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LATE SEPTEMBER
SOUTHERN CAL CAMPUS
SPENCER'S APARTMENT
SATURDAY
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Sharing a smile as they watched their energetic one-year-old mimic the characters from The Paw Patrol movie, Olivia and Spencer couldn't help but enjoy the sound of Kai's laughter filling the room as he attempted to emulate the animated antics.
With tiny hands clutching a small piece of pizza, Olivia being the extremely attentive mother she is, reminded him to be careful with his food. In response, Kai carefully sat the pizza on his plate and balled up his napkin in an attempt to wipe his hands, before resuming his playful reenactment.
Amused, Spencer turned to Olivia hearing her soft laugh that brought music to his ears as his eyes reflected a mix of nostalgia and aspiration.
"He's so smart, and can you believe he's about to be two already?" He asked, prompting a smile from Olivia, tinged with a hint of wistfulness.
"Please don't remind me." She replied, a small pout forming on her lips.
Their faint laughter weaved through the air when their little entertainer turned to them with a beaming smile on his face, and his index finger pointing at the screen.
"Dog." Kai uttered most adorably, capturing Olivia's heart while Spencer chuckled with a proud nod.
As they continued watching their boy's rendition of the animated movie, Olivia glanced at Spencer with a playful smirk on her lips.
"Are you sure you'd rather spend your 21st birthday inside with us instead of being out with your boys?" She teased, but Spencer could still see a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.
He shook his head with a small chuckle, marveling at how after all these years together, Olivia still doubted her place in his priorities. Just as he was about to speak on it though, a sting of guilt stirred within him as he remembered who was responsible for her occasional feelings of inadequacy in the first place.
The past always had a way of reminding him, and in that moment he wished he could turn back time and erase the hurt he caused. The guilt still lingered, but so did the determination to make amends and show Olivia that she has always been more than enough for him. And, that's what he was planning to focus on now.
"No place I'd rather be than right here with you two." He said, his gaze softening as he appreciated the warmth of the setting.
Olivia smiled back at him, the uncertainty still in her eyes now mixed with an unknown feeling that she couldn't describe even if she tried.
Her phone buzzed to interrupt her thoughts, and a wide smile immediately spread on her face as she read over a message.
Spencer, the ever-observant of all things Olivia, noticed the joy radiating through her expression. He watched as she typed a quick response, her fingers dancing across the screen as his curiosity struck, wanting to know more.
"You keep typing that fast, your thumbs might fall off." He said, making Olivia laugh at his lame attempt at a joke while shaking her head, knowing it was all just to get her attention.
"You sound like my grandpa." She said, making Spencer laugh now.
Not wanting to go back to silence, Spencer turned to face her a little more, ready to start a conversation once she was done with her texting.
YOU ARE READING
the thing about love.
General Fiction"Love... Love will come find you. Just to remind you of who you are. Oh love, it will forsake you. Threaten to break you, take what you got. Everybody laughs, everybody cries. Oh it can hurt you baby. But give it a little try. See that's the thing a...
