Keeping Love

Chapter 20

After all her family had left Olivia's mum said to Olivia, Ethan and me, "time for bed I think. We have to get up early in the morning." 

Ethan nodded and stood up to give his mum and granny a kiss on the cheek before going to bed.

Olivia shot me a look of pure panic.

'It's ok' I mouthed to her.

She shook her head, "I want to stay up a bit longer." Her voice shook.

Her parents exchanged worried looks.

"Joe," her mum said, "could you give us a moment with Olivia."

I hesitated, I could hardly say no, "sure." I nodded standing up and walking to the door where Ethan stood waiting for me, "goodnight." I said looking at Olivia. She was looking back at me still with panic in her eyes.

Me and Ethan went upstairs and got ready for bed. We sat on top of the beds waiting for Olivia.

"What's wrong with her?" Ethan asked me.

I shook my head. I didn't know. "I think she's just not ready for tomorrow."

We waited almost half an hour before Olivia turned up. She'd clearly been crying.

She crawled into her bed and sat up in the corner of it.

"You alright?" Ethan asked her.

She nodded. He nodded to. 

"Can Joe sleep in my bed tonight?" She asked Ethan.

Ethan hesitated, "whatever." He said lying down in his own bed.

I tried not to smile and went and lay down next to Olivia. She threw the covers over me and lay practically on top of me.

"You always get your own way. You know that?" I whispered into her ear.

"No I don't." She argued back. "I wasn't allowed to stay up all night."

"That's so strange." I said sarcastically.

"Be nice to me or I'll make you sleep in Ethan's bed again." She said but I knew she didn't mean it as she tried to move closer to me as she spoke.

That night I just held her close.

Olivia woke me up at the crack of dawn.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked her, she didn't look like she had slept much.

"Not long." She said. I thought she was lying but didn't say anything.

I didn't know why she woke me up because she wasn't saying anything but kept quiet to let her talk.

"I don't think I'm ready for the funeral." She said eventually, "do you think they'll delay it a day if I ask?"

I shook my head, "what's a day going to do for you anyway. You'll never be ready. You just have to do it anyway."

She didn't look pleased with this answer.

"Why aren't you speaking at the funeral?" I asked her, "Ethan said almost everyone else is."

"Granny said if we get up to talk we aren't allowed to cry the whole time and I don't think I could do it." She looked down in shame, "I don't think grandpa would mind if I didn't talk. He's got plenty of people there to talk for him."

I lifted her face up so she was looking at me again, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Don't worry about that."

I didn't get back to sleep and it turned out to be a busy morning. Ethan and I changed straight into our suits in the morning but were warned heavily against spilling anything on them.

"You'd think we were five." Ethan mumbled to me. I didn't say anything.

Olivia didn't get changed into her outfit until the last minute.

There was a constant stream of visitors coming and going from the house all morning.

An hour before the coffin was due to leave the house Olivia's other grandparents arrived.

"Granny! Grandpa!" Ethan shouted from where he stood with me in the hall, it was the only place we could fit, seeing them first. 

He rushed over to them both giving them both a hug.

Their dad then came out of the kitchen. He must have heard his son and greeted his parents.

"Thanks for coming." he said giving them both a hug.

Olivia's mum was next to show up and hugged her in laws too. She got teary when they said how sorry they were.

"Where's Olivia then?" Her granny asked.

"She'll be in here." Her mum lead them into the front room.

Olivia came out 15 minutes later with her grandparents, "Joe." She said coming to stand next to me, "these are my grandparents." She then turned to them, "this is my boyfriend, Joe."

"Nice to meet you Son." Her grandfather extended his hand and I shook it, "nice of you to come out for this."

"Nice to meet you too." I said shaking his hand, "and of course." I smiled at Olivia.

Her granny hugged me saying she didn't do handshakes.

Once we were introduced Olivia went back into the front room and her grandparents went with her parents into the kitchen.

"I don't know how she can spend so much time in there." Ethan said with a shake of his head, "I know he's my grandpa and I love him and all but it freaks me out a bit."

It freaked me out a bit too. I nodded, "yeah me too." I agreed. I didn't get it either but it didn't matter if I got it or not what mattered was supporting Olivia.