good idea isn't it!"

"Have you spoken to your mum yet?"

Joanne shook her head, "haven't got round to it."

"Why not?"

Joanne laughed, "I should have known as soon as you heard it would be urgent."

"When were you thinking she should come? We were thinking Easter."

Joanne shrugged, "that works. And anyway I was talking about her coming to visit me. Get your own trip."

"Yeah she'd come visit you but she'd see me too." She'd hardly come all the way over here and only hang out with Joanne.

Joanne rolled her eyes, "I guess you want to go speak to mum about this now?"

I looked at her expectantly like that was obvious and followed her out and down the stairs.

Carol said that it was a lovely idea and that as long as Olivia's parents agreed she would be happy to have her stay.

I couldn't have been happier as I walked home to phone Olivia back.

"We spoke to Carol." I told Olivia what my aunt had said.

She left the phone call promising to go speak to her parents and phone me back.

After 20 minutes the phone went.

"They think it's a great idea!" Olivia said, she didn't sound like she quite believed it, "they want to speak to Carol first obviously make sure it's legit and everything but the first week of Easter break I am all yours."

I grinned, "this is the best news I have heard in a long time. I can't wait to see you."

The count down the Easter break felt long. I kept myself busy. I picked up a lot of shifts in the garage.  They kept me busy and they gave me money.

When Easter break came I had taken the whole first week off work. I didn't want anything to take away from my time with Olivia.