𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒔, 𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒎. ¹

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘹. 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧

olivia sat on the porch, a half smoked cigarette beside her as she held james in her arms. he was so tiny, so very small. he was coming up on a year now, this sunday to be specific. he had been alive for an entire year, how strange was that.

he was awake now, playing with her hair as she watched him. "pretty." he smiled and all she could do was try not to cry, like she always did when she was with him. "my hair is pretty?" she asked, her voice soft as she lightly bounced him on her knee.

"pretty," he repeated like that was the only word he knew.

"oh god." olivia felt the air thicken as she looked into his soft green eyes. god he was beautiful, a perfect bundle of beauty.

"what?" a voice asked and she furrowed her brows at james like he had said it before her mother came up from behind her, sitting down beside her.

"oh nothing," she mumbled softly as she fed him a small cut up piece of banana. "i just didn't think he would still remember me." she whispered and her mother watched them, watched her babies.

"it's only been two months." diana reminded the girl.

olivia knew that was right, it had been about two months since she left home. "it feels like forever to me." she held him closer to her body and all he did was giggle.

"how could something so perfect come out of someone?" she asked as she faced her mother. the older woman shrugged, "that's what i thought when you came out of me." she smiled softly and olivia felt a knot in her stomach. her mother never made her feel like that.

james cooed in her arms and she rested her head on his shoulder ever so lightly. "he's better than me." she rubbed his back.

"that's what we all say." diana spoke again and olivia hummed.

"can i..." she stopped for a second and her mother shook her head, knowing what was coming next. "you can barely take care of yourself." the woman tried not to sound too harsh when she said that.

"i suppose you're right," there was a silence that followed. diana watched olivia who stared off at the setting sun, she had spent the entire day with james.

the silence was broken when her phone rang in her pocket, the sound seemed to scare the baby because he burst out in little sobs as olivia laughed softly. "it's okay, baby." she started swaying him in one arm as she reached for her phone. it was aria, she had to take it.

she got up as diana followed, "i can take him if you'd like." she held out her arms, almost eager to have the baby in them.

olivia shook her head as he cried in her ear, she left the balcony, whispering sweet nothings in his ear as she bounced him to try and calm him but the ringing stopped and so did he.

she smiled to herself as she dialled aria's number.

"hey," she said softly, trying not to scare james anymore than he already was.

"hey, where are you?" aria asked, it was like the redhead had disappeared off the face of the earth.

"at home." olivia answered.

"well, i was just with wes and he said he hadn't seen you all day." aria didn't want to sound controlling or crazy but she was worried and she needed to know where her girlfriend was or else she would probably die of worry.

olivia laughed softly, "not in rosewood, im back in pittsburgh for the weekend." she smiled as the baby cooed in her arms again. "ill be back by monday."

"you're in pittsburgh? why didn't you say something?" aria knew it sounded needy. "when did you get there?"

olivia checked her watch as james grabbed a hold of it, blocking her view, "a few hours ago." she answered, "and i wanted to call but i had a very long day." she laughed softly. "are you upset?" all olivia could think was the last time they spoke, they were fighting.

"no, i'm not upset," aria said, but the fact that olivia felt like she needed to ask that hurt her. "i was just...worried. wes said no one had seen you all day, and then to find out you're in pittsburgh? it worried me. i thought..."

"what?"

"i thought something bad had happened to you? i don't know. you weren't answering your phone either..." the words just kept going. "i was scared. and then you just tell me you're in pittsburgh? what if i'd never gotten a hold of you? and you never text or anything... and-"

aria wasn't even sure when she had started spiraling.

olivia sighed softly, "slow down, baby." she knew she should have called or texted but she was never really good at that sort of thing, she figured she'd see aria again when she saw her again. "i just didn't think, im sorry."

it was clear that aria was starting to get worked up, "you never think. i know you're sorry, but you always say you're sorry. and then you always-"

she stopped herself before she could say something she wouldn't be able to take back. she took a deep breath. "you just have to understand how worried i was. you couldn't even have texted me to let me know you were going to pittsburgh?"

olivia didn't want to fight, "i always what? tell me. im a big girl, i can handle the truth."

a part of aria wanted to say nothing, to leave it alone. but it was clear this was going to bug her forever. "you always say you're sorry. you say it, and then you go back to doing the exact same thing as always. it's not just about today. it's the fact you didn't even consider me, or how i'd feel."

"aria," her voice was soft again, "im sorry, i don't know what im supposed to say right now." she planted a soft kiss to james' temple, taking in his familiar scent.

that was the problem though, she never did. "you don't have to say anything. that's the thing. you just apologize and expect everything to be fine but it's not." aria sighed. "you just...don't think of me as a priority, not at all."

olivia scoffed softly, "you are a priority but you're not my only one." she looked down at james, "i have other responsibilities, i can't always be there when you need me."

it stung a little, hearing that she wasn't prioritised by her own girlfriend. "well, you could at least keep me updated. not disappear off the face of the earth and make me worry you're dead on a ditch somewhere."

"can we not do this right now? i was having a good time before you called." that came out more harsh than olivia intended it to. "i didn't mean it like that." all she wanted was to be with james, she didn't want to argue right now.

aria's eyes widen and she flinched a little. "so i've ruined this for you, is that what you're saying? great. just...great."

"can we just talk about this when i get back to rosewood?"

"what's the difference if we talk about it now or then? it's just more to avoid right?" aria knew she was starting to get defensive again. she wanted to just drop it and let olivia have a good night but she was feeling on edge.

olivia was tired, it was the first time aria made her tired. "okay, im wrong and you're right, is that what you need to hear right now?"

"no," she said but at the same time she was thinking yand she hated that she had that thought. "it's not about being right."

they were both tired, both frustrated. "it's just nice to know my girlfriend would at least have the decency to keep me updated when she's going to be out of town. just a quick text. 'hey, headed to pittsburgh. be back on monday'. that's it. how hard is that?"

"aria, i can't go back in time to do that." olivia spoke, "all i can do is apologize and try not to let it happen again,"

"but it will," aria said, sounding rather bleak. "you'll apologize and say it'll never happen again and then, a few weeks later, you'll do it again. and the cycle repeats itself, right?"

as if on cue, the baby in her arms started crying, maybe because he sensed that it was olivia wanted to do in that very moment, "i have to go," olivia tried to soothe him, "ill see you on monday."

without even a reply, aria ended the call. she sat there, staring at her phone with a mixture of emotions. frustration, anger, sadness, confusion. she hated when they fought.