Keeping Love

Chapter 17

Once we left the shop Olivia's dad suggested going out for a late lunch as none of us had eaten.

"I want to get back to the house." Olivia said.

"We won't be long." Her dad promised her.

"What about granny? She might be missing us?" We all knew that wasn't what she was really worried about. She wanted to go stand by the coffin again.

"She's got a lot of people around her. She'll be ok for a little bit longer." Her mum said and Olivia gave in.

We went for lunch in a small pub in the centre of Belfast. I couldn't help but think of what my mum would say if she knew I was here.

We ate quickly and then returned to the house. Once we were back Olivia rushed straight back into the front room. Ethan and I brought our new clothes upstairs.

"What does she do in there?" Ethan asked me sitting down on his bed.

I sat down on Olivia's, "she just looks at him. I don't think it's fully sunk in for her yet. I think she's hoping that staring at him will help."

"She barely touched her lunch." Ethan was clearly worried about his sister.

"I know." I ran a hand through my hair, I was worried about her too, "I don't know what to do though. I don't want to push her too much."

"I know man." Ethan got up and we went downstairs.

When we went into the kitchen a woman came rushing up to us.

"One of you wouldn't be one of the twins?" She said looking between the pair of us. I didn't know how she couldn't tell. Olivia's family all looked pretty alike.

"Me." Ethan said.

The woman pulled him in for a hug, "your grandfather was my favourite uncle!" She said.

"Oh." Ethan said, "thank you?"

He was eventually released and he backed away. I followed him into the sitting room.

"That's the Americans." He said once we were out of earshot.

Throughout the day more people arrived. If I thought the house was busy the day before I was wrong. The American cousins weren't the only ones who had flown in. There were also a large crowd from Australia who arrived that evening. I wondered where they were all staying.

In the later afternoon before dinner Olivia finally came out of the front room. She marched into the sitting room where I was sitting with Ethan and sat down next to me clearly in a huff.

"You ok?" I asked her.

"No." She huffed.

"What's wrong?" I asked moving my arm around her. She leant against me.

"I've been in there all day and these old people who I don't even know so they can't have known grandpa that well come marching in like they own the place and demand me to make them a cup of tea! The cheek of them!"

I shared an amused look with Ethan at her annoyance then asked her, "what did you say to them?"

"I didn't say anything! I just stormed out and came here!"

"They probably thought you were off to make them a cup!" Ethan said.

"I don't care what they thought." She crossed her arms in a huff.

I chuckled slightly.

"What are you laughing at?" Olivia turned on me.

"You're cute when you're mad." I said to her because it was true.